JW and Emmie Brown Venture Blog

Swollen batteries turning up in some Archos tablets

The same sort of battery problems that have appeared on certain laptops over the past few years are now affecting some tablets. After using the 8- and 10-inch Archos 101 G9 tablets for about a year, we noticed that they no longer sat flat on a desktop, but rocked slightly back and forth, on a back-side bulge.

When we pressed on certain areas of the touch screen, we also noticed some visual distortion. The 10-inch model’s touchscreen also generated “phantom” touches—the screen jumped around as though someone were touching it when no one was.

Opening the 8-inch G9 confirmed our suspicion that the problem was swollen batteries:

Archos owners writing on the ArchosFans Forum reported similar bulging problems with their own tablets (search for “bulging” on that site). Unfortunately, most people can’t easily open these tablets, and it takes special skills to replace the battery. In addition, the warranty is just a year, which is about when the problem started for our samples.

In light of this problem, Archos should either extend the warranties for its G9 tablets, or follow the lead of Apple, which set up a battery-replacement/software-update program when problematic batteries in its laptops caused swelling.

http://forum.ArchosFans.com [ArchosFans Forum]

Related:
Apple’s bloating batteries

—Dean Gallea

Consumer pros and cons of SoftBank’s investment in Sprint

Softbank Corp., an apparently deep-pocketed Japanese telecommunications company, has reached a deal to buy 70 percent of U.S. mobile carrier Sprint Nextel. At first blush, the announcement may look like a win for consumers. Look closer, though, and the long-term impact could be less rosy for wireless customers.

On the positive side, the deal may help preserve competition among four sizable, financially healthy wireless carriers, which has been anything but assured recently. After all, Verizon and AT&T together command a huge (and growing) share of the wireless market in the U.S. The two other major carriers—T-Mobile and Sprint—have struggled to compete.

That struggle was part of what recently propelled T-Mobile to acquire MetroPCS, a smaller carrier that focuses on providing high-speed 4G service in a number of cities. While the deal may not be perfect for consumers, it does promise to boost T-Mobile’s competitiveness.

By injecting capital into Sprint, SoftBank might be able to assist the carried to build out its networks (in particular, its high-speed 4G network). And Sprint may also be able to acquire the additional wireless spectrum that would allow it to make the most of that new technology.

However, there’s concern from some quarters about where the networks and that spectrum might come from. As the T-Mobile acquisition of MetroPCS and AT&T’s aborted acquisition of T-Mobile last year illustrate, larger carriers often expand by swallowing up smaller ones. And there’s already speculation that a strengthened Sprint could go on to buy the likes of Clearwire, which provides wireless data service.

Such acquisitions can shrink the total number of choices available to wireless consumers—and also take away some spunky market innovators. MetroPCS, for example, built out a high-speed 4G network in a number of cities before some of the major carriers had done so.

The costs and benefits of this deal to consumers, then, are at best unclear at the moment. Also uncertain is whether SoftBank will receive the needed regulatory approval to complete the purchase.

In addition to its customary review of whether the merger is in the public interest, the Federal Communications Commission will also have to sign off on having a foreign company acquire a U.S. wireless carrier. While the FCC is allowed to approve such an arrangement, that component is bound to draw a good deal of political attention.

T-Mobile-Metro PCS merger is more good news than bad for consumers
AT&T pulls plug on plan to buy T-Mobile

Top 5 reasons families fight over loading the dishwasher

Dishwashers have eased the chore of cleaning up after a meal but even the best performing models can’t settle family arguments over how to load the machine. In fact, 40 percent of Americans fight over how to load the dishwasher, according to a survey from Bosch home appliances. Here are the top five bones of contention.

Pre-rinse or not. In the survey of 2,000 adults, 61 percent said they argue over whether dishes should be pre-rinsed before being put into the dishwasher. Consumer Reports says don’t bother. Pre-rinsing your dishes can easily waste more than 6,000 gallons of water per household each year. Better to just scrape off the loose food.

Pack it or run two loads. Forty-one percent of respondents argue over whether to pack the dishwasher full or to run two smaller loads. Women were more inclined to pack the machine. For best results, make sure the water has room to circulate around each dish or implement and take care not to block the spray arms.

