Save money on your holiday cards with these 8 photofinishers

Printing your holiday photo cards through a photofinishing Web site can save you time and money, especially if you do so in the next week or two. A number of sites are offering limited time discounts and free shipping. Below are some deals that I found at larger sites.

To take advantage of an offer, you must register with the site and provide contact information, such as your e-mail and shipping address. You'll also need to upload any photos you want to use on the card. Be sure to note the expiration dates on all offers:

• Shutterfly Save 20 percent on holiday cards. (The offer does not apply to note cards and calling cards.) Also, you can get free shipping on your order if you spend $30 or more. A comparison page lets you compare card types. Shutterfly has a wide array of other gifts, many of which are also being discounted.
• Kodak Gallery This site is offering free shipping on orders of $75 or more.
• Snapfish This site is offering free shipping on orders of 40 or more flat cards. They are also offering 20 percent off on everything in the Snapfish catalog.
• PEphoto.com They're offering 10 percent off orders of 25 or more photo greeting cards. Also, buy one photo album, get $10 off a second album.
• Walmart photo center Free shipping on greeting cards.
• Winkflash They're offering 40 percent off all holiday card orders.

• Clark Color labs Has several promotions: 40 percent off photo greeting cards; free shipping on photo gifts of $25 or more; 7 cents per prints; $8 off hardcover photo book orders of $20 or more.
• Photoworks Buy one photo calendar, get one free.

5 hot electronics gifts flagged by Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll

Electronics are again at the top of a lot of gift lists for the coming holiday season, according to the results of a Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll released this week.

Here, are the five hottest electronics gifts, listed in order of respondents’ intentions to give them. I’ve added some reasons why they’re hot at the moment and, for some, details on the kind of people who are buying them:

• Video games and accessories. Planned as gifts by 28 percent of respondents. In a year where many people plan to cut back, as other survey data underlines, these are gifts that cost a lot less than most hardware. Nearly half of households with kids under 12 are planning such purchases, but so are nearly a quarter of homes with no such youngsters—underlining that games and extra Wii nunchucks aren’t just being bought for kids anymore. It helps that some of the hottest game titles of the year appeal equally to young and old players—notably Beatles Rock Band.

• Video-game consoles. Planned as gifts by 14 percent of respondents, including 25 percent of homes with kids under 12. With no new versions of consoles out this year, and the economy softening, prices have dropped for most brands. Also, after two seasons in which getting a Nintendo Wii consoles required military-level planning, the promise of its wider availability may be prompting some Wii holdouts to plan a purchase. (See our video buying guide for game consoles.)

Extra Extra: Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide is on sale

(Click to enlarge.)

It may be a tad early to start your holiday shopping, but there’s a good chance you’ve at least been thinking about it. Maybe you’ve had a big-ticket gift—like a new TV or home theater—in mind for a while now, but are putting off the purchase till November or December. If it’s sales you’re waiting for, you probably know what you want and how much you’re willing to pay. On the other hand, you might just a teeny bit leery of throwing so much cash at something you know very little about. Which is better: a plasma or LCD TV? Should you upgrade to a Blu-ray player or stick with standard-def DVDs?

If you find yourself in need of expert advice, consider the newest edition of the Consumer Reports Electronics Buying Guide. Inside you’ll find a wealth of information on everything from televisions and computers to smart phones, GPS units, and much more. For each product, the Consumer Reports editors walk you through the basics, explaining what’s available, which features matter, brand profiles, and offering tried-and-true shopping tips.

In addition to product information, the guide offers advice on how to shop smarter, including:

• Netting the best deals online, and protecting yourself when you shop on the Web


• When to repair and when to replace a broken item


• How to haggle effectively


• Finding the best electronics retailer based on our comprehensive annual survey


• How to save—and what to be wary of—with refurbished or open-box products on store shelves


• Where to get free office software, free computer security programs, and more useful freeware

Father's Day: Electronics gifts for every e-dad

[ Photo courtesy of Duncan Rawlinson via Flickr. ]

If your dad has been sending signals, subtle or otherwise, about his need for a cooler digital camera, a lighter laptop, or a GPS to rid himself of those infernal maps that never fold up right, Father’s Day is your chance to shine.

