Opera Desktop Browser for Mac Officially Launches With Built-In VPN
Norway-based company Opera Software has brought its VPN feature to the masses with the release of Opera 40 desktop browser for Mac.
For those unfamiliar with the technology, a VPN creates an encrypted tunnel from the user’s computer to the VPN server, which hides browsing activity from other users on the local network and enhances security and privacy online. It shields a user’s real IP address, allowing them to bypass firewalls, block tracking cookies, and access geo-restricted content regardless of their true location.
“If people knew how the internet truly works, I believe they all would use a VPN,” said Krystian Kolondra, SVP of Opera browser for desktops, in a blog post. “By making our browser VPN free and easy to use, we hope to make it an essential tool, just as the lock and key is to your house.”
We know that people are concerned about their privacy online and that the interest for VPN is increasing. However, two major obstacles are blocking people from using it: VPNs are too complicated to use, and they require a monthly subscription. Opera resolves both issues by introducing its free and easy-to-use service right into the browser.
Opera’s VPN supports AES-256 encryption and auto-selects the best server to route users’ traffic through, based on speed, latency, and traffic congestion. Currently the service has server locations in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Singapore, and the Netherlands.
VPNs typically come in the form of separate plug-ins or client apps, making Opera one the first major browsers to include one as standard. The feature comes after the company’s acquisition of U.S. VPN company SurfEasy last March. Opera has been testing the VPN in developer betas since April, and says that neither it nor SurfEasy logs any information about a user’s browsing history.
Opera 40 also includes an automatic battery saving feature, Chromecast support, video pop-outs, a newsreader with RSS support, built-in ad-blocking, and an overhauled browser engine.
The Norwegian firm is on the verge of a $600 million deal with a Chinese consortium which will transfer ownership of its apps to a group that includes anti-virus company Qihoo 360.
Users can download Opera 40 browser from the company’s website.
Tags: Opera browser, VPN
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iPhone 7 Plus Availability Improving Through Apple’s Upgrade Program
A spot check of Apple’s reservation system for iPhone Upgrade Program members reveals iPhone 7 Plus availability is slowly improving in the United States.
iPhone 7 Plus models in select storage capacities and colors, sans Jet Black models, are available for reservation at select Apple retail stores in California, Florida, New York, and some other states as of the time this article was published. iPhone 7 models continue to be more widely available.
Apple Century City in Los Angeles, for example, currently has 128GB iPhone 7 Plus models for AT&T and Verizon in Rose Gold available for reservation at 4:00 p.m. local time. Similarly, Apple Williamsburg in Brooklyn has 128GB iPhone 7 Plus models for AT&T and Verizon in Black, Gold, Rose Gold, and Silver.
iPhone 7 Plus reservations are available at six other Apple stores in New York City, including its Grand Central, SoHo, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, West 14th Street, and World Trade Center locations. Each location has iPhone 7 Plus models for all four major U.S. carriers, aside from T-Mobile models at Apple SoHo.
iPhone 7 Plus reservations in Florida are available at Aventura Mall in Aventura, St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, and International Plaza in Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere, customers can reserve the 5.5-inch model at Highland Village in Houston, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Pasadena, Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, West County Center in St. Louis, Woodland in Grand Rapids, Fayette Mall in Lexington, Jordan Creek in West Des Moines, and some other stores.
iPhone 7 Plus stock both in stores and online has been limited compared to iPhone 7 since last Friday’s launch. New data suggests the 5.5-inch model has outsold the 4.7-inch version for the first time ever, likely fueled by exclusive features such as dual cameras, longer battery life, and 3GB of RAM.
Yesterday, it was reported that some Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus pre-orders will be delivered sooner than expected as shipping estimates improve.
Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tags: iPhone Upgrade Program, Apple retail
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US government outlines its policy on self-driving cars
It’s not out of the realm of possibility for fully self-driving cars to hit public roads in the next few years, what with Google, Tesla, Uber and other big-name companies working on the technology. Now, the US government has officially thrown its weight behind the technology and released a Federal Automated Vehicles policy. In it, the Department of Transportation outlines a set of 15 safety assessment objectives manufacturers have to meet to ensure their vehicles can meet regulators’ requirements. It also clarifies the division of state and federal responsibilities, as well as the regulatory tools the DOT plans to use. According to the department, the policy is “rooted in [its] view that automated vehicles hold enormous potential benefits for safety, mobility and sustainability.”
