General
Amazon Music Unlimited expands to 28 more countries. So what?
Amazon Music Unlimited is (in my opinion) just another streaming music service, but since it's Amazon, it's worth mentioning. It is expanding to 28 additional countries, so the world a little more inclusive today. Similar to another (nameless) streaming service, Amazon Music Unlimited stresses the fact that its playlists are "human curated". The requisite PR created launch statement can be found here. “Customers can choose from content hand-curated by Amazon Music experts, build their own playlists, or find new favorites through Amazon’s personalized recommendations either on the Amazon Music app or Web Player.
Google's Chrome Remote Desktop has been refreshed and is still free
Chrome Remote Desktop has been around for years and has always been a free and reliable alternative to products like TeamViewer, GoToMyPC, and many more. Not only was (and is) it a free service but even the most non-technical user could get it setup and running in a matter of minutes: download the Chrome extension, install a mini app, set up a local password and voila. Long live Progressive Web Apps I will write about Progressive Web Apps in a future article but I am in love with them.
AI.Type Android Keyboard leaks data from 31M users
ZDNet got the scoop on this significant leak. AI.type, a third-party keyboard replacement for Android has leaked data for its 31 million users online. How did this happen? A database administrator didn't secure the database. Anyone with basic skills could access and query the unprotected database and "have fun" with the 577 GB of data it contained. What type of data leaked? The leak includes fun elements like name, email address, precise user geolocation data, city and country. Researchers have also found [that some records contain] phone numbers, IP addresses dates of birth, gender, etc.
3 writing tips when using Google Apps
Google apps have hundreds of features (some from Google, some from third parties) most users don't know about. In this short article, I want to share four tips that will make your life writing in Google apps easier (useful for students and professionals alike). Voice Typing Over the years, I have spent hundreds of dollars on voice typing apps for Mac and Windows (most going to the Dragon Naturally speaking product line from Nuance software). For 85% of users, these expensive & complicated products are overkill, and Google makes it's excellent voice recognition engine available for free to all Google Docs users.
Skyroam Solis Review: a traveller's best friend?
I've been using a Skyroam hotspot for many years now and my 2 most popular blog posts (for the old device and service) are here: Skyroam Global Hotspot review The hidden danger of using the SkyRoam global WIFI Hotspot They recently upgraded their back-end service and global WIFI hotspot, and I wanted to test and review it for you. Solis is the latest version of the Global WIFI hotspot sold by Skyroam. For those new to this company, they offer a small portable global WIFI hotspot that works in 100+ countries, costs $10US a day for unlimited data and is activated on demand.
Trick to get a VPN Unlimited lifetime account for $18
I've written about the VPN Unlimited service before, you should go read the review. If you check out the VPN Unlimited purchase page, you will see that they are running a promo and selling it for $149.99. Normally StackSocial sells this same plan for $49.99 but wait ... <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/f39a0c5db6.jpg" alt=""> They are currently running a promo and have marked it down to $29.99, but wait ... <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/005bb5dc17.jpg" alt=""> If you add it to your cart and use the code CYBER40 at checkout, the price drops to $18.
Canada Promo : Buy a Google Pixelbook and a free Google Home
If you buy Google new premium Chromebook, the Pixelbook, you now receive a free Google Home. This promo is live now and runs until December 31, 2017, and is open to Canadian customers. To receive your free Google Home, all you have to do is add it to your shopping cart with the Pixelbook, and the price will be $0. Offer is available while supplies last (shouldn't be a problem) and remember that the Pixelbook is not available in Quebec (probably since they don't offer french keyboard, box and manuals.
Improve your internet security right now, easily and for free
Quad9 is a new DNS service launched by a non-profit consortium (founding members are IBM Security, Packet Clearing House & Global Cyber Alliance). The promise of the Quad9 DNS service is good security using the knowledge of some of the world's leading security research firms, by merely changing your default DNS server and ALL for free. The service is (not so creatively) called Quad9 because the DNS address is 9.9.9.9 Is the Quad9 service fast? I used the free DNS Benchmark tool by Steve Gibson with connections from Canada, the USA, the UK and Switzerland.
OnePlus 5T: The good and the bad
There are hundreds of reviews on the internet explaining the specifications and showing performance tests. I won't rehash any of that information. Instead, I will provide my personal opinion on the phone. My opinion is based on a short usage window thanks to a friend that lent me the device. This will be a short, easy to read review that can help you make a purchasing decision (if you are on the fence). The OnePlus 5T Screen The OnePlus 5T moved to an 18:9 (tall and narrow display).
How to protect your Bitcoin from theft
Bitcoin is all the rage, and everyone is talking about it. Any discussion or write up about Bitcoin usually starts with the fact that is it a decentralized digital currency. Decentralized means that no government or company controls it and it also means each participant is on his/her own when it comes to protecting their Bitcoin investment. With US fiat currency saved in a bank, you have a high level of confidence that the money will be there in a day, week, month or a year.
