After the wear and tear of a long winter followed by the RRSP and tax seasons, some of the things you depend on for your business may need replacing. Computers and other electronic devices may need updating and your vehicle may be trying to tell you it’s nearing its last client visit.

The Web is a good place to start shopping. There are a number of sites that can help you find suitable replacements at the right prices. The following sites offer product reviews by item and post dozens, if not hundreds, of critiques.

CNET
www.cnet.com

If you’re pondering the purchase of almost anything for your office or home that involves the latest technology, then CNET should be the first place you visit. The Web site offers detailed product reviews for items such as desktop and notebook computers; wireless handheld devices; digital cameras and photo equipment; flat-panel, HDTV and rear-projection televisions; camcorders; cellphones; home audio systems; and computer software.

Each review is rigorous. The company borrows new products from manufacturers and runs the items through its in-house labs to gauge performance. The items are then passed along to a jury of evaluators, each of whom tests the product and offer his or her own rating on design, features and performance. The product is then graded on a scale of one to 10 and the final review is written by a high-tech journalist. The items are returned to the makers and the editors are kept sequestered from the business side of the Web site to prevent any potential conflict of interest with companies that advertise on CNET. All the reviews can be found at the top and in the centre of the home page. Choose the kind of product you’re researching and then click on the category.

If you’re looking for a new laptop computer, for example, there are about 500 models reviewed on the site. You can filter the results by price, features or brand name, and you can also sort by the latest product releases or in order of reviews, from best to worst. Each review notes the good and bad points about the product and the type of user it best suits.

A review of the new Dell XPS Gen 2, for instance, gives the laptop a very strong 8.3 rating. But the editors say the 17-inch-screen machine, which starts at about US$2,300, is particularly suited to buyers who play a lot of games. “You can certainly use [it] for any variety of office tasks, but business people should look for less expensive options,” the review says.

The latest products to hit the stores each week aren’t necessarily the best out there, either. CNET’s rating of handheld devices shows that five products, out of 440 reviewed, are tied at its highest ranking of 8.6. Four of the gizmos were released in 2003 and the fifth has been around since April 2004.

Car and Driver Buyer’s Guide
www.caranddriver.com

Buying a new vehicle is a stressful event for almost everyone. Lots of money and bickering is involved, prices are all over the map, salespeople range from courteous to cut-throat and the cars themselves can vary from lemons to fantastic machinery.

You can narrow down the field by reading auto reviews and test drives on the Web site of the popular Car and Driver magazine. The upper right-hand side of the home page offers a buyer’s guide for most 2005 models of cars, trucks and SUVs. The page also offers monthly road test reviews and an online forum on which buyers offer darts and laurels for the latest autos.

To find specific vehicles, use the drop-down menu to select the make and model, click, and a new page and a pop-up page will appear with a capsule review, a one-to-10 rating and a long list of specifications, including weight and fuel consumption.

The “special sections” icon atop the home page lists the magazine’s top 10 choices for each category of vehicle. There’s also a list of the top five vans, trucks, and small and large SUVs. For personal advice from the magazine itself, click on the “Decision Guide” and, for a US$9.95 one-month fee, the site offers tools and questionnaires to pick the right vehicle. Prices are in U.S. dollars.

Canadian Driver
(www.canadiandriver.com)
For a quick estimate of local prices for automobiles, visit Canadian Driver, an online auto magazine. Click on the “price guide,” select a make and model and the site will tell you the suggested price for the model. It also has test-drive reports, previews of upcoming models and industry news. If you’re looking for a used vehicle, visit its reviews for some tips on what holds up and what doesn’t. There are also reviews of classic cars, in case you’re looking for something flashy, such as a Shelby Cobra or a ’61 T-bird.