The policy’s 15-point safety assessment includes guidelines on how companies should validate their self-driving systems, how their vehicles should record and share data and how AVs should act after a crash. It also has guidelines covering the system’s user interface and its ability to protect a user’s privacy. You can see a short description of each guideline in the DOT’s document, but the the department is slated to release a longer, more detailed version on Tuesday.
As for the division of responsibilities between authorities, the policy states that feds will be in charge of setting safety standards, investigating and managing recalls, as well as enforcing compliance with safety standards. State authorities, on the other hand, will be in charge of licensing human drivers and registering AVs, enforcing traffic laws and conducting safety inspections. In short, as the DOT told Vox, the feds are in charge when the software is driving, but state authorities are when the human driver is the one steering the wheel.
DOT secretary Anthony Foxx is hoping that the points the agency tackled in the policy will help it “avoid a patchwork of state laws.” The POTUS also championed self-driving vehicles by publishing an op-ed piece for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the same time the policy was released, wherein he talked about their potential to save lives:
“Right now, too many people die on our roads – 35,200 last year alone – with 94 percent of those the result of human error or choice. Automated vehicles have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives each year. And right now, for too many senior citizens and Americans with disabilities, driving isn’t an option. Automated vehicles could change their lives.
Safer, more accessible driving. Less congested, less polluted roads. That’s what harnessing technology for good can look like. But we have to get it right. Americans deserve to know they’ll be safe today even as we develop and deploy the technologies of tomorrow.
That’s why my administration is rolling out new rules of the road for automated vehicles – guidance that the manufacturers developing self-driving cars should follow to keep us safe. And we’re asking them to sign a 15-point safety checklist showing not just the government, but every interested American, how they’re doing it.”
Via: The New York Times
Source: Department of Transportation (PDF)
Adult Swim streams ‘Space Ghost’ episodes for free
Over the weekend, one of the people behind Adult Swim’s Space Ghost Coast to Coast cartoon passed away, and the network has decided to honor his memory by making episodes of the show available for free. C. Martin Croker voiced two characters on the show, Zorak and Moltar, as well as serving as an animator on the show and other projects. Like many shows of its era, viewing the old episodes is difficult since the DVD releases are now out of print. Adult Swim says it has posted every episode “that we could get our hands on,” and you can watch them here with no log-in required.
In memory of our friend C. Martin Croker, @adultswim is putting every episode of SGC2C up on https://t.co/tSHbtM7czW, available w/o login.
— SPACE KNIGHT DEMARCO (@Clarknova1) September 19, 2016
RIP C. Martin Croker pic.twitter.com/Ol6RNHhs60
— [adult swim] (@adultswim) September 18, 2016
Via: AV Club
Source: Adult Swim
The all-electric Chevy Bolt costs $30,000
Chevy has hemmed and hawed over the ins and outs of its Bolt electric vehicle’s pricing, but now we have some specifics. Driving one off the lot with the “well equipped” LT trim package comes with a rear camera, 10.2-inch touch screen and a Regen-on-Demand paddle will set you back $37,495 according to the automaker.
There’s a higher-end “Premier” model with leather interior, heated seats, surround camera and a backup camera display in the rearview mirror, but GM hasn’t said how much that’ll cost yet. The company is banking on the $7,500 federal tax credit making the LT’s standard price more attractive, bringing it down to a cool $29,995. For those keeping track at home, that’s just over $5,000 cheaper than the Tesla Model 3.
Use this incense trick to get rarer Pokemon in Pokemon Go – CNET
Typically in Pokemon Go if you use the incense power up, you just end up with boring Pidgeys, Weedles and Rattatas flocking to you. While these common Pokemon have their uses, no doubt you wish something a little more exciting — and rare — would pop up when you’re using your precious incense. There may be a way.
The theory
Rumors have circulated on Pokemon Go forum threads saying if you use an incense when you’re in the middle of nowhere, rarer Pokemon will be attracted to you. The theory is, since there are no nearby Pokemon in rural areas, the servers will randomly select pocket monsters to pop up for that sweet, sweet incense. Sometimes these random Pokemon are just the ones you’re looking for.
The test
Intrigued, I gave the theory a try. I went to a rural area where there were no PokeStops, no gyms and no nearby roads. All that showed up on my map was green grass. No Pokemon were listed on my Sightings tracker, either. The time was right: I used my incense and waited.
Sometimes being in the middle of nowhere can be helpful, at least when you’re hunting Pokemon.
