Consumer Reports comes to the iPhone, touch…
By Ronald O Carlson
It’s an application that is more mobile reader than mobile reference, but a welcome addition to this shopper’s toolkit nonetheless.
Consumer Reports has announced the release of Consumer Reports for iPhone (AppStore), an application that puts the legendary publication’s features, expert tips and buying advice in the palm of your hand.
According to Jerry Steinbrink, vice president, publishing, Consumer Reports:
Consumer Reports continues its mission of providing expert, independent, buying advice to consumers in different forms of media. From print, to online, to mobile phones, and now on iPhones and the iPod Touch, putting Consumer Reports in the hands of consumers at the point of purchase will help them make better purchasing decisions.
This free application provides instant access to Consumer Reports’ independent and famously unbiased reviews on cars, electronics, money, home & garden, babies & kids, safety and health—the topics covered in print and web editions. As you can see from the screencap, the first four topics have their own top-level, always visible icons with the others accessible via an always visible “More” button.
However, the top-level content presented through Consumer Report for iPhone has been reformatted to be easy to read and view.
What you won’t find inside Consumer Reports for iPhone is a way to search and that’s a major imposition considering the dozens of categories and thousands of products covered.
Does this lack of search mean a lack of depth? Oddly enough, both yes and no.
Consumer Reports for iPhone has a lot depth via the links embedded in each story. So, clicking a “computer” link delivers you to the Consumer Reports Web page dedicated to computers where you can click through to read a generic write up on the best computers. However, in order to view most of the in-depth articles with individual product ratings, for example, you’ll need to subscribe (yes, there are online only packages) to Computer Reports.
So, is Consumer Reports for iPhone just a bait-n-switch come designed to get you to subscribe? Again, yes and no.
Whether or not you ultimately subscribe, you’ll be able to enjoy scores of regularly updated articles. Moreover, if you are a subscriber most of that great content—in-depth reviews, ratings—are now accessible via your iPhone or iPod touch. The one big catch? Consumer Reports provides video in Flash format only, so their free and informative report Credit Card Caution, for example, can’t be viewed on an Apple handheld.
Consumer Reports for iPhone is a handy little app that has serious potential. But, like a lot of software for Apple’s mobile platforms, it’s lacking in depth, stability and certain basic functionality.
Pros: Free; easy-to-navigate; scores of free, regularly updated content
Cons: Lack of search functionality; crashed with some regularity; interface is just a thin veneer between you and the full, unoptimized website
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