Current Events in September 2015

Juratoys U.S. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is recalling about 14,200 Sardines and Starfish fishing games in the U.S. and Canada.

The plastic worm at the end of the fishing pole line can separate, producing small parts that pose a choking hazard to children. Additionally, the small magnet inside the worm can liberate. Swallowing multiple magnets can result in serious internal injury.

The firm has received about 417 reports of the plastic worm at the end of the fishing pole line separating and releasing small parts, including four reports of children ingesting a small part. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves two models of the Juratoys fishing game, Sardines and Starfish. The fishing game user picks up a toy fish using a play fishing rod with a magnetic worm.

The Sardine fishing game has a red and white sardine with a yellow eye painted on a sardine-shaped tin and has product number J08152 printed on the bottom of the container at the tail, and on the back of one of the fish pieces.

The Starfish fishing game has an orange starfish painted on a starfish-shaped tin with a product number J08153 printed on the bottom of the container and on the back of one of the fish pieces.

Each set comes with two wooden fishing rods and several wooden fish with a magnetic button in the middle. The lid of each tin package contains the word “Janod.”

The toys, manufactured in China, were sold online at www.citruslane.com, www.burrogoods.com, www.terratoys.com, www.patinastores.com; numerous retail stores including Patina, Burro, and Terra Toys; and at Juratoys trade shows from April 2015, through August 2015, for approximately $15 to $20.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled games and keep them out of the reach of young children. Consumers should contact Juratoys for a prepaid shipping envelope to return the game. Juratoys will then send a $15 refund check for the Sardines game and a $20 refund check for the Starfish game. Consumers who paid more should include a receipt in the return to receive a full refund.

Consumers may contact Juratoys U.S. toll-free at 877-271-0440 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or online at www.juratoysus.com or www.janod.com and click on the “Product Recall” link at the bottom of the page for more information.

Appeeling Fruit of Dauberville, Pa., is recalling a limited number of consumer packages of fresh sliced apples.

The apples may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes

Health authorities have not linked any illnesses to this recall to date.

The recalled product, with Best-if-Used-by dates of 09/14/15 and 09/21/15, was shipped to retail distribution centers, wholesalers and foodservice customers in Florida, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania between August 31 and September 2.

The following table contains product's brand, UPC codes and Best-if-Used-by dates:

Customers who have the recalled product in their possession should not consume it, and should either dispose of it properly or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Keep proof of product purchase, if available.

Consumers with questions may contact the company’s consumer information desk at 1-866-873-0468, or visit its website at http://www.appeelingfruit.com/.

Most of the recent safety improvements to cars have been aimed at protecting occupants after a crash. But an announcement today makes it clear that the emphasis is now shifting to preventing accidents.

Ten major carmakers -- but not Fiat Chrysler, Honda, and Nissan -- have committed to making automatic emergency braking (AEB) a standard feature on all new vehicles they build, the U.S. Department of Transportation, its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced today.

The 10 companies — Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo — said they will work with IIHS and NHTSA in the coming months on the details, including the timeline for making AEB a standard feature.

There was varying explanations for why Fiat Chrysler (officially known as FCA US LLC), Honda, and Nissan -- the three most prominent manufacturers missing from the list -- were not committing to the technology.

An FCA spokesman insisted the company was committed to the feature, even though it was not included in today's announcement.

"It is currently available on eight of our vehicles, from the compact Fiat 500X to the full-size Dodge Durango. The Chrysler 200 and Jeep Renegade were the first vehicles in their segments with advanced fusion-sensor systems that benefit from camera AND radar technologies. Further proliferation is being considered," the spokesman said in an email to ConsumerAffairs.

Nissan said it had not been approached about the agreement.

"Nissan Group was not asked to be included in today’s announcement, but we do look forward to discussing the proposals with NHTSA," Nissan spokesman Steve Yaeger said.

"We are supportive of NHTSA’s efforts to significantly reduce traffic accidents and fatalities using a variety of tools, including advanced crash avoidance technology. Infiniti was the first automotive brand to offer Predictive Forward Collision Warning in 2013, and Infiniti has expanded that technology along with Forward Emergency Braking throughout their lineup over the past two years," Yager said. "The all-new Nissan Maxima and Murano also have available Predictive Forward Collision Warning and Forward Emergency Braking. We will evaluate the feasibility of introducing Forward Emergency Braking into our full lineup in the near future as each model is updated."

