NZCity NewsLinks -

All Links

21 May 2024

Search

How Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 6 Could Beat the Z Flip 5 - CNET
Commentary: Here's what I want to see in Samsung's next flip phone.

Marcos Says Philippines Probing China’s Alleged Phone Call Tape

Best Google Pixel Phone to Buy in 2024 - CNET
From the new Pixel 8 Pro to the cheap Pixel 6A to the foldable Pixel Fold, these are the best Google phones you can buy now.

Best Senior Phone Plans of 2024 - CNET
Carriers large and small offer discounts for older adults, but not all plans are the same.

Best free VPN for Android 2024: Which ones can you trust?
It might be surprising, but free VPNs are no longer just for PCs. You can also use them to help easily boost your security and privacy game on an Android device. Whether you want extra security while using a public Wi-Fi network, or to get around geo-restrictions for most of your favorite streaming services, a free VPN can help you do it without having to pay for anything. The problem when looking for a good free VPN, though, is that there are a large number of them available on the Google Play Store. So how do you determine which ones are worth your time? Our experts here at PCWorld have tested a slew of VPNs, both for PCs and Android devices, and have curated a list of the best free options you can feel confident in using. Check out our top picks below. Why you should trust me: Here at PCWorld we’ve been testing computer hardware, software, and services since the 1980s. As the VPN reviewer, I’m continually testing all of the major VPNs on the market and many lesser-known services in order to curate a list of the very best VPNs across a variety of categories. For a more in-depth guide, you can check out my article on how we test VPN services at PCWorld. Below you’ll find my favorite free VPNs, and below that, helpful advice about what to look for when choosing a VPN for your Android device on your own. And if you’re looking to further upgrade your Android phone’s security, which I highly recommend, be sure to look at PCWorld’s recommendations for the best free antivirus for Android as well. Additionally, you can check out my guide to the best VPNs covering multiple devices. Updated May 16, 2024: Check out my latest review of ProtonVPN. It manages to hold on to the number one spot as best free VPN for Android due to its generous free plan and easy-to-use Android app. ProtonVPN – Best overall Pros Excellent free plan Great privacy tools Reliable and transparent no-logs policy Cons Expensive Best Prices Today: $9.99 at ProtonVPN Why I like ProtonVPN If you only have one device to worry about, ProtonVPN is your best choice. This free service provides what the company calls “medium speeds,” meaning you might not get access to the 10-gigabit-per-second servers that paying customers do, but the speeds are just fine anyways. It’s mercifully devoid of any annoying or privacy-compromising ads. Plus, there are no data or time limits imposed on users of the free version, meaning you can stream to your heart’s content — although they don’t promise that the free servers will unblock Netflix. ProtonVPN has an excellent privacy policy as well, backed up by a recent independently verified no-logs audit. Overall, it’s an excellent free service with an easy-to-use Android app from a trustworthy company — what’s not to like? Who should use ProtonVPN ProtonVPN is a great option for anyone with a single Android device who needs a free VPN. Perfect for the one-off phone or tablet user, ProtonVPN provides unlimited data so it can be used all day without worrying about hitting a cap. Plus, privacy-conscious users can take heart that apart from the info required to sign up, ProtonVPN doesn’t collect any other user data. Read our full ProtonVPN review Windscribe Pro – Best for multiple devices Pros Secure.link Generator is a helpful link-shortening service Works with Netflix Cons Not the fastest Why I like Windscribe Pro Another solid choice for Android users. You won’t get the unlimited usage like you do with ProtonVPN. Instead, you get up to 10GB of browsing per month. But there are no device limits, and you have 10 country connection options. Windscribe requires a confirmed email address to use its free service. Windscribe’s privacy policy is good, but it does track bandwidth usage to keep you to those free limitations. Who should use Windscribe Pro Windscribe Pro’s free Android VPN is best suited for those who need access across multiple devices. Watch out for the data limit though, as you can hit it pretty fast while using multiple devices. Read our full Windscribe Pro review Hide.me – Best for no sign-up usage Pros Good download speeds Easy-to-use Windows app No-logs promise Cons Speeds were inconsistent in our tests Expensive single year subscription Best Prices Today: $59.95 at Hide Me Why I like Hide.me Hide.me has pretty good speeds, and like Windscribe you’re limited to 10GB per month. Hide.me offers five connection choices including two U.S. locations (east and west), Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. Hide.me doesn’t require an account for signing up, making it seamless and easy to use. Who should use Hide.me Since Hide.me’s free version does not require a sign-up in order to use, it’s good for those who just need a VPN for simple, one-off tasks. Alternatively, if you’re concerned about privacy, not having to enter in any personal information is a huge plus as well. Read our full Hide.me review Speedify 10 – Best for leveraging both cellular and Wi-Fi Pros Very good speeds Speedify’s failover feature seamlessly transitions between Wi-Fi and cellular networks Cons Privacy policy says it collects some personal information Desktop mode for the Windows app needs work Best Prices Today: $71.88 at Connectify Why I like Speedify A solid VPN choice for anyone using the VPN on a phone. Speedify’s specialty is a seamless VPN transition between Wi-Fi and cellular. Typically, when you go between Wi-Fi and cellular the connection drops and restarts, but with Speedify it just keeps on going, which is nice. It also harnesses your Wi-Fi and cellular together to try and boost connection speeds. Speeds are pretty good with Speedify, staying within the top 15 for speeds overall. The downside of this free offering is that you only get 2GB of data usage per month. That’s not much, which is why this is my last suggestion. But if you need something simple for basic web browsing Speedify is well worth a look. Who should use Speedify Due to the small data limit, Speedify is recommended for users who just need a VPN for basic web-browsing or a one-time use. The seamless transition between