As we did for mom on her day, we’ve picked some e-toy categories that we think our diverse group of dads would like to get. We’ve also recommended a model (or sometimes two) to buy in each category. These selections aren’t definitive; we’ve added links to our full Ratings (available to subscribers), where you’ll find many other recommended models.

The artsy type. For serious photographers, an SLR camera is the best choice. They are large and heavy but are more versatile than point-and-shoots, allowing a savvy shooter to capture images in a range of light conditions and styles. Not for amateurs.

• Recommended: Canon EOS 40D Digital, $900. For the price, this camera’s excellent image quality, large LCD viewer, and ability to snap 6.5 frames per second make this advanced SLR a great deal. Full SLR camera Ratings

GPS: Gifts for drivers—and the outdoor adventurous types

Portable GPS navigation units have become a hot gift item for holiday shoppers this year. In our latest Ratings of GPS units (available to subscribers), you'll find our colleagues over at the Cars Blog have bought and tested models that cost as little as $150, and prices are likely to be even lower during holiday sales. Some are very capable performers, making our list of Recommended GPS navigation units (available to subscribers).

But GPS isn't just an aid for drivers navigating the paved paths of urban and suburban travels. Portable, handheld personal navigation devices (PNDs) also make great gifts for hikers, boaters, and others who prefer going off the beaten path. (After all, the GPS system was designed to help the U.S. military more accurately navigate the vast seas and trackless terrain of desert and woodland battlefields.)

Still, the navigation needs of hikers can be vastly different from drivers. As such, our colleagues in the CR Cars section have further refined our GPS Buying advice and produced a new report on handheld hiking GPS.

Our video on handheld hiking units (click on the embedded player above to watch) will help you see how such units differ from the portable GPS units used by drivers. More importantly, the video will show you how you can use portable navigation units for "geocaching."

It's a real-life adventure game that's often described as a "high-tech treasure hunt" where participants use the Internet and PNDs to find hidden caches of goodies—often small-valued trinkets—in all sorts of places, including the urban jungle! More information can be found in our video and at http://www.geocaching.com.

If you're looking to cash in on geocaching or need to find that perfect gift for the "directionally challenged" person in your life, there's more good news. The new Consumer Reports Value Index™ on GPS units can steer you to a PND that gives you the most bang for the buck. See the latest CR Cars Blog entries, Best GPS values: Traffic-ready navigators and Best GPS values: Basic navigators for more information.

—Paul Eng

HDTV values: Consider plasma, 720p, less-familiar brands

If you're out shopping for a flat-panel HDTV this holiday season, you're likely wrestling with which models and technologies offer the most bang for your buck. The chart below (after the jump) aims to help by grouping LCD TVs and plasma TVs, in two popular sizes, into value categories.

The chart uses a new tool called the Consumer Reports Value Index™, which we launched last week on our Money blog. Based on a survey of median online prices taken earlier this week, it plots price against overall Ratings score for LCD and plasma sets in two screen sizes: 40- to 42-inches, and 50- to 52-inches. It places the sets into one of three value zones—High, Medium, and Low—based on the price and performance of all sets in those categories. Products on the upper right side of the chart offer better values than those further to the left and bottom.

The upshot: The High and Medium values are all among the sets we recommend in our plasma TV Ratings and LCD TV Ratings (both available to subscribers). That's not surprising, since value factors heavily into those recommendations (also available to subscribers). The results also jibe with our general HDTV buying advice, including our updated video buying guide on TVs. (Click on the player embedded on the right to watch.)

Here are highlights of our advice on flat panels, with some specifics on how the chart's data reinforces these points:

Laptop Ratings: The latest models are impressive

If a new notebook computer is on your shopping list, check our latest laptop Ratings (available to subscribers), where you'll find out everything you need to know about 35 models, including a great Sony system and the latest MacBooks.

