Author Archives: Phil Baker

How many times have you heard that Facebook couldn’t withstand another scandal or another breach of privacy? Nothing seemed to slow down its growth. After every outrage, users grew and Facebook got away with another breach of trust. That was true until suddenly it wasn’t, much to everyone’s surprise. On February 2, 2022 Facebook (now […]

Even before this past week’s events, I never considered using Spotify to listen to music. Spotify streams at the lowest audio quality among all its competitors. How low? About 1/20th the quality of streaming services such as Amazon, Apple and Qobuz. Just a couple of years ago Amazon, Apple and Spotify were all of similar […]

If we can’t travel to museums in distant lands, why not bring the art to us? That’s the premise of the multi-media presentation of the works of artist Vincent Van Gogh that’s been touring the U.S. Called “Van Gogh, The Immersive Experience.” I attended the exhibit that recently opened in Del Mar (San Diego.) Part […]

Companies have gone crazy in creating products with an app and an Internet connection. What began as a way to offer some added capabilities or new features has become an epidemic of useless gadgetry. Often there’s little thought given to whether an app or wireless connectivity provides something of value or is just an added […]

For many years I used an office-on-wheels bag from Briggs & Riley for all my business travel. I schlepped it wherever I went, through airports, on planes, to coffee shops, and hotel lobbies. It was a huge bag with compartments and dividers to hold my computer, chargers, cables, SLR camera and lenses, extra batteries, headphones, […]

Technology impacts most everything we do. It’s used to help us, exploit us, sell us and annoy us. Here are my choices for the best and the worst of technology as I remember – not too fondly – this past year, 2021. Companies Best From a customer perspective, Amazon has been one of the best […]

Apple is widely recognized for designing and producing some of the most innovative consumer hardware ever created. They’re known for their innovations in materials, manufacturing and industrial design that’s created a desirability and passion around most everything they make. But with these successes, they’ve failed to make their products environmentally responsible. As a result they’ve […]

If you have a phone with Verizon service you are likely being tracked and your personal information is being sold and shared with Verizon’s partners. I just discovered this based on an article in The Verge. According to the report by Emma Roth, “The My Verizon app might be collecting information about your browsing history, […]

If you’ve ever thought of adding security cameras to your home, now is a good time to consider it. There are a number of inexpensive products that are simple and cheap. Amazon’s Blink and Wyse offer battery powered cameras with good performance at a very low cost. I chose the Blink Outdoor camera that can be used […]

I’ve been using Apple’s new 14-inch MacBook Pro for the past two weeks, and it’s the best notebook Apple has ever produced. After five years of notebooks that were mediocre at best, the new 2021 Pro is measurably better in every way. Out of the box, it turns on instantly, it’s incredibly fast, it has […]

Most of us have been using Google as our default search engine for years. But over time, Google’s search engine has undergone major changes, some little-by-little, but significantly enough to make for a much worse user experience. The home page used to have a few sponsored ads separated from the search results with a beige […]

Tumi has come up with the perfect gift for the business traveler that has everything. It’s an International carry on made of titanium with leather accents. And it’s only $3000. But if you want to emboss the leather patch with initials you’ll need pay an additional charge of $15 per letter. Because, of course, it’s […]

Two weeks ago I asked if this time would be different when it comes to Facebook facing consequences for their behavior. A former employee claimed whistle blower status and shared internal documents that showed that Facebook was aware of the damage its product was causing and had covered much of it up. Among the worst […]

Many of us on the West Coast who’ve been isolating during the pandemic have been dreaming of finally returning to one of our favorite vacation destinations, Hawaii. But the state government has been cautious about opening up, even discouraging airlines from resuming their regular scheduled service. In fact, it’s been the only state that’s not […]

Apple has the ability to wow and impress with its products beyond most any other company. Granted they do it with some impressive technology, but they also manage to impress when they both remove features and introduce new ones that competitors already have. It’s not a criticism, just an observation.  They do so many things […]

AT&T is in Hot Water It was revealed this week that AT&T executives played a key role in the founding of the far-right conspiracy television channel One America News (OAN). An investigative report from Reuters claims AT&T was involved in the idea for the network, its creation, and provides the network most of its revenue through a […]

Facebook is on the defensive once again with new revelations backed up by Facebook’s own documents. Will this time be different? Past revelations, no matter how outrageous, elicited responses much like we see now: Lawmakers express outrage, call for new laws and new hearings, and threaten Facebook. But then nothing happens. Yes, I do think […]

Developing products has always been a passion of mine, and I’ve written two books about the subject: “From Concept to Consumer,” and “To Feel the Music” (co-authored with Neil Young.)  The books describe the process of beginning with an idea, and taking it all the way through development into manufacturing, marketing and selling; dealing along […]

For years, Facebook has been criticized for the damage it creates because of its basic design that uses a set of rules and algorithms to bring people of like interests together. Originally it was intended to be used for advertisers, serving up ads to their most likely customers, based on their members’ interests. So, much […]

Many are reassessing our priorities after living through the pandemic the past year and a half – everything from changing jobs to appreciating the simpler things and figuring out what’s important and what’s not. As a frequent traveler, air travel, something I did a few times each month, has lost its luster. Many trips can […]