Lyft and Verizon partner to give drivers a discount on their phone bill
Lyft, the peer-to-peer service for a more efficient way to travel, has partnered with Verizon to give their drivers discounts on their monthly phone bills. This is a great feature if you are a driver and have cellular service through Verizon, but you are out of luck if you are on any other provider. Verizon will now pre-load the Lyft app onto Android phones sold through the carrier. The discount starts next month and is available through the Accelerate rewards program.
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Google said ready to give Android users more privacy controls
According to Bloomberg Business, which received information from people who asked not to be identified because of confidentiality, Google plans to give Android users more control over what type of information applications can access. It speculates that this could include photos, contacts, or location-based apps, which would make Android more similar to Apple’s iOS.
Last year, Google made it easier for users to know what permissions apps requested upon attempting to download or update them. If they did not like the permissions, then they could easily cancel the process. Soon, these new settings would let individuals choose what accesses an app can have.
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How to Add and Organize Glances on Apple Watch [iOS Blog]
The Glances feature of Apple Watch allows you to see an overview of content from specific apps. It is a great way to get a quick update on the day’s content without having to open an app, either on your iPhone or on Apple Watch.
For those interested in learning the basics of the Glances feature, today we are going to show you how to add, remove, and organize Glances on Apple Watch so you can customize your content for a more personalized experience.
Viewing Glances
- Press the Digital Crown to navigate to the watch face on Apple Watch if necessary.
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
- Swipe left or right to view all of your Glances.
There are several default Glances that will be immediately available on your Apple Watch right out of the box. These include a Control Center for pinging the iPhone and controlling features like Airplane Mode/Do Not Disturb, a battery Glance that offers up current battery life plus an option for Power Reserve mode, and Glances for Weather, Calendar events, current heart rate, activity level, world clock, and stocks.
You can’t interact with Glances (there are no special Force Press options here) but tapping on many of the Glances with accompanying apps will open up the app. For example, tapping the Weather Glance will open up the full Weather app. You can add additional Glances through third-party apps and control which Glances are displayed and in which order, as outlined below.
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How to set up a VPN on Android
There are a myriad of reasons as to why you might want to setup a VPN on your Android-powered smartphone or tablet. Some of those reasons are for security purposes and others are to simply get your local network or ISP to stop being a nuisance. After all, who wouldn’t want ISP’s to stop throttling them on certain websites, such as BitTorrent, even if the file you are downloading is completely legal.
We’re going to be reviewing what a VPN is, why you want to use one, how to set one up, and the best VPN apps to use on your device. Be sure to read on to find out more and finally have a truly private Internet connection.
What is a VPN?
A VPN may sound more technical than your used to, but it really isn’t. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) simply allows you to secure your connection while on a private network. More technically, upon connecting to a VPN, you’re being routed through servers across the world, masking your IP to keep it away from prying eyes, such as your ISP.
For instance, your ISP collects all of your browsing history data, and some ISPs even throttle a lot of services, such as BitTorrent and Netflix. You might be familiar with Comcast doing this extensively. We’re not advocating piracy, as the file you could be downloading off of BitTorrent could be entirely legal. In connecting to a VPN while downloading from BitTorrent and streaming through Netflix, you might find the speeds to be faster, as it stops the ISP from throttling the connection and collecting that data. As I mentioned earlier, it secures all of your data.
Another great example is websites that are geo-blocked. Some websites, such as Netflix UK, are only free to access if your IP is in a certain country. For instance, if your IP is based out of the U.S., you cannot access the U.K.’s version of Netflix. Running a VPN and masking your VPN in another country makes this possible.
Why you should use a VPN
In our digital age, it can be a real concern of hooking up to public networks at the Airport or at your local coffee shop, especially with incidents like these becoming more common. In cities that are highly populated, like New York, using your banking information on a public network is essentially the same thing as standing in the middle of a crowd, and announcing your username, log-in, and social security number to everyone.
Setting up your VPN right after you hit a public network will keep your most personal information secure, where it would normally be open for anyone with knowledge to see.
Best VPN apps to use
There are a lot of VPN apps out there. Some are free and others are subscription based. However, I feel like there are three specific top-of-the-line ones that are worth looking at here.
