The $320 Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow electric fireplace — perhaps better known as the “Amish Heater” in advertisements — is a space heater that’s designed to resemble a traditional wood fireplace. The infomercial suggests that the Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow was invented by the Amish, who disavow the use of electricity. The validity of this claim has...

December 20 is this year’s drop-dead date for on-time holiday shipping, but if you want to take advantage of free shipping offered by some online retailers, you need to act faster than that. We’ve looked at this year’s free-shipping offers and thrown them into a chart for your reference. In addition, hundreds of retailers are participating in Free Shipping...

iPod speakers have improved by leaps and bounds over the last several years, and reviewers say some modern speakers sound as good as small home theater systems. Many of the latest iPod speakers are also compatible with the Apple iPhone, and feature GSM shielding so you can receive calls without interference. read more addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fplasmama.com%2Fplasma-tv-review%2Fipod-speakers-no-longer-audio-compromises'; ...

In this leaked Black Friday circular from OfficeMax, the store is touting a 7-inch Memorex portable DVD player as one of it’s 7:00 a.m. doorbuster deals. So is it worth the hassle of fighting the crowds and waiting in line? The deal: 7-inch Memorex MVDP1078 portable DVD player for $30 Our verdict: A good deal for what’s pretty much a disposable player As we...

All-in-one home-theater systems are the Rodney Dangerfield of home audio: They get no respect from audiophiles — and from many reviewers. That said, their appeal for those who want a home theater that doesn’t require an engineering degree to get set up and working is undeniable. What’s also undeniable is that many of the home-theater-in-a-box products...

You’ve probably used Google Street View at some point to scope out a neighborhood or business before you actually go there (or to see what your boss’s house looks like), but how exactly is Google getting those 360-degree images? Sure, it’s a camera on a car, which works great for city streets. Now Google Street View is expanding to places no VW Beetle...

If you’ve never used one, a pressure cooker probably sounds like a science experiment about to go terribly and explosively wrong. But to savvy cooks, pressure cookers are the shortcut to sublimely tender meat that’s cooked in a fraction of the time it would take in the oven. Larger models can be used for home canning. Check out our report on pressure cookers...

Lightweight and low priced, the netbook phenomenon shows few signs of ending anytime soon. Most netbooks can’t really compete performance-wise with full-sized laptops — even cheap laptops. But if you need an easy-to-tote companion for checking email, browsing the web or low-demand computing tasks like basic word processing, a netbook can deliver the goods. read...

When it comes to a leisurely breakfast, waffles are a family favorite. Crisp and light, with deep pockets for rich butter, sweet syrup or fresh fruit, waffles are a treat to eat and to make. As we discuss in our updated report on waffle makers, there are two types of waffles: American-style and Belgian-style. Belgian waffles, which are generally round, are fluffier and...

You’ve probably seen the ads for Cash4Gold, a company that allows you to mail in your old gold jewelry in exchange for cash. Likewise, you might have also stumbled upon numerous complaints from users claiming Cash4Gold isn’t all it promises to be. A former employee of Cash4Gold, Michele Liberis, sparked a media flurry (and a lawsuit filed by Cash4Gold in retaliation)...

You’ve probably heard the term “unlocked phone” floating around, but you may not know precisely what that means. An unlocked cell phone is one that’s not tied to a specific carrier or long-term contract; in fact, you can use it on multiple carriers at home and abroad, making it a flexible travel companion. You can buy an unlocked phone at retail...

Earlier last week, you may have read a news story in which British researchers say that driving a convertible with the top down at highway speeds could damage to your hearing over time. The Brits found that some of the driving scenarios can produce sustained sound levels over 90 decibels. That’s loud, just so you know. That said, the eggheads noted that simply rolling...

Panasonic generated some buzz when it first announced that it would be introducing a portable Blu-ray player. Of course, some of the noise was coming from pundits snickering over the very idea of watching Blu-ray’s high-definition images on a tiny nine-inch screen. But now that experts have had the chance to actually try out the Panasonic DMP-B15, some are singing...

Portable generators have many uses, ranging from emergency backup power for your home, to on-the-go juice for campers and outdoorsmen. The biggest models pump out 10,000 to 17,500 watts and are capable of supplying whole-house power to a sizable home during an outage, but they’re also the most expensive by far. You can pick up a portable generator that’ll...

The Snuggie, a body-length blanket with sleeves, was all the rage last holiday season. But some customers weren’t feeling too cozy after they were duped by a rebate scam. If you bought a Snuggie and received a surprise rebate check in the mail, the Better Business Bureau is warning you to read the fine print before endorsing it. The check is typically in the amount...