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Consumer Reports ShopSmart Mobile Subscription Service Helps On-The-Go Holiday Shoppers Buy Best Gifts at Best Prices(Comtex Community)YONKERS, N.Y., Dec 12, 2005 (U.S. Newswire via COMTEX) --Shoppers hunting for the perfect holiday gift now have the best prices on the best gifts in the palm of their hands with today's launch of Consumer Reports ShopSmart subscription service. Developed specifically for the way people shop, Consumer Reports ShopSmart delivers independent, expert Ratings, reviews and prices on thousands of popular consumer products to subscribers through their mobile phones-wherever and whenever they shop. Consumer Reports ShopSmart is the first cell phone subscription service to enable true comparative holiday shopping at critical point-of-sale locations everywhere. Subscribers at stores and malls across America can now access product reviews and Ratings-and pricing information and store availability powered by Yahoo! Shopping-24/7. So, tracking the latest electronics, appliances and home and garden products has never been easier or more convenient. Products can be reviewed by price, Ratings score, or even the reliability of the brand, and subscribers can tap into a robust search engine to find the exact model of the product they are looking for. "Consumer Reports ShopSmart will change the way people shop by supplying them with detailed product and pricing information on their mobile phones," said John Sateja, Consumer Reports' VP of Publishing. "Shoppers now have the power of Consumer Reports' expert, independent content in the palm of their hands at the point of purchase." Since consumers don't always buy when they shop, Consumer Reports ShopSmart mobile subscribers can choose to have a detailed, comprehensive Rating report from ConsumerReports.org, the largest publication-based subscription Web site with more than two-million active paid subscribers, e-mailed to them from their phone. Additionally, Consumer Reports ShopSmart subscribers can also take advantage of a built-in "Favorites" feature to store and then view at a later time recently viewed models, while still comparing products. Another key feature on Consumer Reports ShopSmart is that subscribers can choose from a selection of Consumer Reports' shopping tips and articles of interest such as "How to Get a Good Appliance Deal" or "The Pros and Cons of Buying a Disposable Camcorder" to read on the go. For example, a mobile Mom out shopping for a plasma screen TV for her family sees a "sale" sign over one of the latest models, and a salesperson assures her that it is flat-out the best TV at an unbeatable price. With $2,000 and her family's holiday cheer at stake, she wants to make sure she buys the best product at the best value. Enter Consumer Reports ShopSmart which gives her the Rating, review, price of the TV, and even tells her if it is available in another store at a different price. "Consumer Reports ShopSmart was created with all types of shoppers in mind including the impulse buyer at the counter facing an aggressive sales person and the researcher in the parking lot contemplating an important purchase," said Jerry Steinbrink, Senior Director and General Manager, Information Products for Consumer Reports. "The service works for every lifestyle-from the teenager out shopping for a new MP3 player to expecting parents buying a new space heater." The service is available on major carriers in time for the holiday shopping season for a monthly fee billed to your cell phone. For more information, log on to http://www.ConsumerReports.org/ShopSmart. Consumer Reports ShopSmart was jointly developed with Starwave Mobile, a recently launched mobile publishing and licensing label from the Walt Disney Internet Group, which obtained the mobile license in 2004. ------ About Consumer Reports Consumer Reports(r) is published by Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, we test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independence and impartiality, CU accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. CU supports itself through the sale of our information products and services, individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants. About Starwave Mobile Starwave Mobile is the unit of the Walt Disney Internet Group that licenses and publishes content from third-party companies and non-Disney brands from within The Walt Disney Company. It also develops original, non-Disney branded properties. The Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) provides strategic leadership and operational management for The Walt Disney Company's (NYSE:DIS) Internet properties including category leaders Disney.com, ESPN.com and ABCNEWS.com. Through relationships with some of the world's largest wireless carriers, WDIG also distributes content and services to wireless users under the Disney brand. http://www.usnewswire.com Lauren Hackett of Consumer Reports, 914-378-2561 or [email protected]; John McCartney of RLM Public Relations, 212-741-5106 ext. 234 or [email protected] |