From our President

This monthly letter to subscribers from Consumers Union President Jim Guest highlights the critical consumer issues behind our current reports. See archived letters.

CR goes mobile

We know you; you're not standing still. It used to be that people researched and shopped online in their pajamas or (covertly) at the office. Not anymore. Now millions of us are connected wherever we are, thanks to cell phones.

So we're bringing Consumer Reports to the really small screen with our new mobile website. Consumer Reports Mobile delivers Ratings of our most popular product categories instantly to your cell phone.

You can also do side-by-side comparisons of performance and price for up to three competing products at a time, view tested models in order of overall score, and then drill down for details of those you're interested in.

Here's how to access our mobile site's Ratings and new comparison feature:

For a full year

Subscribe now to ConsumerReports.org and we'll include unlimited access to our new mobile site (go to www.ConsumerReports.org/order). If you're already a subscriber, type "ConsumerReports.org" into your mobile phone's browser, sign in, and begin exploring the site.

Short-term

You can also use our new mobile site for just a day or a month. Type "ConsumerReports.org" into your phone's browser, click on Get Access, then choose 24 hours for 99 cents or 30 days for $4.99. You'll be billed directly through your cell-phone service provider.

All cell-phone users, including nonsubscribers, can see certain content free on our new mobile site. You'll find information on individual models, expert buying advice, and Consumer Reports videos. But only subscribers to CR Mobile will see product Ratings and the new compare feature on their phones.

So the next time you're standing in a store facing a choice of products, take out your cell phone, pull up our new mobile site, and let us help you make a smart, on-the-spot decision.

Buying something a bit bigger? Later this summer, you'll be able to take us along to the car dealership as well; we'll be adding our unparalleled autos information and Ratings to CR Mobile. And watch for some killer apps in the next few months. Smart phone? Smart shopper.

Jim Guest
President