The latest on electronics, appliances, & technology issues ... direct from the experts in our testing and research team.
22 January 2010
Yes – that got your attention! But you’ll have to go to Masterton to find it. Actually it’s not quite that bad – for North Islanders - because just lately, we’ve noticed it can be easy to find cheaper petrol. Trouble is – it’s only if you are lucky enough to live in the right areas. more »
11 December 2009
I just went to Argentina for three weeks. At the start of the trip I had a bit of online-based work to do, so I was concerned about what kind of internet I would find. more »
23 November 2009
Mac OS X Leopard was a major feature upgrade over the previous system, Tiger, but don’t expect the same from Snow Leopard. Apple’s latest version of Mac OS X is not so much a whole new cat, but it’s definitely a sleeker and faster one. more »
27 October 2009
After winning a Disputes Tribunal decision against Dell in February, Bryan Duffin assumed the matter would be settled quickly. Months later, Bryan was still chasing the money from Dell. more »
6 October 2009
Some months ago, a member bought Microsoft Office Enterprise Edition for his business. It ran OK for a month – and then stopped working. Our member then went to activate his software on Microsoft’s site within the 30-day activation period and found he couldn’t. more »
2 October 2009
Our latest mobile phones report suggests looking for a cheap phone at your destination if you’re travelling overseas. Here’s what I found when visiting Canada recently. more »
29 September 2009
We knew TiVo was coming at some point – it’s part owned by TVNZ. But now details have emerged that Telecom holds exclusive reselling rights for the November launch, and only its broadband customers can have access to TiVo’s internet features. more »
29 September 2009
Fridges can explode but it’s rare unless you live in the UK where there have been five explosions reported in the past three years. The cause is the potentially explosive refrigerant R600a, which is used in an estimated 500 million fridges in Europe. So the risk of an explosion is still extremely low. more »
13 July 2009
Well, that only took a few weeks. The iPhone 3GS is here – but who should buy it? Let’s look at what it offers. The “S” in 3GS stands for “speed” – and with a faster processor and more RAM, that’s what you’re likely to get. more »
18 June 2009
A Consumer member recently got in touch regarding missing text messages. After some ferreting, they found both Vodafone and Telecom allowed only 72 hours to pick up text messages before the messages were wiped from the servers. more »