Author Archives: Phil Baker

I’ve been using a backup external drive for about 6 months from iStorage and have found it to be the best possible solution for local backups. While I was initially put off by its price of about $300 for 500GB, two to three times the cost of other drives, there’s good reason I can recommend […]

First appeared at Techpinions.com When I first discovered Facebook I thought it was so clever and useful. The company created a new way to connect with friends and business associates, something that was less intrusive than a phone call or text and timelier than a holiday card. It enabled me to get an update from […]

If you’ve shopped around for an Apple watch, you likely know that the latest Series 3 models are not discounted and are sold at retail everywhere. But you can get a discount, essentially an effective 20% rebate from Kohl’s during the several times each month they offer Kohl’s Dollars, You will get $10 in Kohl […]

As frequent business travelers, we’re always looking for the ideal business briefcase bag. Many of us have used a wide assortment over the decades; bags and cases from companies such as Coach, Tumi, Targus, Glaser, Briggs & Riley, Samsonite, and Hartmann. Each promised to be the perfect solution, yet they never seemed to be our […]

QUANTITY −+ This inexpensive ($30) tech gadget combines a Bluetooth speaker with an LED lantern-shaped light. While at first it seemed a somewhat odd combination, it’s turns out to be surprisingly useful. Overall, it’s an attractive, lightweight package that radiates a fair amount of light over 360 degrees. But connected to my iPhone, using it’s […]

One of the often ignored issues in the tech community is how the rivalries between the major tech companies impact their customers, and it’s not always for the best. The issue hit home for me this week when I tried to add back my Gmail account to Apple Mail, the application that’s provided on every […]

Apparently, Apple’s new iPhone X is not selling as well as Apple had hoped, based on a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo reports that Apple is planning to cancel its latest model due to disappointing sales.  Now this analyst, usually one of the most informed due to his contacts with Apple’s […]

I just returned from an enjoyable eight-day trip to Todos Santos and San Jose del Cabo on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Served by Southwest, Alaska and a few other airlines, it’s a quick 2 ½ hour trip from my home in San Diego. With 5 adults and two children, 9 and 13, we carried fourteen electronic devices among […]

When I wrote this, “The Unintended Consequences of a Single Design Decision” (https://techpinions.com/the-unintended-consequences-of-a-single-design-decision/48467) on Techpinions almost a year ago, I pointed out “Shorter battery life – Making phones and notebooks as thin as possible and then making them even thinner in each subsequent generation resulted in less volume for batteries. But because the one dimension that […]

Having been in the consumer tech product development business for much of my career, I’ve seen how the industry has developed a methodology for turning an idea into a product. It generally involves using a team of experts with their various engineering specialties: industrial design, mechanical, software, electrical, quality, and manufacturing engineering. By the nature […]

I was fortunate to be part of the small team that worked with Neil Young to create his online archives featuring all of his works, It’s the first of a kind website that provides a wealth of information about Neil from his very first recording to today, including hundreds of original audio recordings for listening using a […]

100% OF THE PROFITS WILL BE DONATED TO THE NORTH BAY FIRE RELIEF FUND, WHICH GOES DIRECTLY TO FIRE VICTIMS. This is a full size 24×36 inch print of an original watercolor painting that I recently created, depicting a map of Napa Valley and hand painted wine labels from some of the most iconic wineries in […]

100% OF THE PROFITS WILL BE DONATED TO THE NORTH BAY FIRE RELIEF FUND, WHICH GOES DIRECTLY TO FIRE VICTIMS. This is a full size 24×36 inch print of an original watercolor painting that I recently created, depicting a map of Sonoma Valley and hand painted wine labels from some ot he most iconic wineries in […]

  A vast majority of those in our community can’t tolerate President Trump for his incompetency, his narcissism and his nastiness. As bad as he is, we fault many of his party’s members in Congress for tolerating him, for ignoring his outbursts and for conducting business as usual. We appeal to these members in Congress […]

  This is an update from a column written 4 years ago. With the help of the Internet, my wife Jane and I enjoyed an incredible vacation last month in Italy.  Before the Internet it would have been nearly impossible to discover this tour company, and it would have cost a fortune for the company […]

As a tourist, when you arrive at a destination, you’d like to spend as much time touring rather than spending time buying a SIM card, a transportation card and adapter when you arrive?  City Go has anticipated what you need when traveling to London and has developed an under $20 “getting started” kit that aims to kick start your […]

If you follow the latest tech news, you can’t escape the excitement and hype about the new smartphones. Fall has become the time each year when the new models are introduced, and this year we’re seeing more new models than ever. Tech reviewers are lusting over the new Pixel 2 phones from Google, the Samsung […]

Here’s a quick comparison of iPhone selling options, thanks to Flipsy.com where you can learn more: Carrier trade-ins ————————- Pros – Convenient, since you can trade in your old phone when you buy a new iPhone – Carriers are offering iPhone X discounts for qualified trade-ins Cons – Carriers pay less than the private market and […]

It was just reported that sales of the recently released Apple’s iPhone 8 have been abysmal. Apple doesn’t release numbers, but analysts say that Apple has cut production by half, that workers at their factories in China are being laid off in droves, and more people are buying the older iPhone 7 than the 8. […]

I had the opportunity to listen to an unusual new speaker, designed to expand the sound field to provide a three-dimensional audio experience. The Yarra 3DX speaker was developed by a San Diego company, Comhear, based on technology that originated at the University of California at San Diego. The speaker, or more precisely a speaker […]