"Can't be voluntary"

Safety advocates were quick to note the omissions and to insist that all consumers should be able to count on having automatic braking, not just those who buy from certain manufacturers.

“Automatic emergency braking is the next big safety feature on vehicles. It’s up there with electronic stability control and airbags.  This can’t be voluntary.  This needs a mandated safety standard with rigorous performance measures that trigger a recall if an auto maker doesn’t meet them," Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the non-profit Center for Auto Safety, told ConsumerAffairs. 

"Only a rulemaking will give consumer groups the opportunity to raise the hard questions such as if one stops a car going at 25 mph then why not at 50 mph, which is closer to highway speeds? NHTSA should have no part of a private deal cut behind closed doors,” Ditlow said.

In July, Fiat Chrysler agreed to pay a $105 million fine, clean up its recall procedures, and buy back some defective vehicles after a probe by federal safety officials. The company acknowledged that it had violated the Motor Vehicle Safety Act's requirements to promptly repair vehicles with safety defects, something it had stridently denied for years.

The fine was the largest ever imposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

"Making a difference"

Federal safety officials and the insurance institute also called on reluctant automakers to commit to the technology. 

"AEB is a life-saving technology that should be available to every vehicle owner. In the months ahead, NHTSA will work closely with IIHS and the auto industry to carry out that commitment, and we encourage every other manufacturer to join this effort," said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind.

"We are entering a new era of vehicle safety, focused on preventing crashes from ever occurring, rather than just protecting occupants when crashes happen," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "But if technologies such as automatic emergency braking are only available as options or on the most expensive models, too few Americans will see the benefits of this new era. These 10 companies are committing to making AEB available to all new-car buyers."

The announcement was made at the dedication of IIHS's newly expanded Vehicle Research Center.

Lund said several studies, including a recent report from IIHS, show that AEB technology can reduce insurance injury claims by as much as 35%. The 10 manufacturers committing to across-the-board AEB represented 57 percent of U.S. light-duty vehicle sales in 2014."The evidence is mounting that AEB is making a difference," said IIHS President Adrian Lund. "Most crashes involve driver error. This technology can compensate for the mistakes every driver makes because the systems are always on alert, monitoring the road ahead and never getting tired or distracted."

Should be standard

Consumers Union, publishers of Consumer Reports magazine, had earlier called for the feature to be standard on all cars.

“Forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking is the biggest safety advancement since the introduction of stability control over two decades ago,” says Jake Fisher, director of auto testing for Consumer Reports. “This is such an important safety feature that all other manufacturers should bring it to their vehicles as soon as possible.”

Automatic emergency braking systems could drastically reduce rear-end crashes—either in avoiding them altogether, or at least reducing the velocity of the collision. The price-per-car for a frontal-collision warning system is $250 to $400—a fraction of the typical charge for an ambulance ride, Fisher said.

When the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, announced Wednesday, go on sale Saturday (pre-orders), T-Mobile customers are going to find it costs less to get it from the carrier than if they were to buy it at the Apple Store.

A lot less.

When Apple introduced its smartphone upgrades, it started the price of the 6s at $27 for 24 months and the Plus at $31 for 24 months. That works out to a price of $648 and $744 respectively.

But in his blog, T-Mobile CEO John LeGere said the carrier will offer the devices at a lower price; $20 a month for 18 months for the 6s and $24 a month for 18 months for the Plus. That means the $648 phone from Apple costs $360 from T-Mobile and the $744 Plus at Apple goes for $432 at T-Mobile.

The catch

The catch is this deal is for customers signing up for Jump! On Demand, a T-Mobile program where you trade in your phone after 18 months and get a new one. It's very similar to an auto lease. The customer does not pay for the residual value of the phone at the end of 18 months.

Those who pay the full price from Apple own their devices once the payments end, just like buying a car. Jump! On Demand customers who want to keep their iPhones at the end of 18 months may do so by making a one time $164 payment for the 6s.

“That means your total cost to own your phone is just $524 – that’s a screaming deal,” LeGere writes. It’s special introductory pricing for our launch, and it won’t last long.”

Lifetime Coverage Guarantee

At the same time, LeGere introduced what he calls the T-Mobile Lifetime Coverage Guarantee for customers buying one of the new iPhones.

“For as long as you use your iPhone 6s or 6s Plus on T-Mobile, if you aren’t completely satisfied with your coverage experience we’ll refund you for every penny you’ve paid for your new device in the first month, or after that, we’ll unlock it at no charge so you can use it with one of the other wireless companies,” LeGere writes.