Tunnelbear
My all time favorite VPN app to use is Tunnelbear, as it’s quick and easy to setup. It’s ease of use is remarkably impressive. However, for the most part, it is a service that you have to pay for, but it is certainly worth the $4.99 per month. There’s also an option to pay for it on a yearly basis for a flat rate of $49.99. There is always the option of taking it for a test run, as the company does give you 500MB of data on a monthly basis for free.
Like most VPN apps you can choose where your Virtual Private Network is located so that you can access those websites that are geographically blocked, such as Netflix UK, and etc.
You can download it here.
Hideman VPN
Hideman VPN is another favorite, although it’s not as straight forward as Tunnelbear is. That’s not to say it’s hard to set up either, the design and layout is just different, and thus there are more menus to wade through. It does the same thing as most VPN apps, such as encrypt your data, hide your IP, etc. You really do not want a free solution, and I’ll explain why soon.
Much like Tunnelbear, Hideman isn’t free either. There services do cost money, but not nearly as much as Tunnelbear. A year subscription will only run you about $25.
You can download it here
Hola VPN
Finally, we have Hola VPN. This particular VPN app is unique in that it is entirely free and has it’s own built-in browser. However, it doesn’t matter what connection you’re on, it runs extremely slow.
As I mentioned earlier, you need to watch out for free VPNs, but this is one of the few that will do you well, as it handles the data management and security much differently than other free solutions out there. It takes advantage of idle resources, such as data when you’re not using your phone, and shares it with its users. In layman’s terms, everyone’s extra broadband data is thrown into a pool to be shared with users so that Hola doesn’t have to charge you for a data subscription.
It’s an interesting way to handle to handle data management that not many other free VPNs do.
You can download it here.
Setting up a VPN
Setting up a Virtual Private Network on your mobile device is ridiculously easy. In this case, I’m using my personal preference, Tunnelbear. It’s really just the option of selecting your choice of country, and then tapping connect, although you may have to enter payment information if you’re using a subscription-based service.
However, some smartphones have their own integrated Virtual Private Networks where you don’t need to hunt down a decent VPN app. Just head on over to Settings > Wireless and Networks > Other. If your smartphone has it, select the VPN option under Other, type in your desired username and password, and then simply tap connect! Your VPN should be ready to use now.
The idea of setting up a VPN can sound intimidating, if it has never been in your technical realm. However, if you’re able to navigate applications like Facebook and Twitter, setting up a VPN is just as easy.
Final words
One thing you need to keep in mind before going forth with your new Virtual Private Network is that VPNs can slow your connection down. You won’t be likely to notice it on a broadband connection, but you’ll definitely be able to see the change if you’re using a VPN over a cellular network.
Another thing to keep in mind–not all free solutions are good solutions. Some free VPNs have a little bit of security, but not nearly enough. They’re alright for doing your usual browsing on the web, but I certainly wouldn’t trust them with bank account information and other personal accounts. Just be sure to carefully research what you use and connect to.
If you have any questions or need further help setting up a VPN, post a comment below or we’d be more than happy to help you over on our forums.
Come comment on this article: How to set up a VPN on Android
Touchscreen Issues on Your OnePlus One? OnePlus Acknowledges You
Since the debut of its One phone, OnePlus has encouraged us to “Never Settle,” which is good, because over the past few months a number of customers have reported that the touchscreen on the OnePlus One ceases to function, and they refuse to settle for a phone that does not work as promised.
Initially, OnePlus said the touchscreen problem was a software issue, but an update back in February did not resolve the touchscreen problem for a number of consumers. Now, having worked in tandem with Synaptics, OnePlus’ touchscreen provider, the Chinese startup says that they “hear you” and will strive to “stand behind [their] products.”
Afflicted users can expect a firmware update shortly that should iron out all touchscreen issues, or so OnePlus promises. Many users still feel this is a hardware issue, not a software one, so it remains to be seen whether OnePlus can leap this difficult hurdle or if it will have to eat its own words and settle for the fact that it shipped bunk phones.
As I often like to do, I’m curious how many of you have a One, what your experience has been with it overall, and if you’ve had any screen issues. Leave your comments below.
Source: OnePlus
Come comment on this article: Touchscreen Issues on Your OnePlus One? OnePlus Acknowledges You
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