Consumer Reports August 2022

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OVER THE NEXT few months, millions of Americans will head off on vacation. While travel is a balm for the soul, it also presents challenges: rising gas prices (and other pressures of inflation), canceled flights, and evolving COVID-19 risks and protocols. That’s why CR pays close attention to your concerns. Whether making the roads safer or the skies truly friendlier, our job is to get you the trusted guidance and savings you deserve. CR has long advocated for auto safety features, and our surveys show how much consumers appreciate and value these technologies: Sixty-four percent of you like your blind spot warning systems, for example. So we continue to work with companies to make more safety features standard on all new vehicles. Safety should not be a luxury! We’ve also heard you…

Protecting Your Private Life Consumers are constantly being tracked by digital surveillance, online and off. The information collected gets bundled into detailed dossiers of our most personal characteristics, including health conditions, political views, and sexual preferences, and then is sold to companies that use it to target advertising and build opaque algorithms that can determine things like whether or not you’ll be offered affordable insurance. In response, CR has been fighting state-by-state to give consumers more control over their personal data—and in April, Connecticut became the fifth state (after California, Virginia, Colorado, and Utah) to extend privacy rights to consumers. Based in part on model legislation developed by CR, and the result of more than a year of collaboration between our advocates and state lawmakers, the Connecticut law gives consumers the right to…

Our June 2022 article “Boost Your Brain Power At Any Age” revealed the newest strategies that help keep your memory sharp and enhance your thinking skills. Our readers shared their own tips. To add your voice, go to CR.org/brainboost. I ENJOYED YOUR great article on brainpower. I have to say that my wife and I follow most of those suggestions and practices. One important thing not in your article is the benefits of music—playing an instrument, singing, or just listening to music. My wife and I are both around 80 years old and full-time musicians. We know that music has a lot to do with our continued success and the fact that we are still working full-time! —Mario Tacca, Cortlandt, NY EDITOR’S NOTE You’re absolutely right. In fact, there has been a good…

CR Best Buy Cameras WE TESTED: 48 mirrorless models WE TEST FOR: Image quality in normal and low light, viewfinder and video quality, battery life, ease of use, and more. ABOUT THE SCORES: Median: 82 Range: 70-92 EXCELLENT FLASH PHOTOS Nikon Z 50 w/ 16-50mm $1,000 85 OVERALL SCORE SWIVELING LCD SCREEN Panasonic Lumix DC-G95 w/ 12-60mm $1,000 82 OVERALL SCORE GOOD DEAL Canon EOS M200 w/ 15-45mm IS STM $550 80 OVERALL SCORE Blood Pressure Monitors WE TESTED: 24 models WE TEST FOR: The accuracy of a model’s blood pressure reading, comfort of the arm band, clarity of the display, and more. ABOUT THE SCORES: Median: 76 Range: 19-86 BEST OVERALL Omron Platinum BP5450 (Amazon) $81 86 OVERALL SCORE GREAT VALUE Omron Silver BP5250 (Amazon) $50 85 OVERALL SCORE BARGAIN BUY, BUT FEWER FEATURES Rite Aid Deluxe Automatic BP3AR1-4DRITE $37 80 OVERALL SCORE Exterior Paints WE TESTED: 20 models WE TEST FOR: How well a paint resists mildew, and the appearance of paint, including how well it resists cracking, fading, and dirt, over years of…

What’s the best way to treat a sunburn? SUNBURNED SKIN CAN be painful—but there are proven ways to make your skin feel better while it heals. First, take a shower with lukewarm water, which will help cool skin that is warm or hot to the touch. When you get out of the shower, liberally apply moisturizer while your skin is still damp. Try one that contains pure aloe vera (or lists it as the first or second ingredient), which is a natural anti-inflammatory used to soothe burns. Avoid using after-sun sprays, such as those containing benzocaine or other anesthetics. While they might offer instant pain relief, they can irritate skin or cause an allergic reaction. Also skip petroleum jelly products, which can trap heat instead of cooling your burn. Take ibuprofen or…