The CEO said his company will also refund up to a full month of service fees. If a phone is unlocked, he says customers will be able to keep the interest-free payment plan at standard prices.

It's already common knowledge that smartwatches, like any other computer-controlled and Internet-connected “smart” device, are vulnerable to hackers.

So if you wear a smartwatch and hackers exploit its various security vulnerabilities, what information about you could they steal? Of course you know already that they could obtain any data stored on or transmitted through the device – but security researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with funding from the National Science Foundation, developed a proof-of-concept exploit (explained in a .pdf document here). It is disguised as an app that would enable hackers to infer with reasonable accuracy what you typed while wearing a smartwatch.

Exploiting motion sensors

Ph.D candidate He Wang co-authored the project, along with postdoc researcher Ted Tsung-Te Lai and Romit Roy Choudhury, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Their paper is called MoLe: Motion Leaks through Smartwatch Sensors. As the name suggests, the researchers developed an app that was able to exploit smartwatches' various motion sensors to figure out with a high degree of accuracy what the smartwatch-wearer was typing. For this particular experiment, the researchers used an app they'd developed and installed on a Samsung Live Gear smartwatch.

Put your hands in “typing position” over a standard QWERTY keyboard, and imagine what movements you'd make to press various keys. It's obvious that hitting different keys requires different motions: the movements of your left wrist and various fingers when you type the numeral 1 or an exclamation point is radically different from the movements used to type an upper- or lower-case letter C, for example.

Still: touch-typing requires two hands and a smartwatch only measures the motions of one wrist. How accurately could a hacker transcribe your typing, simply by reading the watch's motion sensors?

According to the University of Illinois researchers, the results are far more accurate than you might guess (at least, under controlled laboratory conditions). Here's what the paper's abstract has to say:

Imagine a user typing on a laptop keyboard while wearing a smart watch. This paper asks whether motion sensors from the watch can leak information about what the user is typing. While its [sic] not surprising that some information will be leaked, the question is how much? We find that when motion signal processing is combined with patterns in English language, the leakage is substantial. Reported results show that when a user types a word W, it is possible to shortlist a median of 24 words, such that W is in this shortlist. When the word is longer than 6 characters, the median shortlist drops to 10.

Scarily accurate results

The above video of a typist wearing a smartwatch on her left wrist illustrates how scarily accurate the results can be. It also offers a simplified explanation of how the app works (basically, by monitoring hyper-precise motion data from a smartwatch's accelerometer and gyroscope). “Key challenges: Track micro motion of the smartwatch. Infer timing & location of key presses,” reads one subtitle. The attacker (or, rather, the app's programming) notes the number, location, and timing of key presses coming from the left hand and can infer what the right is doing – for example, longer gaps between individually detected key-presses make it likely that the right hand is currently pressing keys.

However, the researchers themselves admit that so far, the MoLe app wouldn't work for a “real-life” hack attack, only for an attack under strict (and highly artificial) laboratory conditions. The research paper's list of “assumptions” under which the app was tested includes this: “The evaluation is performed in a controlled environment where volunteers type one word at a time (as opposed to free-flowing sentences).”

Additional leaks

Furthermore, “We assume the user is seasoned in typing in that he/she roughly uses the appropriate fingers – novice typists who do not abide by basic typing rules may not be subject to our proposed attacks.” And, of course, the inferring programs only work with established, recognizable English-language words; this app wouldn't work for hackers trying to determine random-character passwords, for example.

But even though this particular hack-app wouldn't be very useful for a real-world hacker seeking to read the typing of a smartwatch-wearer, a more sophisticated version of this app could be. As the three researchers said to conclude their paper's abstract: “we discover additional 'leaks' that can further reduce the shortlist [of words] – we leave these exploitations to future work.”

Each year Dean Headley, Airline Quality Rating co-author and associate professor of marketing at Wichita State University, issues his outlook for air travel during the upcoming holiday season.

It goes without saying that the holiday travel period is busier than any other time of the year, but how airlines handle it makes all the difference in the world to consumers' wallets and stress level.

This year? Headley says seats will cost more and be harder to find. His advice is to book as soon as possible.

Challenging time

"During the past several years, the holiday travel period has continued to be a challenging time for travelers, and with industrywide seat capacity adjustments, it will remain a stressful travel experience," said Headley.

