CES PR pitches

The end of Thanksgiving signals the onslaught of email requests from PR firms for meetings with companies exhibiting at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas during the first week of January. From these emails I’ve received just over the past two days, it looks like there will be some highly unusual products. I thought it […]

Update on RING

I reviewed Ring, a combination doorbell, camera and intercom, a few weeks ago, and ran into problems with the installation. After discussions with the customer support people, the unit was replaced, and now is working properly. The previous unit caused the doorbell to ring or buzz on its own. The cause is uncertain, but might have been […]

Kickstarter advice

I read with a combination of interest, sympathy and a little bit of “not surprised” when it was reported that Coolest, the company that had the second most successful Kickstarter campaign ever, was struggling to meet its promises. In spite of raising over $13 million for its all-in-one picnic cooler, it failed to meet its […]

An app for losing weight

This review is not a cruel joke, appearing at Thanksgiving time. It’s about a subject that many of us struggle with, particularly frequent travelers that eat out and are away from home so often. I’m constantly battling weight gain, and like to say I’ve lost over 100 pounds through the years, the same 10 or […]

An update on PonoMusic

I’ve been closely involved with the design and development of the Pono hi-resolution music player over the past four years. It’s been a labor of love that began with a noble goal from rockstar legend Neil Young: Bring the same high quality music to music lovers that artists hear in the studio.  The goal has […]

Solitide XCS2 Noise reduction Headphones

I love good headphones, especially to use with my Pono hi-res music player. So it was with some skepticism when I received a review unit of these headphones to try. Why skeptical? Because of their low cost ($170 list) and plain appearance. But after listening to a wide range of music for several hours, I was […]

Prediction: Top 5 products for Christmas 2015

By Larry Reich Will this be a digital XMAS for Santa and the children of the world? According to Walmart, don’t expect much. They claim there are no hot digital products this Christmas, and predicting lower to flat sales this quarter (as it was the last quarter for digital products at Walmart). But yes, Virginia, there […]

Wallet case for the iPhone Plus

In my search for a leather wallet case for my iPhone 6 Plus I found this one to be one of the best available. It’s made of leather, unlike many others that are “leather-like”, and has worked very well over the few weeks of use. The phone snaps into a plastic shell and the pockets […]

How does an iPhone camera compare to real cameras?

Ken Rockwell, a photographer that has a hugely popular photo blog, compares the camera on an Apple iPhone 6s Plus to four high quality cameras, the Canon 5DS, a Sony A7R II, the Canon EOS M3, and a Fujifilm X100T. His results are very surprising, and his article is well worth the read. Check it out […]

Too many gadgets?

Can we possibly have too many gadgets? Over the past dozen years, as a product reviewer, I’ve seen so many new products that offer the promise of helping us to be safer, healthier, and richer. Yet frequently they required a lot more work than was expected to set up, maintain and deal with unexpected issues. […]

Why the Cheero 13,400mAH backup battery is disruptive

The Cheero Power Plus 3 backup battery is a terrific solution for the traveler. Keep on in your briefcase and you’ll always have a backup for your phones and other devices. I’ve tried dozens of backup batteries over the past few years – but the Cheero stands apart for several reasons. It’s a whopping 13400mAH capacity, […]

Inside San Diego tip

Being located in San Diego often gives me insight to some special deals. Here’s one of them from one of my favorite hotel chains, Kimpton. Kimpton’s Hotel Palomar San Diego and Hotel Solamar announced today the launch of “Stay Crafty,” an authentic craft brew experience package. With San Diego continuously ranked as one of America’s top microbrew cities, and […]

Waterfield Bolt: A great everyday briefcase

I’m always looking for that ideal briefcase and have a collection that could match what you’d find in a small luggage store. With computers getting smaller, and the need to no longer carry lots of adapters and stuff, a smaller case seemed appropriate. I’m now carrying the 12-inch MacBook, Apple’s two-pound notebook, so it seemed silly […]

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