For general product reviews, see:
(a) Consumer Reports and/or Consumers Digest;
(b) Epinions.com, an online forum where consumers post their experiences with various products;
(c) Gale Group's Trade & Industry, PROMPT, F&S Index and New Product Announcement databases (Dialog files 148, 16, 18 and 621, respectively);
(d) The Lexis MARKET, COMPNY and/or NEWS libraries;
(e) Elsevier's "Sheets" series of subject-specific newsletters. These are: The Blue Sheet (government and private biomedical research programs); The Gold Sheet (pharmaceutical manufacturing); The Gray Sheet (medical devices); The Green Sheet (pharmacy) The Pink Sheet (prescription and over the counter pharmaceuticals); The Rose Sheet (toiletries and skin care products); and The Tan Sheet (non-prescription drugs and nutritional products). Articles are available from Elsevier Business Intelligence.
Articles from most of the Sheets are also available through some Lexis subscription plans;
(f) Internet postings - check out the manufacturer's Web site and search on the product name for other miscellaneous postings.
For more targeted reviews see ...
Computers, Software, etc.: Reviews of computers, peripherals, software, etc., are posted free on C/net, ZDnet and PCWorld.com. You can also search for specific subjects, companies, models, etc. in a search engine. PC Magazine does an annual review of customer satisfaction (published around November/December). Check Epinions.com too.
For reviews of hardware and software used in law firms, see:
For more sources see the ABA's Researching Law Office Technology: Selected Resources.
Lists and Rankings: To find out the leading products in an industry, see the entry for "Market Share."
Recalls: Information about major product recalls are posted on the Web by Recalls.gov, Safety Alerts, Central Notice and the Consumer Products Safety Commission. See also "Safety," below.
Safety: For safety information, visit the Web site for the Consumer Products Safety Commission, Consumer Products Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov and/or Consumer Reports (or read Consumer Reports in print). See also the separate entry for "Safety."
Product Liability Laws: The Product Liability Desk Reference: A Fifty-State Compendium provides citations to each state's statutes and leading cases.
Voice Jail: For instructions on how to get a live operator through a company's automated phone system, check out Get Human.