“Industrywide seat capacity adjustments” is a polite way of saying the airlines have managed capacity to ensure they fly with few, if any empty seats. They've also reduced competition through a series of mergers.

Yes, it's probably a good business strategy, but it can be very hard on consumers who have fewer choices and are often left in the lurch when a flight is cancelled or late. Unfortunately, that happens a lot during the holidays.

While industry airline performance quality has generally improved each year since 2007, Headley says high passenger volumes and the possibility of bad weather should always be factored into holiday travel plans.

Worst months for travel

"December and January typically have the worst on-time arrival percentage and mishandled baggage rates of any month,” Headley said. “The best bet for the consumer is to travel as early before the actual holiday or as late as possible afterward, and always leave room for schedule changes."

Airlines don't usually make major changes late in the year to compensate for the demands of the holidays. Take last year, for example. Headley says 2014 was a steady year of improvement for airline performance -- until December.

"Data shows performance scores are holding steady from year to year," he said. "We are settling in to a reduced capacity system that challenges travelers to be savvy. With strong demand for fewer seats and fewer airline providers, it presents an opportunity for the airlines to perform better, but also charge more for a ticket."

Pick your airline carefully

The savvy traveler should not only book early, but take performance into consideration when choosing an airline. Which airline is less likely to lose your luggage or arrive so late you miss your connecting flight?

Headley suggests taking a look at how airlines have performed when measured for quality. In 2014, he says the best performing airlines across the combined AQR categories were Virgin America, Hawaiian, Delta and JetBlue.

Hawaiian was best in on-time performance; Virgin America and Hawaiian were best in avoiding denied boardings; Virgin America was best in baggage handling; and Alaska had the lowest rate of customer complaints.

The worst performing airlines across the combined AQR categories in 2014 were Envoy/American Eagle, Express Jet, SkyWest, United, and Frontier.

Envoy/American Eagle, ExpressJet, and Southwest had the worst on-time performances; SkyWest and Express Jet had the worst rate of denied boardings; Envoy/American Eagle had the highest rate of mishandled baggage; and Frontier had the highest rate of customer complaints.

There were no -- repeat -- no tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights or more than four hours on international flights in July.

And, that's not the only good news in the most recent Air Travel Consumer Report released by the Department of Transportation (DOT).

The nation’s largest airlines posted an on-time arrival rate of 78.1% in July, better than both the 75.6% on-time rate in July 2014 and the 74.8% mark in June of this year. In addition, the reporting carriers canceled just 0.9% of their scheduled domestic flights, versus the 1.6% cancellation rate posted a year earlier and the 1.8% the month before. In fact, the July cancellation rate was the lowest for any July in 21 years of comparable records.

The consumer report also contains information on chronically delayed flights, the causes of flight delays, statistics on mishandled baggage, and aviation service complaints.

Other areas covered in the report include flight problems, baggage, reservation and ticketing, refunds, consumer service, disability, and discrimination, along with reports of incidents involving the loss, death, or injury of animals traveling by air.

The full report is available on the DOT website.

The website for Starwood Waypoint Residential Trust looks like the slick marketing site you would find for any upscale homebuilder; granite counter tops in the kitchen, large master bedroom suites, and nicely landscaped lawns.

Only Starwood Waypoint is not a homebuilder. The homes on its website are not for sale, they're all for rent.

In the wake of the housing crisis, investors like Starwood jumped into the housing market and snapped up single-family homes for well below the market value, which admittedly seemed to be less by the month. Many of these distressed properties needed a lot of work but many did not – their owners simply got overwhelmed by the financial crisis and walked away.

It was always assumed that these investors – and for several years they made up nearly a third of monthly home buyers – would rent the properties for a few years, then sell them for a profit. But the investors, by and large, aren't selling – perhaps contributing to tight housing inventories around the country.

Brand new homes for rent

Now Starwood is taking an unusual approach. With fewer and fewer foreclosures, the company has begun purchasing newly built single-family homes to convert to rentals. With tighter mortgage lending standards, there are many people with good incomes but perhaps not so good credit. While they would like to live in a new house, their only option is to rent. In an interview with CNBC, Starwood CEO Doug Brien said buying new homes for the rental market has a lot of advantages.

"For us operationally, being able to have a brand-new home that typically has a warranty, that works well for us. We can also customize floor plans that work for the business," he said.

