The secret shopper returns, super search engines, and savvy CD-burning software
By CNET staff
(12/10/01)

Haven't started your holiday shopping yet? Join the club. But don't fret--it's not too late to shop online.

Coming up this week on CNET, our saga of how we posed as Joe Consumer and shopped at 10 leading e-tailers, from Amazon to Sephora, to see how fast they could deliver the goods. We browsed their sites, picked the gifts we wanted, chose the speediest delivery method--express, next day, overnight, whatever it takes--placed our orders, and bugged customer service for help. Which sites sent our gifts pronto, with time to spare, and which ones dropped the ball completely? We'll give you the scoop. Using our experiences as a guide, you won't have to send those holiday-themed, scratch-off lottery tickets to your loved ones again.

Also on CNET: search the Web and burn some CDs
The most popular activity on the Net (get your mind out of the gutter) is sending e-mail, followed by searching. Although it does an incredible job, Google is not the only search engine out there. We sought out five up-and-comers to see how each one did with a variety of search terms. Tune in later this week for the results.

Meanwhile, CNET Software is slated to review seven CD-burning programs. After running these apps through our tests, we found that they differ widely in functionality. Read the reviews to see which one is right for your burning needs and desires, whether you're looking to burn music, photos, video, or data to CD or just want to upgrade from the freebie program that shipped with your CD-R/RW drive.

The latest in gadgets
No week would be complete without a few new gadgets to tell you about. This week, we'll have a review of Sony's new MP3 CD player, the D-CJ01 Portable. Many MP3 CD players lag behind normal CD players in design, but Sony's latest isn't one of them. It has a cool, clear front so that you can see the disc spinning and--even better--a battery that lasts a full 24 hours, so you can literally rock around the clock.

Finally, you'll also find a review of Motorola's V200 cell phone, which is an update to the popular V100. The V200 features a speakerphone and the ability to send and receive e-mail from POP3 accounts.