With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just over, I’m marveling at how Amazon has changed our buying habits. Not just becoming a substitute for driving to a store, but so much more. First, you cannot find many of the items on Amazon in other stores, certainly not the depth of choices. Whether it’s a motorized […]
A new tech gadget that’s soon going on sale is receiving a huge amount of attention from the tech community. It debuted at Paris Fashion Week on the lapel of supermodel Naomi Campbell, it was featured in a TED talk watched by tens of thousands, and it’s received $230 million in funding from Silicon Valley insiders. Rarely […]
These days it’s safe to assume when you’re contacted by a stranger using email, texting, or social networks, it’s likely a scam. That’s the nature of the internet with so many trying to make a buck. It takes very little effort for a twelve-year old savy computer user in their basement in some far away […]
Hertz thought they were being forward thinking when they ordered 100,000 Tesla Model 3 EVs last year, amounting to about a quarter of their fleet. Now a year later, its plans are in disarray and on hold. At the time it seemed to be a clever attempt to move on from their bankruptcy and take […]
It seems wherever we go and whatever we do, we’re fussing with cables and chargers. Whether it’s while we’re traveling, sleeping or moving throughout the day, we’re constantly trying to keep our devices charged. Our phones, watches, iPads, cameras, eReaders, and computers, always seem to need attention. Cables have their own special annoyances: they slip […]
(This column was written for JoeSentMe, the informative travel newsletter for professional travelers.) I just finished a delightful vacation in Kauai with my wife and daughter. Unlike many trips this year, this one was smooth and trouble free. We were fortunate to travel on Alaska Airlines’ non-stop from San Diego. With no status or special […]
One of the first rules of experienced travelers is to avoid checking bags at all costs. That usually means using the most efficiently-designed baggage to maximize what you carry on. The default suitcase has become the 22-inch (22 x 14 x 9 inches) rollerboard that’s the maximum size you’re allowed to take on board and […]
Sometimes you need to believe what’s in front of your eyes. If something is so obvious, then perhaps it’s just as it seems. That’s especially true with Elon Musk. If we follow all of his actions, decisions, and statements with regard to Twitter, it’s as clear as can be that he has singlehandedly destroyed about […]
While our customer experience is generally poor when it comes to many companies, I’ve encountered an area where the service and support have been outstanding. That’s the area of home connected devices, including routers, audio systems, and security cameras. Now I can’t speak for all of the companies in these categories, but my last three […]
I’ve been shopping for a new large screen TV to replace a twelve year old Samsung, and it’s been quite an ordeal. Remember the book, Paradox of Choice? It’s about having so many choices that it’s impossible to reach a decision. That’s what I faced. I did quite a bit of research in an effort […]
Now that Apple has introduced and shipped their new iPhone 15 series, I have some initial impressions. While I don’t own any of the models, I’ve tried an iPhone 15 Pro Max and currently own a 3-year old iPhone 12 Pro Max for comparison. They both are similar in size and in appearance. While the […]
Over the years, the home audio industry has attempted to come up with ways to replicate the sound we hear in concert halls, theaters, and intimate venues. Decades ago the industry promoted adding more speakers to create sound all around us. It was accomplished by adding a pair of speakers behind us and a bass […]
Those that travel internationally know that bargains can be found in other countries, but rarely have I found one like this that didn’t require any travel. With the help of their website, Alibaba makes the process simple to find the manufacturer of almost any kind of product, and takes much of risk out of the […]
Apple will be announcing their new iPhone 15 series this coming Tuesday morning, 10am California time. One of the biggest little changes will be replacing the Lightning port with a USB-C port. Both connectors are similar in size and both can be inserted in either direction. The change results from a requirement of European Union […]
After traveling internationally for so many years, mostly on my own for business or with my wife and family on vacations, we always planned our own itinerary, hotels, and details along the way. But recently we’ve come to the conclusion that perhaps it’s time to hire some pros to do the work for us. For […]
If you want to make your next plane or car trip go by faster, I have a great way to do it for those interested in tech business. It’s a podcast with some of the most interesting business stories told in a fascinating and rivetting manner. It’s called Acquired. The show has been ranked the […]
While there are 48% more electric vehicles being sold this year than last, the lack of a broad nationwide charging network continues to be an impediment to EV ownership, especially non-Tesla brands. Industry analysts expected other brands to significantly cut into Tesla sales by now, but that has not happened for a couple of reasons: […]
Self driving car technology may be able to solve many challenging problems, but dealing with basic issues is still cause for concern. A day after San Francisco authorized self driving cars to operate for profit 24 hours/day, ten Cruise driverless taxis blocked the narrow Grant Avenue in North Beach, stopping traffic and closing roads. The […]
Amazon has scored a remarkable feat by getting scores of websites to run free ads for their products. They’re not just ordinary ads, but ads disguised as news, such a “news of the week’s best buys.” As an example, if you go to CNN’s home page, then scroll down a couple of pages, you’ll see […]
When I planned my two and a half week trip to Europe in June, I decided to put some careful thought into what kind of bags I would use, how I would pack them, and what I’d take with me. Unlike previous trips, I decided to be more organized to make it easier to unpack […]