And the fact remains that rents are still very high, in part because fewer people can qualify to purchase a home and compete for available rental property. New research by real estate market site Zillow suggests that trend isn't going to change anytime soon.

Cooling off on homeownership

In its latest survey Zillow found the percentage of renters who say they plan to buy a home in the next year fell from 12.1% to 11.4% in the first six months of this year. After a big rebound in home prices, it appears fewer consumers are wanting to buy, preferring to keep renting.

"The housing market is slowing down, and Americans' confidence in the future of the market is understandably fading a bit, too," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. "Despite remaining quite confident overall, homeowners are less confident about the future than they are about the present.”

For renters, it's probably good news that investors are still bullish on residential real estate, even if consumers are less so. An increasing supply of available properties should keep rents from rising so fast.

New house smell

The fact that investors like Starwood are adding brand new homes to their inventory is even better news. For the first time, really, you'll be able to live in a home with that new house smell without having to take out a mortgage.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand -- wholesale prices, in other words -- was unchanged in August following increases of 0.2% and 0.4% in July and June, respectively, according to the Department of Labor (DOL).

A gain of 0.4% for services offset a drop of 0.6% in prices for goods.

Look out below

The August decline of 0.6% for goods was the largest since an identical decrease last April. In August, most of it was attributable to a drop of 3.3% in energy costs. Prices for gasoline plunged 7.7%, with jet fuel, grains, iron and steel scrap, home heating oil, and light motor trucks also lowering. In contrast, prices for residential natural gas and for search, detection, navigation, and guidance systems and equipment increased. Conversely, prices for foods rose 0.3%, led by 23.2% surge in the cost of chicken eggs.

Services prices on the rise

The 0.4% rise in the cost of services was the third in as many months. Almost half of the advance is attributable to for apparel, footwear, and accessories retailing, which jumped 7.0%. Prices for automotive fuels and lubricants retailing; securities brokerage, dealing, investment advice, and related services; wireless telecommunication services; residential real estate loans (partial); and inpatient care also moved higher. Prices for airline passenger services, on the other hand, declined 1.6 percent with costs for machinery and equipment wholesaling and guestroom rental also dipping.

Core inflation

The PPI less the volatile foods, energy and trade services -- what's known as the less volatile “core rate” of wholesale inflation -- inched up 0.1% in August after advancing 0.2% the month before. For the 12 months ended in August, the core rate is up 0.7%.

The complete report is available on the DOL website.

The Pork Rind Factory of Spartanburg, S.C., is recalling approximately 18,406 pounds of pork rinds.

The products contain milk and soy, allergens not listed on the label.

There are no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

The the following fried pork rinds, produced from March 17, 2015, through September 3, 2015, are being recalled:

• 2.25 ounce clear plastic bag packages containing multiple pieces of fried pork rinds with the label “Suncrest Farms Salt and Pepper Pork Skins” and a use-by date of 09/16/15, 01/12/16, 02/15/16.
• 2.25 ounce clear plastic bag packages containing multiple pieces of fried pork rinds with the label “Suncrest Farms Hot Pork Skins” and a use-by date of 12/27/15, 12/21/15.
• 4.00 ounce clear plastic bag packages containing multiple pieces of fried pork rinds with the label “Food Lion Salt & Pepper Flavored Pork Rinds” and a use-by date of 9/12/15, 9/26/15, 10/10/15, 10/24/15, 11/26/15, 12/15/15, 12/17/15, 01/01/16.
• 3.00 ounce clear plastic bag packages containing multiple pieces of fried pork rinds with the label “Larry’s Old-Fashioned Seasoned Pork Cracklin Strips” and a use-by date of 10/24/15, 11/20/15.
• 3.00 ounce clear plastic bag packages containing multiple pieces of fried pork rinds with the label “Larry’s Old-Fashioned Seasoned Pork Fatback Curls” and a use-by date of 11/20/2015.

The recalled products bear the establishment number “EST. M888” inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were shipped to North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Customers who purchased these products should not to consume them, but throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Terri Morey at (864) 573-5678.

Baja Motorsports of Anderson, S.C., is recalling about 4,600 gas-powered mini bikes.

The front fork can separate from the wheel, posing fall and crash hazards to riders.

The firm has received 22 reports of the front forks separating from the wheel, including 11 reports of minor injuries.

