New Web Site Helps Consumers Save Money on Technology Two Ways

Just in time for holiday shopping, the new Web site, www.consumertechtips.com, helps consumers save money when shopping for digital cameras, computers, and other hi-tech products. First, the straightforward explanations on the site help people understand what they really need in these products. Second, the site includes links to sales, rebates, and special offers from popular online retailers such as Dell, Overstock.com, and SonyStyle.

The site provides the kind of down-to-basics information it is hard to find elsewhere. There are plenty of resources for people who want to be first with the latest gizmos. But that's not what Consumer Tech Tips is about. In fact, the site helps people realize that all they really need may be a more basic model.

"Products have gotten so complex," says the site’s creator, Reid Neubert, "it's hard for people to keep up. As a result, they often end up paying for features they don't really want or need." For example, with new computers costing from a few hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars today, it's hard to know what one needs. Consumertechtips.com helps people resolve just that kind of quandary.

The site's simple, uncluttered design also makes it as easy to use. For each type of product, there is an "In Brief" section that provides a quick overview with all the information many people need. Additional details are provided for those who want to know more. Each product page also has a list of important "Things to Consider" for that type of product. Direct links to online retailers are provided for the shoppers' convenience. In addition, the Bargains page filled with links to special offers.

Neubert is no stranger to demystifying technical jargon. Being a hi-tech industry marketing veteran and former columnist, he recognized the need for that information to be easily accessible in one place on the Web. He is an alum of several San Francisco Bay Area software companies, including Autodesk, where he was the company's first product marketing manager. "Working in marketing in the software industry is where I learned to take what the engineers say and translate it into plain English so that normal people can understand it," Neubert says.