Ford is once again shifting its electric vehicle manufacturing plans, a response to a year that’s been tough for the powertrain technology that’s still making waves overseas but has seen domestic government support cut and customer enthusiasm weaken. Instead of planning to make enough electric vehicles to account for 40 percent of global sales by…
Ace is a robot that aims high: It wants to become the world champion of table tennis. It was developed by Sony AI researchers who, in a new study published in Nature, have shown how this robot, equipped with artificial intelligence, has faced some high-level athletes, holding its own in matches played according to the…
Main theme: Getting everything on the table this Thanksgiving doesn’t have to leave you (or your budget) cooked. In this podcast episode, Talking Carts hosts Tanya Christian, a senior home and appliances writer at CR, and Brian Vines, CR’s marketplace equity reporter, share the recipe for stress-free holiday hosting. Social media’s king of the kitchen, Davon…
When I use a new bar soap, I have a few nonnegotiables: It must not be overpoweringly scented, too drying, or leave residue on my skin. I also have to feel clean after I finish my shower because, really, that’s the whole point. Though I use a SoapStandle to elevate my bar soap, if the…
But not every stylus offers the same performance—or even the same iPad compatibility—which makes shopping tricky. Apple, for example, sells four different Apple Pencil devices, each with its own set of features. And there are dozens of inexpensive third-party options available at Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers, some great and some not worth your money. To…
A recent example was published in 2025 by researchers at the European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility near Hamburg, among other institutions. They cooled iodopyridine, an organic molecule consisting of 11 atoms, almost to absolute zero and hammered it with a laser pulse to break its atomic bonds. The team found that the motions of the…
That’s why Consumer Reports tests all the sedans on the market and gives them an Overall Score, which is a weighted composite of a vehicle’s performance in our road tests; the latest reliability and owner satisfaction results from CR’s exclusive Auto Surveys; the results from government and insurance industry crash tests; and the availability of automatic…
Like Vaseline, ChapStick is a brand with a long, storied history. I’ve always associated it with the classic cherry ChapStick of my youth, so discovering this richer balm was a delightful surprise. We couldn’t agree on its hydration, longevity, and taste (yep, taste), which knocked it out of the runner-up slot, but it deserves an…
Starbucks opened its first store in China in 1999, when drinking coffee in a Western-style café was still a novel idea to many locals. But in the years since, homegrown coffee and bubble tea brands like Luckin Coffee, Heytea, Chagee, and Mixue have gradually chipped away at Starbucks’ share of the Chinese market. Now, they…
In fact, wheelability and durability—how well zippers, handles, fabric, and other features hold up—are the most prized features in carry-on luggage, according to a survey of 8,168 Consumer Reports members who own carry-ons. And among the 23 luggage brands members reported owning, only two—the premium names Away and Briggs & Riley—excelled in both attributes. “Away…