Knife points up or down. Almost as many folks—39 percent— disagree over whether the tips of knives should point up or down. In this case, it’s a matter of safety as it’s better to grab the base of the knife, not the blade. But silverware cleans equally well placed either way.

Location, location. While some respondents think it’s okay to load the dishwasher willy-nilly, a third of those asked prefer to put glasses and cups on the top rack and plates and other dishes on the bottom rack. Bosch recommends that whatever the location that each item be separated by dishwasher tines.

Plastic placement. One-third of those asked debate about where to place plastic—on the top rack where it’s less likely to melt or anywhere there’s space. Many dishwashers, including Bosch, have concealed heating elements that help prevent plastic containers from melting.

The survey also exposed the excuses that 38 percent of men give for not loading the dishwasher: they cooked dinner; they’re too lazy or their time is too important.

In Consumer Reports dishwasher tests, Bosch holds the top three spots followed by some good performers from LG, Miele and KitchenAid. The top machine, the $700 Bosch Ascenta SHX3AR7[5]UC, is a CR Best Buy. It was excellent at washing and energy efficiency, easy to use and very good at noise, which is a point of pride for the company.

Program energy savings into the cold winter ahead

With winter temperatures expected to be near normal, most households will be spending more to heat their homes than last season when temperatures were mild. The pocketbook pain will be especially acute for the six percent of homes that heat with oil—average expenditures for those households are forecast to be higher than any previous winter on record, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and almost 20 percent more than last year.

Crunching the numbers, it’s not the price of fuel but the drop in the mercury that will account for most of the cost of heating as actual prices aren’t that much higher than last year. But east of the Rockies it’s projected to be 20 to 27 percent colder than last winter. Because of that, heating bills are expected to rise 20 percent for heating oil customers, 15 percent for natural gas customers, 13 percent for propane customers and 5 percent for electricity customers, according to the EIA report.

Now, before the first snowflake flies, is a good time to prepare for the frigid months ahead. In addition to tightening the envelope of your home by caulking and weatherstripping, you can shave a lot off your utility bill by installing a programmable thermostat. That way you’re not heating the house when you’re not in it.

Early versions of these energy-saving devices could be a bit tricky to use but in our recent tests we found that they’re becoming more intuitive. Some will save you money right out of the box because they come pre-programmed with the routine of a typical family. But you can fine-tune yours to match your schedule either day-to-day or by weekdays and weekends.

Consumer Reports recently tested 30 thermostats of which 10 were top picks. And while some of the best models cost $250 to $300, we named the $70 Lux TX9600TS a CR Best Buy because it was easy to use and has a good display. We also found three models that were excellent overall by Venstar, Honeywall and ecobee. Venstar also had the lowest-scoring unit, the Venstar Wireless Remote T1100RF, so don’t buy by brand alone.

It’s Energy Star day. Change a lightbulb to celebrate

Today is Energy Star Day, which kicks off two weeks of events celebrating the program’s 20th anniversary. With help from Energy Star, American families and businesses have saved nearly $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, says Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. And she’d like consumers to take a pledge to save even more.

Consumers can take the pledge to make such low-cost changes as replacing a few incandescent lightbulbs with CFLs or LEDs or to make a big investment such as installing a new water heater. Energy Star also encourages homeowners to seal leaks with weatherstripping or caulking, something that their experts and ours say results in immediate savings.

We agree that the country is a much more efficient place thanks to Energy Star. Whether you’re shopping for a clothes washer, computer, refrigerator, or room air conditioner, the Energy Star label is an instant reminder that energy efficiency should be part of your decision process. Energy efficiency is a vital part of Consumer Reports appliance and television tests—we let you know how much it costs to run a refrigerator or TV set per year and which appliances use more energy than others, or more than they should.

Over the years we’ve had our quibbles with Energy Star. In a 2008 investigation, “Energy Star Has Lost Its Luster,” we exposed the fact that some Energy Star-qualified refrigerators were using significantly more energy than stated on their yellow EnergyGuide label. And we’ve argued that lax qualifying standards have, at times, resulted in product categories in which most of the models on the market carry the Energy Star label. But the program continues to tweak and tighten its regulations resulting in more energy-efficient products.

