A review is an essay that critically examines any product created by man, whether it be an intangible or tangible. Intangibles include books, essays, movies, musical compositions, software, and scientific experiments. Examples of tangibles, on the other hand, are cars, computers, coffee makers, chain saws, camping gear, and cell phones.

Reviews scrutinize all kinds of ideas and products, disclosing their strengths and weakness, or, in the case of advertized goods, if they live up to the claims made by their manufacturers. Thus, they are a good source of information for someone who is planning to purchase a book, software, car, cell phone, or any other item.

Be sure, however, that the review you are reading is not a “bought review”. This type of review is one where the writer has been paid by the manufacturer or marketer of a product to compose a positive evaluation. Often these masquerade as “expert reviews” by knowledgeable professionals. As the writers are paid, these are often, although not always, biased.

There are also reviews written by marketing affiliates of product manufacturers and software vendors. These also present themselves as experts in the field, yet their ultimate goal is to convince you to buy the product.

You can balance these “expert” views by browsing the Internet for “consumer reviews” that are less likely to be biased. Although they may lack the technical knowledge of the “experts”, they give you the hands-on experiences of consumers with the product.