Consumer Issues

By MIKE BERMANTuesday, November 21, 2006I am bemused, befuddled and besmirched! The introduction of the somewhat overpriced Sony Playstation 3 ($599) has left a path of carnage in its wake and, to compound it all, the folks at Sony took a tip from Microsoft's bag of tricks and created a shortage of these wunderkind, high-end gaming consoles, giving just a few of us a taste of what's to come.People were being shot, maimed and mugged as they waited in line (some for days) to be the first to own one of these machines.

By FRAN DANIELTuesday, November 21, 2006Shoppers aren't the only ones who are looking for gifts these days. Thieves and scam artists are extremely active during the holidays."This is the type of season that they enjoy, and they are very good at it," said Richard Soloway, a security expert and the chairman of NAPCO Security Systems.

By JAMES DERKTuesday, November 21, 2006Aside from the volume of letters I usually get when I say anything negative about Apple, the readers have really piled it on this week.My mailbox is bulging with letters about the discontinuation of AVG Free, a no-cost version of AVG Anti-Virus.

By ANNA WALLNER and KRISTINA MATISIC
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
As the temperature outside drops our thoughts turn to the indoors, to cozy weekends by the fire. And what better way to get comfy than with a cashmere sweater or wrap! If cashmere is on your shopping list this winter season or if you're planning on making it a Christmas gift for someone special, here's how to spot quality:

_ The Federal Wool Products Labeling Act requires all cashmere product labels to include country of origin, the name of the manufacturer and the percentage of cashmere the item contains.

By HELEN MALANI
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
A friend thought it might be fun to break from tradition and shake up this year's Thanksgiving dinner by serving beer instead of wine. Crazy, right?

But I soon learned that the popularity of beer _ especially imports and craft beers _ is surging.

By LESLIE BERKMAN
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
While listening to the radio in the summer of 2005, Mike Spanos heard a commercial for a mortgage promising a 1 percent interest rate for three years.

By MAX MESSMER
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Honesty is the best policy, especially when it comes to your resume and cover letter. But that doesn't mean you need to provide a reason or motive for everything you've ever done or plan to do professionally.

By MARK ROTH
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
So, doing our best Howie Mandel impression, we ask you, America:

The Discover Card "scissors" commercial _ Creepy? Or Not Creepy?

If you haven't seen it, the advertising campaign, now entering its second phase, features hundreds of orange-handled scissors, hopping around on city streets and leaping up to devour consumers' credit cards, as part of an effort to get them to switch to the friendlier Discover Card.

Not long after the initial 60-second spot debuted during the Emmy Awards in August, the blogosphere began buzzing with comments about how much the hungry scissors make some people cringe.

The ad "features thousands of scissors walking and jumping along _ with their sharp ends up!" wrote Bob Sassone, editor of the Web magazine Professor Barnhardt's Journal.

By CLINT SWETT
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Reports of mishandled baggage _ those classified as late, lost, damaged or pilfered _ soared in September among all U.S. carriers, rising 81 percent, compared with the same month a year ago.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006
With Turkey Day around the corner, it's time to start thinking about holiday gifts. What better place to start than the consumer electronics aisle?

The San Francisco Chronicle's Technology team spent weeks aggregating opinions and arguments about tech toys ranging from tiny cell phones to huge HDTVs.