The same sort of battery problems that have appeared on certain laptops over the past few years are now affecting some tablets. After using the 8- and 10-inch Archos 101 G9 tablets for about a year, we noticed that they no longer sat flat on a desktop, but rocked slightly back and forth, on a back-side bulge.

Cooking equipment, including ranges, ovens, and microwaves, account for the largest percentage of residential fires in the U.S., according to data released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Over a three-year period from 2008 to 2010, there was an estimated annual average of 147,400 cooking equipment-related fires, which is roughly 40 percent of all residential fires for that period.

Replacing petroleum is a tough challenge. And although many alternatives have been developed, America still doesn't know what to do with them all. At a recent conference in New York City, we caught up with Dan Sperling, arguably the godfather of the alternative fuel movement in the United States, and he brought the vision into sharper focus.

Ford Motor Co. has announced a recall of more than 154,000 Ford Fiesta subcompact cars which fail to deploy the vehicles' side air bags during a collision when there is no front passenger, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

D-Link is hoping to stand out from increasingly crowded streaming-media-player market with its newest device. Boxee TV boasts two unique features: the ability to get free live TV programming and a virtual DVR service that lets you record shows and store them in the cloud.

With winter now just weeks away, this is a good time to plan for your winter tires. Our tire ratings have been updated, and include a wide range of all-season, performance all-season, and dedicated winter tires, including notable studded tires.

Q. No matter where I look, I find an overwhelming amount of data about Medicare Advantage but very little about Medigap. Where can I find ratings on Medigap policies?

Smoking tobacco while driving might seem harmless. But smoking drivers are subjecting themselves—and their passengers—to extremely unhealthy levels of air pollution, say scientists.

Gas prices are mixed across the country and down slightly on the west coast and California compared to the week before. The national gasoline average is 34 cents above the price this time last year and about 5 cents above last week's price. Premium gasoline is now averaging $4.13. Diesel fuel is about 35 cents above this time last year.

Sunland Inc. has extended its recall of peanut products because of Salmonella contamination to include raw and roasted shelled and in-shell peanuts processed at its plant in Portales, New Mexico.

Softbank Corp., an apparently deep-pocketed Japanese telecommunications company, has reached a deal to buy 70 percent of U.S. mobile carrier Sprint Nextel. At first blush, the announcement may look like a win for consumers. Look closer, though, and the long-term impact could be less rosy for wireless customers.

Portable dashtop navigation devices have evolved through the years to be richly featured, affordable travel aids. As competition has seen the market whittle down to essentially three dominant brands, it has become easier for consumers to choose a good device. But we were reminded recently that a good device can be compromised by a bad mount.

Besides being located less than 75 miles apart in Wisconsin, Generac and Kohler have another thing in common. Both had their hands slapped last week by the National Advertising Division for claims they made about residential generators. NAD is a watchdog group for the Better Business Bureau and the advertising industry.

This is a tale of two washers. Both are made by LG. Both top our latest Ratings. If you had to choose one, what's the difference? About $350 and the fact that it's time to come clean--are you a fan of front-loaders or totally devoted to top loaders?

Did you buy e-books between spring of 2010 and this past May? You could be eligible for credits of up to $1.32 per book under a legal settlement proposed between state attorneys general and a number of major publishers who were accused of conspiring to fix the prices of e-books.