Author Archives: Phil Baker

Luggage pack-off: My wife has long sworn by her trusty Briggs & Riley expandable soft-sided carry-on rollerboard. It’s been her travel companion for years — durable, familiar, and once considered the gold standard. I used to have the same bag until I replaced mine with a cheaper Away hard-sided model of the same size. Ever […]

If you’ve called a hotel or airline lately, chances are your first conversation wasn’t with a person. It was with a chatbot or voice bot programmed to answer questions, process simple requests, and—if you’re lucky—eventually hand you off to a human being. Hotels, airlines, banks, and even health-care providers are increasingly leaning on these digital […]

Hands-On Review: iPhone 17 Series – Hype, Reality, and a Few Concerns I spent some time with the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max this week at an Apple Store and have been following the global wave of teardowns and torture tests on YouTube. These unsanctioned dissections provide the first chance […]

Credit cards continue to promise luxury perks, travel credits, and dazzling rewards, but for many of us the real question is simpler: Which of these benefits will I actually use and how much will I really save? Marketing always highlights the maximum possible value, assuming a perfect user who follows every enrollment condition and takes advantage of […]

Amazon usually is an amazing operation that magically delivers any of its millions of products to us in a day and often in just a few hours. But after a few unusual experiences, it’s not always exactly what is portrayed. This week I was searching on Amazon on my iPhone for a costume to purchase […]

Here are a few thoughts on the new iPhones and considerations for those thinking of upgrading, based on Apple’s iPhone presentation on September 9. This was a presentation filled with oldies but goodies, borrowing from things that worked in the past: thinner, the AIr designation, machined aluminum, faster processor, more memory, All ho-hum. Apple announced […]

Two things I saw today perfectly capture the widening gap between American and Chinese innovation. One was Apple’s rollout of new iPhone 17 models and watches. The other was a short video on Instagram of a massive Chinese ship that was built by BYD just to transport more nine thousand of their new electric cars […]

If you believe the ads, you’d think U.S. airlines were in the hospitality business. Watch a TV spot or browse their websites and you’ll see smiling flight attendants, promises of more legroom, and perks designed to make us feel like honored guests. They shower us with frequent flyer programs, elite status benefits, companion tickets, and […]

Each year Apple pulls out all stops with a highly-scripted event to announce their new iPhones and try to convince us to trade up. This year’s phone event is next Tuesday at 10 am Pacific Time. You can watch it live on Apple’s Website and on some of the tech blogs. Apple named the event […]

Twelve South, a small product design company in Charleston, South Carolina, has a long track record of coming up with innovative twists on what otherwise are commodity accessory products. While their products are often made in China, their clever designs set them apart, allowing them to command a premium. It’s also is an example of […]

AI is poised to make travel smoother, faster, and more personal than ever. But the way it manages this feat is by learning everything it can about us. If you think sharing your location with Google Maps feels invasive, consider that today’s AI grabs far more data—the digital equivalent of handing over your diary, not […]

Citibank just rolled out their new Citi Strata Elite credit card, joining Chase and Amex in the premium (over $500/yr) category with a range of benefits focused on frequent travelers. While each brags that its card pays for itself twice or thrice over its cost, the true value depends on which perks you’ll actually use, […]

When is the best time to book a flight? Months in advance or a few weeks before the flight? It varies by flight, capacity, carrier, and other variables that only the airlines know. But now it doesn’t matter and something you need not be concerned about. With a new service from a company called Paiback, […]

IntroductionNote: Amex is rumored to be planning to add benefits with a higher fee for its Platinum card in respose to Chase’s Sapphire revamped Reserve card. But it appears this will not be soon. (see end of column). Since reviewing the new Chase Sapphire Reserve card a few weeks ago, let’s compare it to the […]

Hertz tries tech again; what could go wrong? Artificial intelligence has become the business world’s favorite new tool, promising cost savings, faster decisions, and even new revenue streams. But the story unfolding at the car rental company Hertz offers a cautionary look at how quickly AI can veer from helpful assistant to harmful enforcer—impacting their […]

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 […]