That 13-inch Sony, the highest-rated Windows-based laptop in our Ratings, weighs only 3.3 pounds, yet has a battery life of 6¼ hours. Although it's pricey at $1,800, that's still the best ratio of battery life to weight we've seen. Battery life for other brands is getting better, too, we found. Eight of the new models, including at least one in every size category, lasted at least 5 hours on a charge.

The new MacBooks are available in 13.3- and 15.4-inch sizes. The larger one is tops in its class. If you're looking for a MacBook bargain, consider the classic White MacBook; Apple recently reduced its price to $1,000.

For help getting started, take a look at our Laptop Buying Guide, where you'll find advice on what size is best for you, what computer features are important, and more.

—Donna Tapellini

Black Friday: Shopping help in electronics

If you're among the folks—one in four Americans, according to a Consumer Reports National Research Center survey—who plan to head out shopping for Black Friday, chances are electronics is on your list; it was for 85 percent of the people we surveyed.

Here are highlights of our new and updated content to help you shop for gear on Friday and beyond:

TVs. We have a host of help if you're buying the hottest of Black Friday items: a new flat-panel TV. We've added new models to our Ratings of LCDs and plasmas, available to subscribers. Also, there are blogs on what to expect in TV deals on Friday, including some of the best specials. We've also updated our video buying guide for TVs, which visually guides you through the major decisions you'll need to make and shows you some of our testing.

Digital cameras. We've updated our Ratings of digital cameras, both point and shoot models and SLRs, available to subscribers. In addition, our digital camera blog includes looks at a number of newer cameras; tips on taking that great holiday shot, and more. We also recently posted a video buying guide to digital cameras, which offers advice and insight into our tests. Finally, our colleagues at CR's Money blog have selected superzoom cameras for the very first Consumer Reports Value Index™, in which the price and performance of tested models is graphed to help you better identify great values.

Headphone Ratings: Noise-canceling models

Headphones seem to be everywhere these days. Whether you're looking for a pair to use on the go with an MP3 player or at home when you're watching a DVD movie, you have a growing variety of options for keeping the decibels to yourself.

At Consumer Reports, we've been trying to keep up with the various types and models that have become available over the past few months. While we're still working on finalizing the new information, we can offer some help if you're shopping for headphones this holiday season.

We've completed testing and Ratings of noise-canceling headphones (available to subscribers). This is a more complete list of models than those mentioned in our January 2009 issue, which featured only selected, Recommended noise-canceling models. (Subscribers clicking on either of these links will also give you a sneak peek at the new online format for all our information about headphones, coming soon.)

We also have Recommended headphones from our annual Electronics gift guide, along with other great ideas for holiday shoppers. For more shopping information, see our video: Buying guide to headphones.

In our video (right), expert tester Rich Sulin discusses the types of headphones available, from the small buds that joggers tuck inside their ears to the over-the-ear, noise-canceling models seen on frequent flyers trying to drown out engine noise.

Rich also talks about our methods of testing headphones—we get a lot of help from our mannequin friend, KEMAR—and how performance can vary by type.

Related: 10 money-saving shopping tips for electronics Which video game system: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or Wii? Our review of six netbooks Black Friday deals on HDTVs Our first impressions of the BlackBerry Storm cell phone

For more detailed information on the performance of specific headphones, check out our full Ratings.

—Nick K. Mandle

Recommended electronics gifts: Top HDTVs, digital cameras, GPS, and more

Just in time for the holidays, here's a quick way to find electronics gifts that are sure to please: Our free Electronics Gift Guide. We've picked out dozens of the newest and best products from our labs and conveniently listed models and prices for each product category.

Here's what you'll find:

• 11 HDTVs
• 7 Blu-ray players
• 16 digital cameras
• 11 laptops

Plus the latest portable DVD players, digital picture frames,  MP3 players and sound systems, headphones, GPS, desktop computers, netbooks, and binoculars.

Related: Which video game system: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, or Wii? Our review of six netbooks Black Friday deals on HDTVs Our first impressions of the BlackBerry Storm cell phone 10 money-saving shopping tips for electronics

—Jeff Fox