Baker On Tech

A recent investigation exposed how LG smart TVs can secretly monitor user activity. The report revealed that the TVs can record and store audio even when powered off, track every piece of content on the screen, and be used as covert surveillance tools. Yet, our living room television is only the tip of the iceberg in an all-encompassing surveillance web that’s quickly expanding.

The three-year lease on my Lexus RZ EV is coming to an end in a few months. After looking at alternatives, test-driving several cars, checking reviews, and doing plenty of research, I decided to just buy my 2023 Lexus. While I found a number of attractive EV options—mainly from Toyota and Hyundai—none matched the combination of price and luxury I’ve been enjoying. Considering my car has only 15,000 miles, it’s nearly as good as new.

I’ve been watching the reaction to Apple’s new foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, announced this past Wednesday, and I keep noticing the same pattern from the tech journalists. Reviewer after reviewer runs through the specs, discusses the pluses and the minuses, and arrive at much the same conclusion: an interesting new phone, late to the game, and a tough sell at $1,999.

Apple Maps has joined Google Maps in renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” for users in the United States. Google made the change first, and Apple quickly followed suit, after President Trump ordered federal agencies to use the new name because he became irritated at Canada for not agreeing to a new tariff agreement. Apple and Google didn’t have to make this change, but they chose to do so to please Trump. MapQuest, another mapping app has shown more spine and continues to use the traditional name.

Tim Cook just stepped down as CEO at Apple and one of his last acts was to give us ads on Apple Maps. With all of its flaws, Apple Maps was one of the few places on the internet where we weren’t constantly fed advertising. Apple will now begin adding advertising to Apple Maps in the United States and Canada, inserting sponsored businesses into our search results for restaurants, stores and other destinations.

Frequent travelers like me can become surprisingly obsessed with the luggage they buy. The carry-on rollerboard, in particular, is our constant companion, traveling alongside us everywhere we go, sometimes tens of thousands of miles from home. It carries and protects our necessities and is rarely out of our site. Becoming separated could ruin our trip. We want a suitcase that’s easy to pack, fits more than it’s designed to hold, pulls smoothly and can take plenty of abuse.

Many of us grew up when smoking was cool, until it wasn’t. Despite an increasing number of medical reports connecting smoking with cancer, Big Tobacco insisted that cigarettes were safe. Tobacco companies put hundreds of million dollars into advertising schemes that claimed the evidence wasn’t strong enough to justify changing the way it did business.

Renewal time for my Chase Sapphire card arrived this month and after having accesss to the new benefits for nine of those months, I decided to renew. While I probably only benefited from about half of their perks, an unexpected expense – a new roof – put me over the $75K spending tier that added some additional benefits from Southwest: a $500 credit, a companion pass, and A-list membership. All told, the benefits totaled about $800 more than the card’s cost.

For frequent travelers, public Wi-Fi has become almost as routine as checking into a hotel. You arrive, open your laptop or phone, select the hotel network and accept the terms. A few seconds later, you’re online. That convenience is exactly what scammers are exploiting. A hacking campaign reportedly linked to Russian attackers, known as CaptiveCrunch, has targeted Wi-Fi systems at hotels and conference centers. The concern isn’t simply that someone might be snooping on an unsecured network.

A few weeks ago, I decided to upgrade my Lexus EV with a feature found on the top model, door puddle lights that project the car’s logo when you exit the door. The light module contains a tiny LED projector that casts a crisp, illuminated Lexus logo onto the pavement. Yes, it’s near useless and gimmicky, not something I need, but well, why not, especially if it was so inexpensive and simple to install. Lexus dealers charges about $175 a pair for what looks identical.