Screenshot by Alina Bradford/CNET
Now, for this to work you’ll need to have a good mobile provider that gives you data service in secluded rural areas. Since even the best carriers have data dead zones, you may need to experiment to find a good spot before activating your incense.
The results
I did get several Rattatas and a Pidgey, like normal, but then I got a surprise. A weird, brain-like Tangela appeared, a Pokemon that I didn’t yet have in my Pokedex. These are pretty rare where I live, so I considered this test a personal win.
A wild Tangela appears!
Screenshot by Alina Bradford/CNET
I repeated the test several more times, and it tends to always bring me a Pokemon that I don’t have in my Pokedex. It works OK when you sit still, but it works better if you walk around while the incense is active.
IbexPvP also tried this trick and posted the results to YouTube:
How to use MacOS Sierra’s picture-in-picture feature – CNET
Apple’s new desktop software, MacOS Sierra, offers a way to watch a video while you continue to go about your business on your Mac — and it’s substantially better than attempting to resize a browser window just so. With Sierra’s new picture-in-picture (PIP) feature, you can pop out a video from Safari or iTunes to a floating player so you keep an eye on it while you busy yourself elsewhere on your desktop.
Here’s how MacOS Sierra’s PIP feature works and its current limitations.
Safari or iTunes only
You need to use Safari or iTunes in order to use PIP, and only certain video players in Safari support it. Vimeo, for example, supports PIP. When you are playing a video in Vimeo, just click the button on the video player that sits between the AirPlay and full-screen buttons. The video will pop out of Vimeo and play in a PIP window in one of the four corners of your Mac desktop. You’ll see the same PIP button when playing videos in iTunes.
Matt Elliott/CNET
Other sites don’t support Sierra’s PIP player, including Facebook, Twitter and Netflix, though perhaps these sites and others will add support in the future.
YouTube workaround
YouTube’s video player doesn’t offer the PIP button, but there is a way to pop out YouTube videos to the PIP player. Right-click twice on a video in YouTube and choose Enter Picture-in-Picture from the menu.
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
PIP player
Sierra’s PIP player can be resized and positioned in any of the four corners of your Mac. It stays on top of other windows, including full-screen apps.
When you mouse over the PIP window, three buttons appear: play/pause, close and a button to pop the video back from whence it came, either Safari or iTunes.
The PIP player lacks fast-forward and rewind buttons as well as a slider to scrub the video. You need to return to the video’s tab in Safari or page in iTunes for such controls. You also need to keep the tab open in Safari or iTunes open in order for the video to continue playing in the PIP window.
7 iOS Message apps you should try right now – CNET
Don’t look now, but Messages just became the hub of your iPhone. Thanks to changes in iOS 10, you can now use the app to send money, play games, trade stickers, find and discuss dining and entertainment, manage travel and much more.
Oh, yeah: It still does messaging, too.
Make no mistake, many apps for Messages are kind of pointless. Personally, I don’t see any reason to clutter up a conversation with, say, a game of Words with Friends — not when there’s already a perfectly good app you’re already using.
But there are some decidedly fun and practical apps you’ll definitely want to check out. Here are seven of my favorites so far — all of them freebies!
Rick Broida/CNET
1. Chatterbird
Messages now lets you doodle and send animations — but where are the sound effects? Right here in Chatterbird, which lets you choose from a variety of cutesy sounds (farts and all). Just tap one to hear it, or long-tap to add it to your outgoing message.
You can also tap a red “record” button to capture audio of yourself, then apply various filters — think Instagram for your voice — such as robot, Darth Vader, background sound effects (jungle noises, anyone?) and so on. If nothing else, it’s a great way to annoy your friends.
2. Circle Pay and Venmo
“You owe me $10 for lunch.”
You just paid DaveJ $10.
That’s about how long it takes to send someone money using Messages and a peer-to-peer payment app such as Circle Pay or Venmo. Like their standalone counterparts, these apps let you swap money with just a few taps — no fees, no hassles. Circle Pay is particularly nice in that it allows you to add a debit or credit card to your account just by snapping a photo of it. It also supports international payments, allowing you to send money in not just dollars, but also euros and pounds. (It works with Bitcoin, too.)
3. Do With Me
A shared to-do list can be a powerful thing. It might be household chores for your family, a grocery list you share with your spouse, or even a batch of assignments for your employees or coworkers. Whatever the case, Do With Me makes it easy to set up and share those kinds of lists.
I suspect this is something better-suited to short and/or last-minute items, such as “things to grab at the store on the way home from work” or “final party-prep tasks.” Lists likely to take days or longer to complete should probably hang in another app. But for the quick-and-dirty stuff, Do With Me does the job.