This recall involves Baja Motorsports gas-powered mini bikes manufactured during November 2014 and December 2014. The recalled mini bikes have a black frame with a black padded seat, a storage tank and fenders that are camouflage, side reflectors, a headlight and a tail light. A decal with model number “Baja Warrior 200” inside a circle with wings attached is on both sides of the storage tank. The date of manufacture is printed on the bottom right of the Vehicle Emissions Control Information label in the MM/YY format. The label is attached to the front side of the engine.

The mini bikes, manufactured in China, were sold exclusively at Tractor Supply Company stores from February 2015, through August 2015, for about $650.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled mini bikes and contact Baja Motorsports to schedule a free repair.

Consumers may contact Baja toll-free at 888-863-2252 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at www.bajamotorsports.com and click on Safety Information for more information.

Panasonic Corporation of North America of Newark, N.J., is recalling about 165 Metal Cutter Saw Kits and Metal Cutter Combo Kits.

The lower blade guard can get stuck in the fully retracted position and not automatically release to cover the blade. The exposed blade poses a laceration hazard and risk of injury.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

This recall involves the EY3530NQMKW 15.6V Cordless Metal Cutter Kit and the EYC136NQK 15.6V Cordless Metal Cutter Combo Kit.

The model EY3530 metal cutter saw is a circular metal cutting saw in black with yellow accents. “Panasonic” is printed in white letters on the upper wrap around blade guard. “15.6 V” and “Metal Cutter Saw” are printed in black letters with yellow highlights on the blade guard. The recalled metal cutters are about 13 inches long and 6.7 pounds.

The model EY136 combo kit includes the EY3530 circular metal cutting saw and also includes a drill and other accessories. The model number and date code are located on the bottom of the lower support, between the battery and the blade. The first number in the date code is the year, the second and the third are the month and the last four digits are the production number.

The saws, manufactured in China and Japan, were sold at industrial distributors nationwide from April 2014, through June 2015, for about $400 for the saw kit and $500 for the combo kit.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled saws and contact Panasonic to receive a return prepaid shipping label. Panasonic will replace the safety guard and return the saws to the consumer.

Consumers may contact Panasonic Corporation of North America at 800-743-2335 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) on Saturday and Sunday, or online at www.panasonic.com and click on Product Recall for more information.

Technology keeps moving farther along, pushing the envelope, so you're probably wondering when your cell phone is going to have faster speed.

According to Verizon, it's coming soon, with field trials for 5G technology starting next year.

"5G is no longer a dream of the distant future," said Roger Gurnani, executive vice president and chief information and technology architect for Verizon. "We feel a tremendous sense of urgency to push forward on 5G and mobilize the ecosystem by collaborating with industry leaders and developers to usher in a new generation of innovation."

50 times faster

The current state-of-the-art in mobile speed is 4G. Verizon says 5G is expected to provide about 50 times the throughput of current 4G LTE, latency in the single milliseconds, and the ability to handle exponentially more Internet-connected devices to accommodate the expected increased demands of the Internet.

"When you're planning a technological evolution at this scale it must be a collaboration of players in the ecosystem," said Marcus Weldon, chief technology officer of Alcatel-Lucent and president of Bell Labs. "Having Verizon initiate this effort now, even as 4G LTE technology has so much headroom left, will no doubt add to the rich fabric of our digital lives for many years to come."

Rima Qureshi, chief strategy officer for Ericsson, says the current effort to deveop 5G keeps the U.S. communications industry vibrant and globally competitive. To date, she says a lot of the work of developing 5G technological has come from Asia.

"It's exciting to see a U.S. company accelerate the rate of innovation and introduce new partners," she said.

Pipe dream

It wasn't that long ago that 4G was a pipe dream. As mobile exploded, Verizon began building and testing 4G LTE as early as 2008 with the creation of a 10-cell network sandbox around Boston. The first LTE data call was made in August 2009, and Verizon commercially launched the nation's first 4G LTE network in December 2010 with 39 major metropolitan areas and more than 60 major airports covered.

Today, Verizon says more than 98% of the U.S. population has access to 4G LTE and 87% of Verizon Wireless data traffic is carried over the network.

"Even as Verizon begins the work to make 5G a reality, we continue to grow 4G LTE," Gurnani said. "In addition to significant multi-billion-dollar investments in the network, we continue to work with a growing list of partners to launch new products and services on the nation's largest and most reliable 4G LTE network."

In the past, Apple's product announcements were anticipated with bated breath and barely concealed excitement by the faithful. These days the bar is a lot higher.

