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Recently in Salon Technology

Technology: View from the top
Prime time online
Jim Moloshok just launched the multimillion-dollar Entertaindom portal. Can he create the successor to network TV?
By Susan Kuchinskas
[12/06/99]

Column
See spot run
Internet firms throwing big money at TV ad campaigns are making an elementary goof.
By Scott Rosenberg
[12/03/99]

Singing the MP3 blues
Indie musicians find online music distributors every bit as greedy as the recording industry they aim to replace.
By Emily Vander Veer
[12/02/99]

Sex sells, doesn't it?
Tales of financial chaos at the heart of an online porn empire.
By Mark Gimein
[12/01/99]

Technology: View from the top
The music man
MTVi's Nicholas Butterworth says he wants the audience to do the programming.
By Janelle Brown
[11/29/99]

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Amazon.com reported 2.5 times as many orders as last year, and America Online said that 4 million members bought items online in one week. "Things are buzzing around here, that's for sure," says Ken Ross, spokesman for eToys, though he wouldn't give specific numbers on sales.

But you don't need stats to see that there's a big buzz about online shopping this year: Just turn on your TV or radio. This year, the cheery Christmas jingles are not just for Sears or Target or red and green M&Ms, but for a hundred seemingly indistinguishable e-commerce start-ups. "Shopping online is easy!" the advertisements crow, as elves cavort and Santas ho-ho-ho. No lines! Shop naked!

Not only can you buy just about anything online, but there are comparison engines to help you get the best deal, and product review databases that offer the ultimate advice on what to get. Just try to find a Web site that doesn't offer a holiday shopping guide.

With my own shopping hell looming, I figured that anything that promised to help me escape the Christmas mall madness was worth testing for myself. I'd decided that a digital camera would be the perfect stocking stuffer for my picky parents. Some quick reading and a few clicks, I thought, and I could cross one present off my extensive list.

Hours later, as I blearily gazed up from my computer, I realized that this wasn't quite the case. Online shopping may shelter you from piped-in Christmas carols and grumpy pedestrians, but it can be just as much of a hassle.

I knew nothing about what kind of camera I should buy, so I started my search at CNET, which any diligent TV-watcher knows is the ultimate one-stop shop for information about tech gadgets. This site reviews a boggling number of digital cameras, ranging in price from under $200 to well over $1,000, with special "editors' picks" and lists of "five best bargain cameras." Scrutinizing the reviews closely, however, I realize that many are for outdated models -- one camera that CNET glowingly reviewed as its top pick turned out to be last year's model.

After reading through at least 20 reviews, I'm still utterly confused about which camera best serves my needs and wallet. There are charts listing qualities such as the type of lens and viewfinder, the software that's included and the quality of zoom; but there's little help judging the importance of each of these features. Is "mega-pixel" picture quality a must? What about battery life? Do I need to store 100 images or would 40 be OK? It all begins to blur in my mind. Plus, I'm not so sure I trust the CNET editors any more. So I head to the glossy product info site Productopia, which appears to have a more selective review process and features a mere nine cameras -- but most are out of my budget.

Next page | When do I give up and head to the camera store?