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7 New Products Deemed Game Changing in 2012

2/8/2012
Good Housekeeping magazine announced the winners of its 4th Annual VIP (Very Innovative Products) Awards in its February issue. The winners, which include a game-changing thermostat that senses when you're home-and not-and adjusts the heat and air conditioning accordingly and a dessert-lover's dream gadget which turns fruit into frozen treats, were chosen by the Good Housekeeping Research Institute staff from a pool of more than 1,500 new products. Plus, Good Housekeeping readers voted for one Hall of Fame winner.

Without further ado, the 2012 Good Housekeeping VIP Awards go to:

-- Nest Learning Thermostat ($250) - A programmable thermostat reduces your home energy bill by adjusting temperatures to your needs.

-- Hamilton Beach The Scoop Coffeemaker ($70) - The Scoop brews a single serving with any ground beans and can fill an eight-ounce cup or a 14-ounce travel mug.

-- Replenish Multi-Surface Cleaner ($8 for starter kit; $4 per refill) - Thanks to a unique built-in cup, you can measure the concentrate to make four bottles of Replenish cleaner from one twist-on pod. And while many green cleansers don't clean so well, this one is a powerhouse.

-- Yonanas ($50) - It transforms frozen bananas into a creamy soft-serve treat, while frozen berries become a sorbet-like sweet — without added cream or sugar.

-- GE Energy Smart Bright from the Start Lightbulb ($6) - A halogen provides nearly full brightness pronto, giving the more energy-efficient CFL time to warm up.

-- Frigidaire Gallery Double Oven Range ($1,700) - Ever dream of having a second oven? This splurge-worthy new range makes it a reality, fitting two 3.5-cubic-foot ovens into the space of a standard 30-inch appliance.

-- Rust-Oleum Countertop Transformations ($250) - Replacing a worn laminate countertop with granite or another stone surface is pricey and decidedly not DIY. Rust-Oleum's new kit gives counters an attractive, durable stone-like surface in just a weekend of work.

-- 2012 Hall of Fame Winner: Scotch Tape (Introduced in 1930)
Can you picture life without it? The respondents to Good Housekeeping magazine's reader poll couldn't either, choosing Scotch Tape over 27 other time-tested products for our annual Hall of Fame Award.

Click here to find out more details about all these products.



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