With that in mind, Wednesday's presentation in San Francisco was more about improving a mature product portfolio instead of unveiling huge technological advancements. Still, the company showed it is willing to move in a new direction that includes a larger iPad and a stylus, the Apple Pencil.

But most of the attention was on the upgrade to the iPhone, with Apple CEO Tim Cook introducing the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. Some analysts are calling them “bridge phones” since there aren't many dramatic departures from last year's versions.

3D Touch

The new phones have something Apple calls 3D Touch, which it says is a new way to interact with content. It works by sensing pressure to enable new gestures — what Apple has named Peek and Pop — so you can dip in and out of content without losing your place. Press lightly to Peek at a photo, email, web page or other content, and press a little deeper to Pop into the content itself.

Live Photos is a new feature that alters images, bringing still photos to life by capturing a moment in motion. The improved camera also takes video up a notch, capturing video in 4K resolution – 3840 x 2160 – delivering over eight million pixels.

All the upgrades are powered by the A9 chip, which Apple claims is the most advanced chip ever used by a smartphone; it delivers faster performance and extends battery life.

“The only thing that has changed with iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is everything — 3D Touch lets users interact with iPhone in entirely new and fun ways, and the innovative Live Photos brings your pictures to life,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “These are the most advanced iPhones ever, with 7000 series aluminum, ion-strengthened glass, the new 64-bit A9 chip, 12-megapixel iSight and 5-megapixel FaceTime HD cameras, faster Touch ID, LTE and Wi-Fi.”

Bigger iPad

In addition to the new iPhones, Apple introduced a new, 12.9 inch iPad with a host of optional components that can, in essence, turn the tablet into a laptop – which begs the question, why not buy a laptop in the first place?

Working with the iPad Pro is the optional Apple Pencil, which can be used for drawing and sketching on the tablet. Apple says the system has been tweaked to provide for extreme detail, such as fine art and precision drawings.

In addition to the Pencil, Apple is introducing an optional keyboard with the new iPad, giving the device many of the same features as the popular Microsoft Surface. The keyboard attaches to iPad Pro’s Smart Connector port, eliminating the need for a separate battery, on/off switch or Bluetooth pairing.

Apple TV

Finally, Apple took a new approach to its Apple TV product, introducing a Siri-based remote so users can search for programs using their voice. Apple TV runs the new tvOS operating system, based on Apple’s iOS, enabling iOS developers to create new apps and games specifically for Apple TV and deliver them directly to users through the new Apple TV App Store.

“There has been so much innovation in entertainment and programming through iOS apps, we want to bring that same excitement to the television,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “Apps make the TV experience even more compelling for viewers and we think apps represent the future of TV.”

A number of states have passed laws that limit the amount of interest that can be charged on consumer loans. It has had the result of driving payday lenders out of those states.

These laws usually cap interest rates at around 36% APR, which admittedly sounds pretty high, considering prevailing interest rates are less than 4%. But payday lenders can't survive on 36% – their APR is normally closer to 400% .

So when states pass laws limiting interest rates, these storefront money-lenders usually pack up and go somewhere else. Researchers from Australia and New Zealand wondered what else happens when payday lenders leave a state.

Economists Harold Cuffe of Victoria University of Wellington and Christopher Gibbs of The University of New South Wales, looked at Washington state after it enacted regulations that resulted in driving about two-thirds of payday lenders out of the state.

Liquor stores take a hit

Among the effects Cuffe aand Gibbs found was on the state's liquor stores. Sales went down after the regulations took effect.

Not only that, liquor stores located near payday lenders lost the most business. The researchers found that the impact was greater the closer a liquor store was to a former payday lender location, 

The takeaway from this, of course, is that many payday loan customers were using their loans to buy alcohol. With the payday lenders out of the picture, these consumers no longer had the chance to buy liquor nearby.

A fair judgment? For insight we turned to the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), which has devoted extensive attention to payday lenders and their customers.

Everyday expenses

“The vast majority of payday loans are renewals, which suggests people use them to meet everyday expenses, CRL spokesman Andrew High told ConsumerAffairs. “As for the granular level of detail about what those expenses are, the data doesn't show that. But it's likely to be rent and things like that.”

The research compiled by Cuffe and Gibbs doesn't specifically show that payday loan customers were using the loans to buy liquor, but held open the possibility that buying a fifth of vodka could be an “impulse buy” that someone might make after feeling a little more flush. In other words, restocking the liquor cabinet might in fact, fall under the umbrella of everyday expenses.