Wi-Fi and cellular and potential connection speed boost means that Speedify is an extremely convenient way to keep a VPN connection up while on the go or in spotty Wi-Fi areas. Read our full Speedify 10 review AVG Secure – Best free trial Pros 10 simultaneous device connectionsUnblocks streaming servicesFree 60-day trial Cons Logs some user activity dataNot a lot of extra featuresLong-term only subscription options Why I like AVG Secure VPN It might sound odd to include a free-trial option here, but AVG Secure VPN is a fine VPN service on its own and it provides a 60-day free trial for new users. That’s incredibly generous for a premium service — most other VPNs only offer one-week free trials at best. The free trial extends to all devices as well so you can use it on both your Windows machine as well as your Android device. AVG is a household name in security software and its VPN lives up to its high-standards. The free-trial gives you complete access to all of the paid features such as 10 simultaneous device connections, over 700 servers across more than 50 countries, and guaranteed streaming service unblocking with specific servers. While the speeds aren’t the fastest I’ve ever seen, they’re good enough for most general online activities. All-in-all, two months for free of AVG Secure VPN is a fantastic deal, just don’t forget to cancel the subscription before the free trial runs out. Who should use AVG Secure VPN Most people looking for a free VPN for shorter-term use will stand to gain a lot from AVG Secure VPN’s free trial. But I think it’s an exceptional choice in particular for those who are traveling for awhile and need a VPN while abroad. By taking advantage of a premium service’s speeds and broad server network you can access all of your streaming content no matter what country you find yourself in and you shouldn’t have to worry about frustrating data caps from other free services. Stream and browse to your heart’s content for no cost, well, at least for 60 days. Read our full AVG Secure review What to look for in a free VPN for Android This will follow a lot of the advice I’ve already given for free stuff when it comes to Android. Google is doing a better job than ever at keeping harmful apps out of the Play Store, but there is still a chance of some random VPN app having malicious intent. Another problem is that even if the app is fine, the service itself may be up to no good. For those reasons I always advise going with a well-known VPN service provider to reduce your chances of running into security issues. Next, you want a free app that is truly free. Not some 7- or 30-day trial that will automatically start charging the card connected to your Play account after the trial period. You should also read over the privacy policy to make sure there’s nothing there you’re going to have a problem with. Finally, you want to make sure the VPN has data limits that suit your needs. How I tested I judge VPNs on a variety of criteria including server network, connection speeds, privacy protections, ease-of-use, additional features, and cost. For a more detailed guide on how I test, check out PCWorld’s comprehensive guide on how we test VPN services. Speed tests are kept as simple as possible. I average the connections between different global locations for any given VPN and then compare them to a baseline internet speed to get a good picture of the overall connection speeds. I thoroughly research and analyze the privacy policies and histories of each VPN and note any outstanding discrepancies or data collection issues. Experience and ease-of-use are subjective, but I try my best to give an accurate representation of how it feels to work with the VPN. Since you don’t have to pay for a free VPN, the value will be contingent upon the trade-offs you’ll need to make and the restrictions it has in place. Free VPNs aren’t a top recommendation, but if you’re going to go that way I’d strongly suggest the VPNs mentioned above. FAQ 1. What is a VPN? A VPN, or virtual private network, hides your identity and encrypts your traffic while browsing the internet. Also, VPN servers are located all across the world, allowing you to connect to a server in another country. So if you want to access location-restricted content like streaming services, you can connect to the appropriate country’s server and gain access to content that may have been locked in your area. 2. How does a VPN work? In short, a VPN hides your IP address by redirecting your web traffic through a remote server hosted by the VPN company. The VPN server then appears to be the source of your traffic instead of your actual location. These remote servers can be located both in different countries around the world or even in your own country. Additionally, your network traffic is encrypted from your computer to the VPN, which adds an extra layer of security. While connected to a VPN and browsing the internet, the VPN acts as a middleman between you and a website. If your computer sends a request to the VPN, it will then pass it along to a website. In return, the website sends its response back to the VPN, which forwards it via a secure encrypted connection to your computer. 3. Is it legal to use a VPN? In the United States as well as most countries, using a VPN is perfectly legal. Some certain websites try to block VPN connections, but that is dependent upon their own terms of usage. It is important to know that while using a VPN is legal, some of the activities done while using a VPN can still be illegal. Activities such as downloading pirated copyrighted content or accessing dark web markets are both illegal with and without a VPN. 4. Are there differences between Windows VPN apps and an Android VPN apps? Usually the core functionality of one service’s VPN remains the same between its Windows and Android apps. That being said, there are oftentimes differences in the features offered and user experience between the two. For example, features common in Windows apps such as split-tunneling, kill-switch functionality, and custom DNS configuration may not always be available in the same service’s Android app. This usually comes down to compatibility issues and developer resources. Additionally, you are likely to find differences in the interface and overall user experience between apps on the two operating systems. Often the Windows app will display more information, which is then omitted from the Android app due to screen size restrictions. Again, this shouldn’t affect the core functionality of the VPN with either app and users can choose the version that best suits their needs based on their own usage requirements and device preferences. Android, VPN

