Patent Press. has created a series of paper greeting cards that feature illustrations from real patent applications, especially those interesting patent drawings.  The holiday cards include the patent drawing of a variety of seasonal inventions, such as a light-up menorah, an Etch-a-Sketch, and the famous “leg lamp” from a Christmas Story.  They’re clever, but definitely requires […]

The headline today on most of the tech sites is Apple’s introduction of their new 16-inch MacBook Pro. It’s been long anticipated, not because of a faster processor, not because of a 16-inch display, and not because of better speakers. It’s because it’s the first notebook computer from Apple in five years with a keyboard […]

As a frequent purchaser of electronic accessories and hardware devices from Amazon, I’ve experienced more disappointment with my purchases over the past year. Many of these products are sold by Chinese manufacturers that have found Amazon to be a great way to bypass the retailers and offer their products at a lower cost. With all […]

According to recent research gathered by Active Inc., Facebook has been losing usage at a rapid rate. Users spent approximately 14 hours a month in 2017, but this year that number has dropped to 9 hours per month. The loss is particularly high among those between the ages of 12-34, but has effected every group. This […]

Having just returned from a vacation trip to Portugal, I had a chance to try out some travel-related tech products. Portugal has become a favorite destination for vacationers in recent years and for good reason. It’s a beautiful country, the people are warm and friendly, and it’s more affordable than many destinations in Western Europe. […]

With the deterioration of customer service, it was a welcome experience to visit my local Apple Store in Carlsbad, CA last week to replace the battery on my two year old iPhone X. (You can easily tell an iPhone battery’s health condition by going to Battery Health to see the percentage of capacity remaining compared […]

I’ve had an iPad with Verizon cellular connectivity that costs $10 per month. I rarely use the cellular connection and decided to remove the iPad from my account. I’ve had it for more than 4 years and have paid them about $500, equal to the price of the iPad itself. I assumed it would be […]

Amazon’s new high resolution music service was announced this week and it’s a significant milestone for streaming music. As my friend and co-author, Neil Young described it, “Earth will be changed forever when Amazon introduces high quality streaming to the masses,” he said in Amazon’s press release. “This will be the biggest thing to happen in […]

Uber is facing a number of threats that  jeopardize its ability to survive. The CA legislature has passed a law that requires the company (as well as many other businesses) to reclassify their contractors as employees and provide them with benefits they offer other employees. While this law may be misguided, it shows how vulnerable […]

“To Feel the Music” is on sale this week, and I wanted to provide a little background on the book. When Neil and I decided to write the book, To Feel the Music, there were several objectives we each had. For Neil it was to save music, and the book provided a chance to explain […]

As seen at Techpinions. I’m often asked why consumer tech products can’t be made in this country. In fact, with Trump’s tariff wars, more and more companies are being pressured to look for local manufacturing. I’ve always been skeptical, having worked on more than a hundred consumer tech products over my career, mostly manufactured in Asia, […]

One of the trends of high-tech startups is to build a product around two things: an app and independent workers. These new business models are all the rage in Silicon Valley and eminently fundable because they open up new business models that do old things in new, more efficient ways.  That was the basis behind […]

In my efforts to simplify things, I recently canceled a bunch of credit cards that I’ve accumulated over the years.  Multiple credit cards adds a lot of complexity that we just don’t need: which card to use for which purchase, checking each for accurate monthly charges, and paying each on time to avoid interest charges. […]

One of the most frightening developments in the world of tech is how personal data mining is being used to undermine democracies around the world. The tools Facebook has developed to target individuals with personal ads – the dream of advertisers for decades – is being used to target individuals with specific psychologic messaging, much […]

ANC stands for active noise reduction, a technology that Bose has dominated for a decade. Their popular QC35 headphones incorporated this technology to reduce the background noise, particularly the repetitive droning hum that you experience on airplanes. While there were a number of low cost Chinese copies, Bose’s technology led the field. But two years […]

If Apple is looking for an area to replace the slowing sales of the iPhone, I suggest they need to develop a real Apple TV with its own operating system and a top quality display, This could be a huge success and provide a solution to a confusing problem most of us face today. If […]

If businesses wonder how they lose customers, this story might serve as an example. It’s not always through clear logic, but often based on emotion and a minor incident that triggers a reaction. One of the benefits of an American Express Platinum account is that airline fees of up to $200 each year are covered. […]