New Product Reviews
Looking for a unique new product or a special gift for a friend or loved one? CBS News Consumer Correspondent Herb Weisbaum reviews some innovative and interesting new products.
Cats sure do have a way of disappearing, but now it's really easy to find that lost kitty with the CatFinder. Just put the Catfinder on your cat's collar and then let him try to hide. When you push the button on the handset, his collar will go off even if he's behind the drapes, under a bush, or even on the other side of a wall.
The CatFinder can handle 3 extra beepers, so you can use it to track down anything you tend to misplace, like your keys and that ever-elusive remote control.
Right now, the Catfinder is only available by mail order, and its priced at $30 for the starter set.
There's a new hair dryer designed to eliminate the all-too-common problem of over-drying. The new SensorCare from Phillips uses infra-red technology to constantly monitor your hair, then it automatically adjusts the temperature of the airflow.
A steady green light on the handle means your hair is wet, so you'll get maximum heat and power for fast drying. Blinking green means your hair is just damp, and the air is getting cooler.
Weisbaum asked Sherri, the woman who cuts his hair at the Gene Juarez Salon, to "test drive" the new dryer.
And she really liked it.
"I think it's wonderful. It's got a lot of power. It's very light, very easy to use," she said.
SensorCare hair dryers range in price from $50 to $60. You'll find them at Kmart, Wal-Mart, Costco, Walgreens, and Service Merchandise stores.
Where there's a window blind, there's bound to be a cord. Those cords can get all tangled up in things. They can be especially dangerous if there's a little one in the house; a window-blind cord can choke a toddler.
But new Levolor blinds are cordless. You just push them up and pull them down. It's that simple.
"They're on a spring tension system, similar to a tape measure system, so that when you lift it up, it stays in place, when you pull it back down, it stays in place. There are no cords," says Karen Lunn-Fisher of The Home Depot.
No cords mean no choking hazard. Another neat feature of the Levelor cordless blinds is that the wand won't break if you over-wind it, as kids sometimes like to do. It just pops out of gear, and keeps going round and round.
By the way, the new cordless blinds do cost about 30 percent more. You'll find them wherever Levolors are sold.
Below, you'll find purchasing information for these items and some other interesting new products:
8" ELECTRONIC DANCING BABY: $25
THE DANCING BABY: $15
Available in the next few weeks at speciality & department stores, including: Kmart, Spencer Gifts
RALPH MARLIN DANCING BABY TIES: $16
Sears, Kohls, and JPenney
DANCING BABY T-SHIRTS: $15
JC Penney, Spencer Gifts, We're Entertainment
CAT FINDER PLUS: $30
additional receivers $15 each
Lifestyle Fascination catalog: 800-669-0987
Item # WCC887 (set) WC888 (additional receiver)
RUBBERMAID FILTERED WATER BOTTLES:
$4 - $7
Wal-Mart, CVS, Osco, Lucky's, Krogers, Lechter's and Buehler's
LEVOLOR CORDLESS BLINDS
wherever Levolor blinds are sold
PHILLIPS SENSOR CARE HAIR DRYERS: $49 - $59
Kmart, Wal-Mart, Costco, Walgreens and Service Merchandise
RUGRATS TALKING ALARM CLOCK: $25
SAMSONITE ULTRA-MINI UMBRELLA: $21
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