One of the challenges with premium credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Amex Platinum is making sure you take advantage of their perks and benefits to justify their steep annual fees. The responsibility is entirely on us as cardholders to understand and use these perks—some of which are provided annually, while others […]

Using our cell phones while traveling internationally has always been costly, at least for those without a T-Mobile account. But now there’s relief for Verizon users that can give you service for just less than a dollar a day. It’s something Verizon doesn’t advertise, but it’s perfectly legal and in full compliance with Verizon’s rules. […]

I’ve spent more than five decades designing, building, and writing about consumer technology. In that time, I’ve watched countless waves of hype promising to reshape our lives. Some actually did — the personal computer, the smartphone, the internet itself. Many promised but never came close – the flying car, a home robot, a single-prick blood-testing […]

Chase just announced a massive annual fee hike for their popular Sapphire Reserve card that I use—from $550 to $795. A second card on the account jumps from $75 to $195. That’s $990 for cards for my wife and myself, an increase of $365 or 58%! With this increase, the card now carries the highest fee among consumer travel cards, even surpassing Amex […]

If you’ve ever searched online for the “best laptop under $1,000” or “best noise reducing earphones,” you’ve probably run into one of those awful review sites full of long, useless introductions, vague recommendations, filled with ads that make it difficult to even read the content. Their real goal isn’t to help you, but to make […]

I was back on the road this week traveling to Massachusetts from San Diego to visit old friends and take my wife to her college reunion. While we’ve traveled internationally a few time last year, this was the first cross-country trip within the U.S. San Diego’s new Sapphire Lounge – We had a chance to […]

When I wrote a column a few weeks ago about how the Apple iPhone had stagnated and was falling behind some Android phones, several readers asked for examples. So I did a bit of research as if I was looking to purchase a new Android phone and see what I could find. I didn’t have […]

If you travel often for business, you know the routine—new cities, new languages, last-minute meetings, and piles of receipts. It can be exhausting and isn’t always the fun others think it is. Fortunately, Google’s newly announced Gemini AI, paired with your phone’s camera, called Gemini Live, brings some cool new technology to many of the […]

There great new business book, Apple in China, is currently number one on the business bestseller chart. Check out John Stewart’s interview with the author, Patric McGee.   As noted in my review of two-weeks ago, the fast-paced book traces how Apple’s first foray into Asia, started with Taiwan and expanded into massive facilities in China. […]

There was a big announcement this week from Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, that his company is buying a device startup called io, launched by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for $6.5 billion. Altman said they will be “figuring out how to create a family of devices that would let people use AI to create […]

It’s that time of the year when the rumors begin about the next generation of iPhones due out in the Fall, and whether it’s worth upgrading to one of the new models. Let me get right to the point – based on all that’s been reported: No. As popular as the iPhone is – it’s […]

Throughout my product development career I’ve used Asian resources to supplement the work being done in the U.S. to bring new consumer tech products to market more quickly. When designing cameras at Polaroid in the 80s, I worked with Japanese camera manufacturers. Years later when I was at Apple developing the Newton, I used resources […]

Low cost manufacturing in China has taken manufacturing jobs from this country, but that doesn’t tell the real story of its economic impact. It misses one of the great benefits of China manufacturing: by being able to have China produce products at lower costs, it has given U.S. companies the ability to grow their businesses […]

In his first 100 days back in the White House, Donald Trump has dramatically reshaped the landscape of the U.S. tech industry, something I’ve been a part of over my entire career. He’s had an impact like no other president in such a short time. It’s included aggressive tariffs, abrupt policy reversals, isolationist moves, and […]

It seems surreal to be writing about protecting our personal information when crossing the border. That’s something I haven’t thought about since crossing into China from Hong Kong years ago. But today with our border agents suddenly looking at anyone with a tattoo or strange name as a potential illegal immigrant, it’s possible for any […]

The massive tariffs being levied on Chinese goods puts Apple—one of America’s most valuable and iconic companies—at serious risk. Nearly 90% of its products are made in China in high-tech factories that span hundreds of buildings and took decades to build, equip, and staff. With the imposition of steep tariffs, the cost of Apple’s products […]

I always assumed I was the ideal Amazon customer. I pay $139 for Amazon Prime, purchase 15 to 20 products each month amounting to over $5000 each year, use an Amazon Visa for my purchases, and fill my prescriptions at Amazon Pharmacy. So I was surprised to receive this email from Amazon about violating their […]

Many of us complain about how much better things were in the good old days. And sometimes it’s even true, especially when it comes to technology products. But now with less competition, the big technology companies know we have fewer alternatives. As a result, their services, apps, and other products keep getting harder to use. […]

Spam email has always been a nuisance, but now it’s becoming costly. It’s being used to steal billions of dollars a year from unsuspecting people like you and me. While I think I’m pretty good at detecting fraud, I’ve been fooled a few times, particularly when the email contained personal information that made me think […]

Elon Musk has carefully cultivated the image of a genius engineer, a modern-day Edison or Edwin Land, leading humanity into a technological utopia. But beneath the bravado and the bombastic claims, Musk is not the brilliant technologist he pretends to be. He is not a great engineer, nor an inventor. He is, at best, a […]