shopping

We're not sure how comfortable we'd be with our dentist using equipment made by an outfit called Zap Lasers, but it's probably better than a pair of rusty pliars.

The "Styla" is a pen-like device that's billed as the first microlaser for making soft-tissue incisions. Measuring less than 7 inches long and weighing under 2 ounces, it can be used for such procedures as performing biopsies and removing tissue. It can sense whether the person using it is right-or left-handed and, for the novice, even has eight pre-programmed procedures, according to Gizmag. (Shudder.)

A … Read more

I love things that save me money when shopping online. While PriceGrabber and Google Shopping are my two go-to sites for finding the lowest prices on electronics, tons of sites track prices and give the heads-up when something goes on sale or gets its price reduced.

There's also PriceAdvance, a browser plug-in that will pull up competing prices from other online sellers automatically whenever you hit a page with a product and price on it. Its latest iteration for Firefox and IE doubles the number of prices it shows you compared with the previous version.

Right now it only … Read more

U.S. consumers have the least "green" habits in the world in terms of energy use, transportation, travel, and goods, according to National Geographic and polling firm GlobeScan.

Blame the American appetite for large, two-car, gadget-packed homes located far from work, along with a general disregard for conservation and eco-friendly products, the report says.

The Greendex results, released Wednesday, are based on online surveys taken earlier this year examining the shopping habits and attitudes of 14,000 consumers in 14 countries.

Among Americans' un-green daily habits, 59 percent said they drive alone, and a trifling 5 percent use … Read more

This high-end designer boutique in a trendy part of Seoul sells these bags at higher than Louis Vuitton's full prices, which is not nearly as hilarious as Louis Vuitton's unique methods in fighting back counterfeiters these days. Just look at this fake set-up of a fake bag seller that sells real bags during a recent exhibit launch party in New York. (via Notcot)

Amazon.com posted Wednesday stronger than expected first quarter results, in part driven by strong sales in its electronics and general merchandise categories.

The online retailing giant also issued a forecast for the current quarter and year that shows greater strength than Wall Street's current estimates.

Shares of Amazon, however, were down roughly 4 percent in after-hours trading to $77.77 a share.

During the first quarter, Amazon generated net income of 34 cents a share to $143 million, up 30 percent compared with the previous year. Revenues jumped 37 percent to $4.13 billion in the quarter, verses … Read more

Yahoo Shopping is Yahoo's e-commerce site. It lets you search for items listed online and highlights some of the good deals from around the Web. In addition to its own search tool, it employs deals from various online partners including Woot.com for a special version of Woot aimed specifically at Yahoo shoppers.

While Google's shopping tool focuses mainly on search, Yahoo Shopping takes more of a directory approach. You can browse products from all over the Web in a giant catalog. It also keeps track of some of the most popular deals from its members, forming a … Read more

With so many "green" options appearing on everyday products, navigating the marketplace can be tricky if you're attempting to green your life.

Home Depot stamps efficient lightbulbs, low-toxic paints, and other goods as "Eco Options." SC Johnson sells Windex certified by Greenlist, the company's internal effort to reduce toxicants in its product line. Canon labels printers as "Generation Green."

Environmentalists may applaud corporate efforts to sell fewer polluting and poisonous goods and services. But some consumer watchdogs warn that the proliferation of green claims will confuse or mislead shoppers, and prefer that … Read more

If Amazon would have spun off its recommendation engine to Web publishers and retailers years ago, the company might have pre-empted the spate of new up-and-comers with similar technology.

But then again, if that were the case, the former chief of Amazon's data-mining and personalization group David Selinger wouldn't have seen a hole in the market and started Richrelevance. The San Francisco-based company, which makes software that delivers related product links to prospective shoppers, is in a hotly contested niche with start-ups Aggregate Knowledge and Loomia.

On Tuesday, Richrelevance was buoyed with a fresh investment of $4.2 … Read more

Amazon.com unveiled on Wednesday a text-messaging shopping service, which adds a mainstream player to the mix of companies that offer shopping to-go.

Amazon TextBuyIt is designed to let mobile device users window-shop, compare prices, and purchase products from Amazon.

Shoppers send a text message to "Amazon" with the product name, search term, UPC, or ISBN code. The e-commerce giant will offer matching products, as well as prices. Buyers can purchase products by replying to the text message and punching in a single-digit number next to the desired item. Amazon will then call the person to confirm the … Read more