4. Doodle and I’m In
Do With Me handles the to-do lists; apps such as Doodle and I’m In handle the scheduling. Specifically, they make it much easier to pin down a date with a group of people. You know the kind: “Are you free on the 27th? What about the 29th?” That kind of thing is virtually impossible via group text (or email, for that matter), which is where Doodle and I’m In come in.
All you do is set up an event, select two or more viable dates, then send the message to the participants. Everyone taps to indicate their availability and, presto, consensus is achieved. Use this to plan your next date, group hang, business meeting or whatever. This is arguably the best reason yet to have apps in Messages.
5. iTranslate
Hola, amigo! Now you can converse with anyone anywhere, even if they speak a different language. With iTranslate, you simply choose your preferred language (from Afrikaans to Zulu, with dozens of options in between), type your message as usual, then tap the green arrow.
The translation will appear in a Messages bubble, where you can add a comment or tap the blue arrow to send it. Language barrier: crushed!
Interestingly, this capability already existed in the form of third-party keyboards, such as Translate Keyboard Pro, but this app version not only bypasses the hassle of switching keyboards, it also offers one important advantage: support for voice recognition.
6. JibJab
Put your face on an animated snow angel. A dancing roller-skater. A strawberry jumping atop a stack of pancakes.
Yep, that’s JibJab, which has been doing these kinds of face-transplants for as long as I can remember. Except now you can embed these frequently hilarious (and occasionally disturbing) animations in your messages.
7. Truth Truth Lie
Utterly pointless — and utterly hilarious — Truth Truth Lie is the Messages version of the classic party game Two Lies and a Truth. Except here the numbers are inverted.
You record three short videos of yourself. The first two are truths; the third is a lie. The app sends that video to your friend, who must guess which one is a lie. It’s stupid fun that’s especially great with new (or drunk) acquaintances. Just be forewarned that you’re sending data-hungry video, so TTL is best played when you’re connected to Wi-Fi.
How to sync files via iCloud Drive with MacOS Sierra – CNET
Apple’s new desktop software, MacOS Sierra, takes the two folders you likely use the most — Desktop and Documents — and syncs them with iCloud Drive. That means any files you have stored in either spot are accessible from your other iCloud Drive-enabled devices, including your iPhone, iPad, other Macs and even Windows PCs.
After you install MacOS Sierra, one of the setup screens will ask you if you want all your files in iCloud. That might be overstating it slightly, because the fine print states that all your files on your Desktop and in your Documents folder will be automatically uploaded to to iCloud Drive.
Setting up iCloud Drive sync
If you missed the iCloud setup screen, don’t worry — you can enable these two folders to sync via iCloud Drive after you’ve installed MacOS Sierra.
To sync the Desktop and Document folders, open System Preferences and click iCloud. Next, click the Options button for iCloud Drive and make sure the box is checked for Desktop & Documents Folders.
Enlarge Image
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET
Using iCloud Drive sync
With your Desktop and Documents folders synced via iCloud Drive, you can access files in these folders from iOS devices using the iCloud Drive app. Just look for the new Desktop and Documents folders in the app.
On other Macs, open Finder and click iCloud Drive on the left panel. You’ll see the Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive alongside any other folders files you have stored there.
On PCs, you can access your synced files from iCloud.com or the iCloud for Windows app.
MacOS Sierra’s universal clipboard is awesome – CNET
MacOS Sierra understands you have multiple devices and the occasional need to share data across them. Apple’s desktop software now lets you easily share files via iCloud Drive, but for bits of text or even a photo or video, you can now use the universal clipboard to copy something on one device and paste it using another.
Sierra’s universal clipboard requires no setup, but your devices need to be running MacOS Sierra or iOS 10. In addition, your Mac need to be a MacBook from 2012 or later, since those support Apple’s Continuity feature. Here are the Macs compatible with the universal clipboard:
- MacBook Air (mid-2012 and later)
- MacBook Pro (mid-2012 and later)
- MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, early 2015)
- iMac (late 2012 and later)
- Mac mini (late 2012 and later)
- Mac Pro (late 2013)
If your devices meet the above specs, you’re set. Now try copying something on your iPhone or iPad and pasting it on your Mac.
Universal clipboard uses iCloud, so you may experience lag if you copy from one device and immediately attempt to paste on another. Also, Sierra’s universal clipboard is not a clipboard manager; it only lets you paste the last item copied.
AIVAnet 