Monthly Archives: October 2015

Guardzilla – An affordable low cost security system UNACCEPTABLE

UPDATE: After 6 weeks of use, I now find the product UNACCEPTABLE. When it works it is fine, but too often it disconnects from the WiFi network. Several times a week when I try accessing its camera from my iPhone it will not work The fix is to unplug and replug it in again. Guardzilla is […]

Online advertising is broken

Technology is letting us down. After all, isn’t it supposed to serve us ads on our phones, tablets, and computers that makes us want to buy more? Isn’t it supposed to show us ads that are selected for us based on our activities on the internet and the information it learns about us? But, most […]

Uber’s relentless push for drivers

In conjunction with researching Uber for a story several weeks ago, I went through the sign up process as a driver, but never completed the process when it came to providing personal information for a background check. As a result, Uber has been me emailing several times a week since early September requesting that I […]

The Leatherman Tread: A most unusual gadget

Leatherman is the company that invented the successor to the Swiss Army knife, the multi-function pocketknife that contains an array of robust tools, including pliers, knives, wire cutters, screwdrivers and much more. Today they make dozens of models of all sizes, even one that is TSA compliant that omits the knife blade. Over the years […]

Uber’s own words: Potentially dangerous, offensive, harmful to minors

With more complaints about Uber drivers, one victim called this to my attention, Uber’s waiver of responsibility: “You understand, therefore, that by using the application and the service, you may be exposed to transportation that is potentially dangerous, offensive, harmful to minors, unsafe or otherwise objectionable, and that you use the application and the service […]

Phil Baker on Re/Code

Re/Code posts column on Why Can’t the U.S. Build Consumer Electronic Products here  

Desktop Product Development

Remember long ago when the invention of high-quality printers, Adobe Postcript, and design software brought publishing to the desktop? No longer did you need to rely on experts to design your newsletters, presentations, and brochures. Individuals were empowered to do more on their own in their offices. That thought came to mind when I read […]

Keeping an eye on your home while travelling

New technologies are making it possible to keep tabs on your home when travelling. There are cameras that detect motion in your home and trigger an alert such as Canary, a product I previously reviewed. (https://bakerontech.com/two-clever-gadgets-advance-the-internet-of-things/) Using an app on your phone, the cylindrical-shaped device alerts you when it detects motion in your home when […]

Techpinion Column

Why can’t the US build consumer electronic products? THE DAILY TECHPINION PHIL BAKER / October 2nd, 2015 I recently returned from a short trip to Shenzhen, the large Chinese city less than an hour’s drive north of Hong Kong. When anyone wonders why we don’t build consumer electronic products in the United States, the one word […]

Pono Player – You owe it to yourself to try

The Pono Player continues to be one of the most exciting products I’ve been involved with. When I began working for Neil Young more than 3 years ago, the player had been a dream of Neil’s for more than a decade. Thanks to the small design team we put together and our manufacturer PCH, the […]

New IONA dock for the iPhone & iPad at a special price

The IONA dock from LandingZone is a premium charging dock for the iPhone and iPad. IONA was designed by the renowned industrial designer, Mike Nuttall, and it shows. It’s a sleek attractive dock, one of the best I’ve ever tried. It’s constructed of aluminum and glossy white plastic with a heavily weighted swivel base. It works with […]

Ditto – the simple, useful wearable that’s hot

Ditto is hot! This tiny little device alerts you to incoming calls, texts and messages, and it’s selling like hotcakes according to several insiders. It clips to your shirt or underwear and emits a discreet vibration. It connects to your phone by Bluetooth and relies on a free app (iOS and Android) to set it up. You […]