Pew study

A study by the Pew Charitable Trust found that the typical payday loan borrower uses eight loans lasting 18 days each, and thus has a payday loan out for five months of the year. The data from survey respondents clearly indicate that consumers are using the loans to deal with regular, ongoing living expenses.

Alcohol purchases don't show up in the list of expenses. The Pew research shows the first time people took out a payday loan, 69%t used it to cover a recurring expense, such as utilities, credit card bills, rent or mortgage payments, or food.

CLR says the bigger issue is not what payday loan customers are buying but the cycle of debt many consumers unwittingly fall into. The problem, the group says, is that these loans are not the quick fix many think they are.

“According to our research, 76% of all payday loans are taken out within two weeks of a previous payday loan,” High said. “These loans are debt traps by design and people cannot pay them off and cover their normal living expenses, so they return for another loan to cover those normal living expenses when they come due the next month.”

Which may explain why states are regulating them out of business.

If you have been taking a “devil's claw” supplement to deal with arthritis pain, you may not have been getting what you bargained for.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has fired off letters to 13 dietary supplement manufacturers to stop selling the devil's claw products. His action is in response to a study by the New York Botanical Garden that used an advanced DNA barcoding technique to analyze ingredients.

The study concluded that the devil’s claw supplements from these manufacturers contained a cheaper related species that is considered less desirable than the advertised product.

Devil's claw is a traditional herb originating in South Africa. The herb is manufactured as capsules, tincture, powder and liquid and administered three times a day in 750 to 1,000 mg dosages. Manufacturers claim it helps relieve pain and inflammation.

Pain reliever

The Arthritis Foundation says the active ingredient in devil’s claw does in fact appear to reduce pain and inflammation in joints. It cites a 2002 study of 227 people with low back pain or osteoarthritis of the knee or hip treated with devil’s claw extract. After eight weeks of taking 60 mg daily, between 50% and 70% of people reported improvement in pain, mobility and flexibility.

But Schneiderman says what has been supplied by 13 supplement manufacturers does not meet standards. His office has reached an agreement with a 14th manufacturer, Nature’s Way, to improve the manufacturing and marketing of its devil’s claw supplements.

Nature’s Way also agreed to refund New York consumers who purchased its devil’s claw supplements. In addition, the company said it would continue to extend DNA barcode testing across its herbal product lines with one or two ingredients. Schneiderman says he thinks that's a first for the supplements industry.

Troubling questions

“When a scientific study tests numerous herbal supplements manufactured by more than a dozen companies and finds the wrong plant in just about every one, it raises more troubling questions about whether people who buy dietary supplements are getting what they pay for,” Schneiderman said. “This is yet another sign that weaknesses in the supplements industry’s approach to quality control are having real-world consequences for consumers. The manufacturers receiving letters from my office should follow the lead of Nature’s Way and address these gaps immediately.”

Those manufacturers are:

• Nutraceutical International Corporation (Soloray);
• Alternative Remedies Health & Herbs;
• The Kroger Co., as parent of Vitacost.com;
• FoodScience Corporation (Food Science of Vermont & DaVinci Labs);
• Biopower Nutrition;
• Thorne Research Inc.;
• NBTY, Inc. (Puritan’s Pride);
• Olympian Labs, Inc. (Prescribed Choice);
• Now Foods;
• Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc.;
• RHG & Company Inc. (Vital Nutrients);
• The Natural Healing Room & End Time Essentials; and
• Shine Supplements

Schneiderman says the purported therapeutic benefits of devil’s claw are not generally accepted in the medical community, nor are they approved by the FDA. He also said he is aware of persistent reports of suppliers mixing or substituting devil's claw with a related plant, which contains some—but not all—of the same chemicals.  

Fewer people signed up for first-time unemployment benefits last week.

The Department of Labor (DOL) reports there were 275,000 initial claims in the week ending September 5 -- down 6,000 from the week before. In addition, the previous week's total was revised down by 1,000.

The initial claims level has remained below 300,000 for 27 consecutive weeks, leading economists at Briefing.com to say that this supports “the idea that the labor market is encroaching on full employment.”

DOL says there were no special factors affecting this week's initial claims.

The four-week moving average, which is less volatile than the weekly tally and considered a more accurate gauge of the labor market, rose 500 from the previous week's level -- to 275,750.

The full report is available on the DOL website.