Digital Frames For Dad
It's easy to take digital pictures. But what's the best way to show them off? Certainly digital frames that can store hundreds of photos are a good option. Consumer Reports has tested dozens—which might help you find a great gift for Dad.
Some of the frames can wirelessly accept images from the Internet and your cell phone. And all the frames tested work with most of today's camera's memory cards.
Testers found that the bigger 10-inch frames suffered from the same picture quality problems that they've seen in the past. With two, unless your pictures are formatted for wide screens-and most aren't-you get black bars on the sides. And on all, the picture quality falls off when you're viewing from the side.
Interestingly, the iPad uses a different screen technology than the digital frames and that seems to solve the viewing problem—not that you'd spend at least $500 dollars on the iPad to use as a digital frame. But it's a nice plus.
The 10-inch HP Dream Screen 100 is the best of the bigger frames. But with its Internet radio and video features, it costs $200. For much less, testers recommend the eight-inch Digital Spectrum Memory Frame MF 801, which costs $70.
Many of the frames, including, the recommended 8-inch Digital Spectrum Memory MF 801, come with a remote control which has on-and-off controls, image rotation and other menu options.
Best Lawn Mowers
Most people have never mowed 700,000 square feet of grass, or bagged 3,000 pounds of grass clippings. But Consumer Reports' testers have in order to find the best lawn mower for your yard.
This year the tests covered more than 50 lawn mowers-Consumer Reports' biggest mower project ever. The tests included three different kinds of mowers—gasoline-powered push, gasoline-powered self-propelled, and electric mowers. For most lawns, Consumer Reports says self-propelled mowers are the best choice.
Whichever mower you get, you want one that cuts grass evenly. An ideal cut looks just like a carpet. And mowers that mulch shouldn't leave clumps of grass on the lawn.
Good features to look for include rear-wheel drive, which improves traction going uphill. Infinite drive is another helpful feature, which allows you to vary your speed faster or slower without shifting. And a washout port lets you attach a hose to the mower, which makes cleaning it a lot easier.
You also want a reliable mower. Consumer Reports' survey of 34,000 subscribers who'd bought a self-propelled mower in the last five years found a problem with ones from John Deere. About a quarter needed repairs.
When all the testing was done, Consumer Reports found several good choices, including the Toro Recycler 20332, which was named a Best Buy at $350. It's got all those helpful features and Toro has been one of the more reliable brands of self-propelled mowers.
Gas-powered push mowers are fine for smaller, flatter lawns and for trimming. A good one is the Husqvarna 6021P. It's a Consumer Reports Best Buy at $200. You can also find it at Sears under the model number 38451.
Best E-book Reader
You've heard of the Kindle, the Nook, and what about the pricey new iPad? And there are other electronic-book readers out there, from companies such as Sony and iRex. Consumer Reports just looked at nine different e-book readers to find the best ones for bookworms, moms included.
The iPad is a tablet computer with a color screen that you can also use to read e-books. And the iPad is backlit, so even in the dark you can easily keep on reading. But it has drawbacks. It's heavy, weighing twice as much as most e-book readers. And in bright sunlight it can be hard to read. Consumer Reports' take: Although the iPad is very versatile and does most things very well, it's not the best choice for just reading e-books.
So for simple book reading, should you go for the Kindle or a different e-book reader? The Nook is heavily advertised by Barnes & Noble, but testers had some issues with it. One of the problems with the Nook is its interface. The little screen is all you get for navigating around, picking books, moving though pages, and typing in titles for searches and such.
Other e-book readers also didn't measure up. With some, you need a USB wire to connect to a bookstore and buy books.
In the end, Consumer Reports says opt for the top-selling favorite, the six-inch Kindle. It's easy to use, loads quickly, and costs about $260 at Amazon.com.
For the time being, the wireless Kindle also has the added bonus of an extensive library of e-books, available at Amazon.com. Bestsellers usually range from $10 to $15 and the download is free.