Essential gadgets for emergencies

With Texans along the Gulf Coast recovering from Hurricane Dolly, we thought it would be a good time to mention electronics gear that can be invaluable to have before, during and after a natural disaster or other emergency. Of course, there are other items you'll need, such as flashlights, water, and more. For a complete checklist and other tips on preparing for—and dealing with the aftermath of—devastating storms and disasters, see our free Storm and Emergency guide on ConsumerReports.org.

On the electronics front, here's what we recommend:

• Make sure you have an emergency radio—powered by either batteries or a hand-crank—which will work even if the lights go out. A radio can pull in vital news, weather, and evacuation information from AM radio stations, which have further "reach" than TV broadcasters.
• Have at least one corded phone that doesn't require electricity. A cordless phone's base station won't run without juice.
• Keep your cell phone charged and have alternative power options—a car adapter or a portable cell phone charger that uses common AA batteries or features a hand crank or other "green" energy source.
• Consider having family members use different cell phone service providers in case one carrier goes down.
• Know how to text message. If cell towers are still up but available bandwidth is limited, a text message may be able to get through when voice calls won't.
• Learn how to browse the Web on an Internet-enabled phone. You'll have news bulletins, maps, and more at your fingertips.
• Have a portable GPS navigation system, which can be handy if you have to evacuate through unfamiliar routes and areas.

Finding cheap gas on the Web

Given still-stratospheric gas prices, I decided to test drive a few Web sites that promise to help you find the lowest gas prices in your area. Our colleagues in the Cars franchise listed several such sites a few months ago when regular unleaded cost "only" $3 per gallon.

Comparison shopping online is faster than cruising the neighborhood for a bargain, and you won't be burning any gas. But it's useful only if online prices are accurate and there are significant variations among local stations.

As a reality check, I drove around my north New Jersey neighborhood recently, jotting down credit card prices for regular unleaded at 15 stations. (Disclaimer: Approximately one gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was consumed in the production of this blog post.) The highest price I saw for regular was $4.06 and the lowest was $3.89 (for credit cards; cash prices were a bit lower at a few stations). If that seems like a bargain compared to your neck of the woods, it's because New Jersey has some of the lowest gas prices on either coast.

If you drive 12,000 miles a year (the national average) and get 24.3 mpg (the average we found in a random nationwide survey last month), buying the cheapest gas would save you about $84 a year—nothing to get excited about, though it's a psychological boost to pay even a little less for gas these days. And if you drive more than average or have a less fuel-efficient vehicle, your savings could be greater.

After my station tour, I went to four free Web sites to see whether their price listings were accurate: GasPriceWatch.com, MapQuest, MSN Autos, and NewJerseyGasPrices; (associated with the national site, GasBuddy). These sites display interactive maps that show the price at each station's geographical location, and they usually tell you how recently each price was updated. MapQuest and MSN get their price information from Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), which tracks more than 90,000 retail gasoline prices daily. GasPriceWatch and GasBuddy get them from volunteer “spotters.”

Best Buy ups the ante for retailer recycling programs

A pilot recycling program launched this week in 117 Best Buy stores is turning the company,s outlets into free drop-off centers for your old gear. If successful, it might help boost recycling services as a point of competition among electronics retailers.

The program, at stores in the Baltimore, San Francisco, and Minnesota markets, allows visitors to bring in up to two items per day, per household, for recycling at no charge. No purchase is required. Allowable items include most televisions and monitors up to 32-inches, computers, phones of all types, and cameras.

The company says it will "work with its stores, recycling partners, and manufacturers to evaluate the success of the test and determine options for scaling it across the U.S." Meantime, the company adds, all Best Buy stores will continue to offer other programs  including recycling kiosks for ink cartridges, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, CDs, DVDs, and PDA/smart phones and appliance and television home pickup and disposal for $100.

Traditionally, Consumers Union, Consumer Reports' parent organization, promotes the idea that manufacturers have the onus for creating recycling programs, but it of course also welcomes retailers stepping up.

The Best Buy program is among the most extensive yet by a U.S. electronics retailer. Staples seems to be the closest retailer rival. But Staples' Eco Easy program is free only for smaller items, including keyboards, mice, computer speakers, and phones; there's a $10-per-item charge for computers, TVs, and other larger items. (You can find more information about the program on Staples' Eco Easy web site.)

Assuming they continue and even expand, the Best Buy and Staples programs might prompt broader programs from other electronics retailers, who now offer more limited recycling services:

• Office Depot offers a "Tech Recycling Box" that consumers can purchase in three different sizes—small ($5), medium ($10), and large ($15), the latter measuring 24"H x 18"D x 18"W. They also offer in-store recycling for cell phones, rechargeable batteries, ink and toner cartridges.


• Circuit City offers in-store recycling for cell phones and rechargeable batteries and the option to trade in your old products, including computers, cameras, PDAs, and MP3 players, online in exchange for store credit equal to their value. (Best Buy has a similar trade-in program).


• Office Max offers a "Max Perks" box for collection of ink and toner cartridges and cell phone batteries. Some outlets also collect ink cartridges.

—Kristi Wiedemann

Are you ready for green TV?

Flat-panel TVs, especially plasma TVs, consume a good deal of power—perhaps more than your fridge, as we found when we tested the power consumption of a range of TV types recently. But how much do you care about that?

We ask because some TV manufacturers, when they gather at events like the Consumer Electronics Show, say that energy consumption and other green considerations aren't yet a high-priority concern for a critical mass of consumers. And that, they say, makes them reluctant to compromise on attributes that are clear consumer priorities, like low prices and bright screens, in order to boost greenness.

Yet greener computers and monitors have entered the market. Why? In part because the federal government buys millions of those products every year and insists that 95 percent of them meet environmental standards set by EPEAT—the Electronics Product Environmental Assessment Tool. The standards stipulate that desktops, laptops, and monitors contain fewer toxins like lead and mercury, be Energy Star-qualified, and contain recyclable or reusable parts, among other criteria. Some of the greener models developed to meet EPEAT's stipulations are available to consumers, too; the program's website has a searchable list.

Currently, EPEAT standards are being considered for TVs. But since the Feds don't buy many TVs, the incentive to create the standards wouldn't be there the way it is for computers. Our advocacy colleagues at Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, believe it will be key to have other big purchasers and retailers engage in the development of the standards.

Of course, the biggest driver in all of this is you, the consumer. Are greener TVs on your radar? Would you trade off other attributes, like screen size or price, to get a greener set? Tell us what you think.