My history with mobile gadgets
I've been involved in technology for a long time and bought my first real personal digital assistant (PDA) in 1997. It was an Apple Computers MessagePad (Newton) 130, and it was a thing of beauty. It had handwriting recognition, an external keyboard attachment and fueled my geek dreams about what wondrous technologies the future would bring. Along the way, I owned hundreds of devices including Palm pilots, Treos, Handspring devices, Nokias and almost every other portable gadget in between. As you can imagine, I also bought the first iPhone and almost every one since (in the last ten years).
Essential now has an Android 8 Oreo beta porogram
Android 8 Oreo is the next thing for Android devices and everybody is working hard to bring it to their phones. Now Essential has implemented a special Oreo beta program for owners of its beautiful Essential Phone. Where Samsung allows you to install the Oreo beta (on the S8 and S8 Plus) via OTA update, Essential will force you to use ADB. Essential does provide clear instructions but this can be seen as a natural filter that disqualifies anyone that doesn't really understand how Android works or understand what a beta is.
OPSEC - Introduction to Malware
What is malware Malware is shorthand for Malicious Software and has been around almost from the start of computing. Its main purpose is to harm the computer or the user. Malware has been known to steal login credentials, monitor the user, tamper with information (breaking integrity), steal information or just making the system unusable. Malware can be designed by a nefarious teenager in his mother's basement looking to make a name for himself or by a state-sponsored threat actor against activists or journalists.
Google's FilesGo File Manager cleaner is now available as beta
TL;DR : Go here and download this app (while it's available). Earlier this week, we saw FileGo leak on the Google Play Store but it was quickly taken down. FileGo is specifically built to help users (even novices) manage and clean files from their devices (duplicate photos, application cache files, etc). FileGo also contains a function (similar to Apple's AirDrop) that allows Android users within close proximity to transfer files to each other. FilesGo is still beta software (aka it could still have bugs) but in my testing has been reasonably reliable and hasn't crashed yet (tested on a Nexus 6P and Note 8).
Essential phone get's another $50 price drop at BestBuy
I wrote a short article about the merits and issues with the Essential phone here. I wrote that review because dozens of readers wanted to know if the phone was worth it at its newly reduce $499 price. Another day and another discount for the struggling Essential phone. Now BestBuy is kicking in another $50 off (bringing the price to $449.99). For $449, you can buy a beautiful unlocked Android smartphone with the latest specs including: Snapdragon 835 4GB of RAM 128GB of storage Dual cameras If you read my review, there are some shortcomings but at $449, it is hard to complain.
Is the $499 Essential phone worth it?
No other Android smartphone in 2017 has been as polarizing as the Essential phone. Created by the father of Android, many of us (tech reviewers) wanted a no compromise phone we could love. A device that would be a trailblazer showing other manufacturers what is possible and ushering in an new era of innovation through competition. Instead the Essential phone is a device I want to love but can't. Essential recently dropped its Canadian and US price and many readers wanted to know if I could recommend this phone at the new price.
Important issues with the Google Pixelbook
So the Google Pixelbook is the most elegant expression of what a Chromebook could be. There are dozens of review on the internet extolling the wondrous virtues of the device. I think it is a fantastic device for the right user because it is fast, hassle-free and as secure as a mobile computing device can be. Instead of just writing another copycat article about the positives, I wanted to share some of the less than perfect elements of the device. To ensure you can make an educated decision.
Samsung releases ad to mock Google's Pixel 2 XL screen issues
We regularly see mobile carriers release commercials mocking competitors but we rarely see this with smartphone manufacturers. Samsung has been watching all of the flack reviewers are throwing at Google regarding the screen on its new flagship Pixel 2 XL. And good ol Sammy decided it's time to use Google's misstep to its advantage with a short commercial talking about the incredible screen on its own devices. I'm in the market for a new smartphone and actually ordered a Panda Pixel 2XL from Google (scheduled to arrive Dec 18).
OnePlus 5T specs and release date
It's time to upgrade my phone and I am waiting to see what OnePlus releases as their OnePlus 5T model. In the above photo (from GizChina.it) , we see that the launch will likely take place on November 16 (for India at least which is where we believe this slide was created for). Got a second, reliable confirmation here, claiming a post-11/20 release. https://t.co/KDvBH8y7NO — Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 25, 2017 And everyone's favorite leaker, EVLeaks also confirmed a November release date.
Changing Google.com country domain no longer works
Google power users knew that changing the Google country top-level domain (ccTLD) would allow you to find results optimized for another country or language (e.g. searching Google.ch instead of Google.com to get more swiss biased results). There are a tone of reasons why I used this little trick: Accessing Google.com results when terminating a VPN in another country Travelling to a European country that skews results (right to be forgotten) and wanting "real" information returned and much more In a blog post, Google announced that results will now be customized based on the user's location (without regard for the country ccTLD input in the URL).