Symbols and acronyms

Dear PropellerHeads: I went to buy a new laptop and when I looked on the bottom I saw all these symbols and acronyms. I recognized UL, but what are the others? Do they matter?

A: Do they matter? Does it matter if you forget your wife's birthday? Does it matter if you leave the toilet seat down? Does it matter if you squeeze the middle of the toothpaste tube? Does it matter if you roll over and immediately begin snoring? Too much? Sorry.

Those symbols and acronyms are signs from the manufacturer that the laptop (or computer, monitor, printer, etc.) meets the standards for safety, consumer protection, ergonomics, energy usage, interoperability, environmental protection and manufacturing processes. I know. Too much again.

For you, it might make sense to look at the back or bottom of devices before you buy. This is especially important if it's from a manufacturer you haven't heard of before. A word of warning: the standards sites we are listing are pretty dense and technical. In other words, these sites get our propellers going. How about we look into a couple of the important ones? No need to answer that, it was rhetorical.

UL, from Underwriters Labs (www.ul.com) certifies consumer safety for more than 19,000 products. This private standards and testing organization has been looking out for us for more than 100 years. These are the guys, for instance, who make sure your electric weed eater is properly grounded. With 21 billion (with a b) symbols on various products, chances are you have a bunch of UL-approved gadgets at home. A lowercase "c" in front of the capitalized UL means the product meets Canadian safety specifications. Although Canada's own, CSA (www.csa.ca), is also common. Cool, eh?

CE (technically CE marking), is the European Economic Area's version of the UL designation for safety, health, environment and consumer protection standards of electronic and other manufactured products. For more information, google"CE marking."

FCC, from the Federal Communications Commission (www.fcc.gov), sets standards and certifies the interoperability of communications devices. In a laptop, for instance, it certifies that the internal modem or wireless adapter doesn't screw up our communications grid or your TV picture or phone line.

Good Housekeeping has certified safety and consumer protection for many items for about 100 years. It is just starting to certify consumer electronics. This private certification is tied to their magazine (www.goodhousekeeping.com). One nice benefit is that it includes a two-year replacement or refund guarantee for the listed products.

Energy Star is a joint program of the EPA and the Department of Energy. A 1992 Bush senior initiative, it helps us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. This is the group (www.energystar.gov) that has helped ensure our monitors, laptops and printers go into sleep mode when not in use. Wasting energy just "wouldn't be prudent at this juncture."

ISO 9001, from the International Organization for Standardization (www.iso.org), specifies standards for quality management systems. This designation is significant because it says quite a bit about the manufacturer's quality control, defect management and continuous process improvement practices. These things should mean a higher quality product for you.

When the PropellerHeads at Data Directions aren't busy with their IT projects, they love to answer questions on business or consumer technology. Email them to questions@askthepropellerheads.com or contact us at Data Directions Inc., 8510 Bell Creek Road, Mechanicsville, VA 23116. Visit our website at www.askthepropellerheads.com.