Energy savers can share their stories on the Energy Star website or play games with the Lorax. And at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, we’ve partnered with Green America in a contest called “America’s cutest lil’ energy savers.” Catch your kid saving energy, post the video on YouTube and you’re eligible to win $250. Here’s the rules. Contest entries are due October 22 and judging begins the next day.

Troy-Bilt’s mid-price blower for heavy leaf work

Depending on where you live, heavy rains may come as no surprise when it’s time to get up all those leaves. But paying big money for a wheeled blower isn’t your only option if you have a spacious property and lots of wet leaves to collect. We recently got a look at the Troy-Bilt TB 672, $400 at Lowe’s, and hope to get it in soon for testing.

We tested an earlier version of the TB672 two years ago and found it close to the top-rated Little Wonder 9502, which has since been discontinued. A preliminary look at today’s TB672 suggested that, while the Little Wonder LB160H in our current Ratings for leaf blowers scored especially well, the Troy-Bilt might provide a little less power for half the Little Wonder’s $800 price. And since the diameter of a blower’s fan tends to be proportionate with blowing power, the Troy-Bilt’s wide fan size should help it deliver more umph than the typical backpack.

Have a smaller yard? For our current Ratings, we tested more than 30 models including 14 electric handheld (counting one cordless-electric) and 16 gasoline-powered handheld and backpack models besides the Little Wonder. Be sure also to see our buying advice for leaf blowers.

Kohler and American Standard lauded for good WaterSense

A little bathroom humor helped two toilet manufacturers win honors from the Environmental Protection Agency for advancing the agency’s WaterSense conservation program. American Standard and Kohler, which both have top-rated toilets in Consumer Reports tests, were credited for wacky blogs and public service campaigns that use a light-hearted approach to encourage consumers not to waste water.

Since the program began in 2006, WaterSense labeled products have helped Americans save 287 billion gallons of water and $4.7 billion in water and energy bills through partnerships with manufacturers, retailers and builders. But water conservation can be a dry topic. To liven things up, Kohler and some partners ran the “Wasting water is weird” campaign featuring Rip the Drip who showed up in bathrooms and kitchens to lecture homeowners about water waste. Then there’s Professor Toilet who writes a blog for American Standard, a company that last year ran the “responsible bathroom tour” toting and touting WaterSense toilets across the nation.

On the serious side, Kohler introduced 40 new WaterSense models including the the $6,390 Numi, which it claims offers unrivaled water efficiency. Among other introductions, American Standard developed the “no tools” toilet that can be installed with simple hand tightening. All WaterSense toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush or less.

In Consumer Reports toilet tests, six WaterSense toilets made our list of top picks including two from Kohler and one from American Standard. Conventional models from those brands also made the list. A single-flush toilet from Aquasource and a dual-flush model from Glacier Bay, which both sell for $100, were named CR Best Buys. That shows you don’t have to invest a lot to stop flushing money down the toilet.

Source: 2012 WaterSense Awards.

As an appliance, the Fisker Karma is rough around the edges

The Porsche Panamera: a really fast washing machine? Jaguar XJL: a leather-lined toaster? Audi A8: an aluminum-crafted blender made for the autobahn? This is one way to interpret comments by Tony Posawatz, the new CEO of Fisker Automotive, in response to our recent (and uncomplimentary) review of the Karma sedan.

According to Frank Markus of Motor Trend (echoed in online stories by Joann Muller of Forbes and Jeff Gilbert of CBS), Mr. Posawatz has had some criticisms of our test criteria. From the Motor Trend blog:

This week, Fisker’s newly minted (five weeks on the job) CEO Tony Posawatz addressed the Automotive Press Association in Detroit to deliver a State of the Company address of sorts on the heels of an unflattering review by Consumer Reports and reports of a recent fire. When asked about these two incidents, he intimated that CR’s reviewers might not be as ideally suited to reviewing design-optimized highly emotional products like the Fisker Karma as they are more appliance-like vehicles, noting that they had also panned the original iPhone for its non-removable battery and non-tactile typing screen.

If that’s indeed the case, then the appliances—er, luxury sedans—listed above from Porsche, Jaguar, and Audi, which handily out-scored the Karma in our testing, may soon be seen on the sales floor at Sears, Home Depot, and Lowe’s.

