Articles by Jeff Kagan

Every business owner and executive must think long and hard about cybersecurity -- especially considering all the break-ins and data thefts during the last several years. Data breaches and security issues are in the headlines on a regular basis. One good source for getting a grip on some possible solutions to the problem is AT&T's new report, "Wha...

Apple, you insensitive scoundrel, you made my bride cry. It wasn't tears of joy over your great technology, either. It was because you caused the loss of countless personal photos and memories, and all sorts of other personal information that we can never get back again. It's all because you simply didn't warn users not to upgrade to iOS 9 until t...

The idea of intelligent personal assistants or voice assistants like Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana and Google Now seems very cool -- talking to a computer and having it talk back. It should be like talking to the computer on Star Trek's starship Enterprise. If the technology worked well, these digital assistants could be game-changing. Unfortunately, it doesn't -- not yet, anyway...

Shame on you Microsoft! Last week you admitted to downloading gigabits of Windows 10 data to users' hard drives without permission. The problem is, that move both took up our hard drive space and triggered Internet Service Provider fees. You did it without even asking our permission. Hey, Microsoft, who the hell do you think you are? The simple sol...

Thank you to John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile, for declaring war on wireless data hogs. Putting this burning issue on the front page is great. Everyone should know the problems caused by wireless data thieves. The reason is simple. Data hogs are threatening to spoil things for everyone. Yes, that means for you and your business. Data hogs threaten T-M...

Autumn is coming, and it's time for county fair fun with candy apples, fried dough and the midway. You remember the game whac-a-mole? As the moles popped up through holes on the table, it was your job to whack them before they disappeared. Now, every time another Windows 10 reminder pops up on my screen, all I want to do is grab a mallet and start whacking!...

Why do my GE washer and dryer sound as loud as a hurricane? As I sit here at the beach, on the balcony, on a beautiful, sunny, warm and peaceful morning watching the sun rise over the sparkling Atlantic Ocean, something is terribly wrong. What? I can't hear you. Could you speak louder? Sorry, the new washer and dryer we recently bought are roaring...

It appears both AT&T Mobility and Sprint deserve congratulations on their great performances, based on two just-released studies on the wireless wars. J.D. Power and RootMetrics revealed some interesting and surprising new information on this changing marketplace. For the fifth time, AT&T won first place with J.D. Power. For its part, Sprint showe...

Earlier this week I planned to focus this column on saying farewell to Google+. Then Google suddenly announced something much bigger. It is splitting itself into several different companies under one master brand called "Alphabet." Splitting up is what Google has needed to do for several years. The idea of creating a master brand makes enormous se...

AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV is more than a merger -- it is a transformational event that could change the entire television space. It has the potential to create such intense competition that it very well could transform the entire television space -- meaning cable TV, satellite TV and IPTV -- and blend it with wireless. It means more choice and...

AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV is more than a merger -- it is a transformational event that could change the entire television space. It has the potential to create such intense competition that it very well could transform the entire television space -- meaning cable TV, satellite TV and IPTV -- and blend it with wireless. It means more choice and...

AT&T's acquisition of DirecTV is more than a merger -- it is a transformational event that could change the entire television space. It has the potential to create such intense competition that it very well could transform the entire television space -- meaning cable TV, satellite TV and IPTV -- and blend it with wireless. It means more choice and...

We have just seen quarterly earnings reports from AT&T and Verizon, and they continue to grow at a healthy pace. Sprint and T-Mobile also have started to grow once again. However, the larger wireless marketplace is splitting into smaller segments. Understanding this is one of many keys to success for any wireless carrier going forward. The larger ...

Jet launched this week, and it could be part of a growing trend. Many people love the club retail shopping idea of Costco, BJ's and Sam's Club. Jet is a new e-commerce player offering a similar shopping experience. Will the online model be successful? The retail shopping club is one of America's success stories. Customers pay an annual fee to bec...

Comcast -- and in fact, the entire cable television industry -- is going through a time of incredible change. Cable companies used to grow year after year because there was no competition. However, today they are losing market share, so to help plug the hole, Comcast just introduced Stream. Will it work? Stream is a new subscription streaming servi...

Sprint's Direct 2 You program seems to be another home run in its recovery-and-expansion effort. It follows the success of Sprint's Cut Your Bill in Half plan over the last few months. Sprint seems to be getting the wind back in its sails. Direct 2 You started out in Kansas City, Miami and Chicago. It is now in 28 cities and expanding rapidly. Spr...

Not all innovation is good. Let me illustrate with a few examples of how poor innovation can harm a company. Bad innovation can quickly cut down a brand that took years to build Generally speaking, innovation is good. Without innovation, we would still be driving a Model T and getting blocks of ice delivered to keep our refrigerator cool while sitt...

Recently I had a problem with a purchase, which led me to ask an important question: Will PayPal become the next BlackBerry or Nokia? PayPal must update, or it will lose to new competitors like Apple Pay, Google Wallet, CurrentC and Square, whose intention is to reinvent the e-commerce and mobile payment space A recent purchase exposed one of the w...

There seem to be two distinct sectors forming in the wireless industry. One side is wireless as part of a bundle of services. The other is wireless as a standalone product. This is not a case of one side being a winner and the other a loser -- they're just different. That means how we measure and track companies on both sides may have to change. G...

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, started out being a very low-quality and clunky way to make free calls using an Internet-connected computer. As it has evolved, most of its growth has been on the consumer side, but that is now slowing. Growth is starting to come from the business side. So, what will the VoIP industry look like going forward? ...