Your letters

Remote controls

In your Ratings of LCD and plasma TVs (available to subscribers), December 2009, an important feature was overlooked: the remote control unit. Especially for older people, the quality of the remote is a key part of the user experience. The remote for my small HDTV is of generous size without being cumbersome, and shaped to fit the curvature of the palm. The buttons are well laid out, easy to find, and work well. Some TV remotes are small and thin, with tiny buttons, hard to use, and easy to lose.

Pamela Murdock
Miami

In our Ratings, the remote control score takes into account a remote's shape and the layout, labeling, and size of its buttons.

Condom conundrum

The Lab Test feature "Most Reliable Condoms" (available to subscribers), December 2009, describes a truly rigorous strength test for condoms. I know that Consumer Reports subscribers are more virile than readers of other magazines, but how many readers require a condom with a capacity of 25 liters?

Jay Packer Sierra
Madre, CA

All of them. Latex condoms that hold 25 liters or more of air are less prone to break during use.

Computer speakers

In your evaluation of computers (available to subscribers), December 2009, the limited quality of the speakers is mentioned, but not the limited volume. I had trouble hearing sound on some Internet video clips, even when the speakers were set to the highest level both with computer settings and on the monitor. Then I bought a set of speakers made for computers for $25 and now have all the volume I want and better sound quality.

David W. Briggs
Marion, MA

Correction

In "Masks Might Limit Spread of Swine Flu" (Health, November 2009), we said incorrectly that people 65 or older are at high risk for the H1N1 virus. Actually, swine flu doesn't appear to spread easily to that group, though if they get the virus, their risk of complication is greater.

To send a letter to the editor, go to www.ConsumerReports.org/lettertoeditor