Maybe the Karma is meant only for those buyers who can truly appreciate concept-car styling, illuminated by frequent warning lights and operational failures, and punctuated by multiple trips to the dealer. (Of course, most cars are first shown as concept cars as they are readied for production.) Even putting our car’s problems aside, the Karma suffers from several inherent shortcomings, like a very cramped interior, a hefty SUV-like curb weight, lousy visibility, and controls that eschew easy-to-use knobs and buttons for a poorly-designed touch screen. (Knobs are so appliance-like…) Ultimately, its overall test score is below our minimal threshold for recommendation, which does not factor the intermittent glitches that we experienced. (Learn how we test cars.)

Like the iPhone, we expect Fisker will improve their product over time. Mr. Posawatz achieved an impressive feat by leading the Chevrolet Volt‘s development. And presumably, lessons learned working for the corporate giant will benefit Fisker and its products.

Of course, the appliance comment is supposed to be a knock against us. But you expect most appliances to work and be well-designed, and the same goes for your car, “design-optimized” or not. Funny thing is, we think that all buyers deserve to get a good car—especially if they’re spending $107,850 on it.

Check out the video below for our take on the Fisker, and see our Full Track Report for the complete details. And if you are interested in appliances, know that other engineers at Consumer Reports test those; see our appliance ratings.

Related:
Fisker Karma earns a failing grade from Consumer Reports
Fire leads Fisker to recall Karma, again
Fisker Karma electric car recalled due to possible coolant leak and fire
Fisker shows smaller Atlantic plug-in hybrid sedan in NY
Fisker Q&A reveals other owners face Karma challenges, solutions are promised
Fisker to replace Karma’s drive battery
Five questions with Henrik Fisker, father of the $100,000 Karma plug-in hybrid

GE recalls 62,000 front-loaders that pose risk during spin cycle

GE has recalled 62,000 of its GE Profile front-loading washers because the washer’s basket seam can separate during the final spin cycle and break the machine’s top panel posing a hazard. GE has received 19 reports of baskets separating, including 10 that resulted in top panel breakage. No injuries have been reported.

The recall, announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, involves GE Profile front loaders with model numbers beginning with WPDH8800, WPDH8900, and WPDH8910. All serial numbers from those models are included. The model number can be found on the washer’s right side near the bottom and behind the door near the door frame visible when the door is opened.

The recalled washers were sold at Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sears, and other retail stores nationwide from July 2008 to August 2011 for between $1,199 and $1,599. The units came in gold, red, and white. If you have one, stop using it and contact GE for a free in-home repair by calling 888-641-9739 or visit the company’s website at www.geappliances.com/products/recall for details.

LG’s muscular washer and dryer are cleaning champs as well

Lately we’ve noticed that some of the appliances tested by Consumer Reports are getting bigger and bigger, like the matching front-loading washer and dryer from LG. The mega-capacity machines allow you to do bigger loads of laundry less often, says the manufacturer. In our tests, we found that this pair was not only bigger, but better in many ways.

The LG WM8000H[V]A front-loader, $1,350, was superb overall, tops our latest Ratings of dozens of washers, and is a recommended model. Its capacity is the largest we’ve tested, but the normal cycle takes 100 minutes for an eight-pound load and when we filled the washer to capacity it took more than two hours to clean our 24-pound load of wash. That’s substantially longer than other tested washers. So while the oversized LG allows you to wash more laundry less often, each load will take you longer. The washer does have a TurboWash option, which delivered comparable cleaning of our eight-pound load and cut wash time by about 20 minutes.

The LG matching electric dryer, DLEX8000[V], offers excellent drying and is relatively quiet. It’s also a recommended model, but at $1,350 it’s among the more expensive dryers we’ve tested. The gas model is DLGX8001[V], $1,440. And as you might have guessed, both the washer and dryer take up slightly more space than the typical twosome. Each machine is two inches wider.

In our washing machine tests, models that rated excellent in capacity fit 17 to 24 pounds of laundry. Models that earned excellent capacity scores in our dryer tests can typically hold these large loads as well. To give you some idea of how much laundry the jumbo LG front-loader can accommodate, we were able to put in 27 cotton items—the mix included towels, jeans, shorts and shirts. A conventional top-loader had room for 16 of these items, about 14 pounds.