Are OLED laptops worth the extra price?
In just the last few years, there’s been an explosion of new laptops featuring OLED displays. Just like the phone market saw them become nearly ubiquitous, the laptop market is finding more and more models offering up OLED displays at nearly every price bracket save for some of the cheapest systems. And that highlights a crucial detail: OLEDs cost a premium over traditional LCD displays. So the big question, then, is whether an OLED display is worth the extra cash you’ll have to spend to have it on your laptop. Like most tech questions, the answer will come down to what you want to do with your laptop and what you’re hoping to get out of it. So we’ll need to dive into the perks of OLED and the drawbacks so you can properly weigh the value for your own circumstances. Further reading: The best laptops: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more The advantages of OLED Mattias Inghe Mattias Inghe Mattias Inghe There’s a reason people are crazy for OLED. The image quality they can offer is simply remarkable. The star of the show is the contrast. Since OLEDs have the ability to adjust brightness on a per-pixel level, allowing one fully illuminated pixel to sit right next to a pitch black pixel, they offer effectively infinite contrast that makes for truly impactful imagery. This is a big bonus for visuals in games, TV, and movies, though has limited utility in office use and casual web browsing. The contrast often pairs with a much wider color gamut than the typical laptop screen. Many OLED displays offer nearly full coverage of the DCI-P3 color space — I’ve tested a handful and can’t recall a single one that was more than a few percentage points away. I’ve seen plenty of LCD displays that also achieve high DCI-P3 coverage, but many only cover the smaller sRGB color space, and side-by-side with a display offering DCI-P3 color, the difference is obvious. Many LCD displays don’t even go that far, covering instead a small percentage of the sRGB color space, sometimes less than 70 percent (you’ll often see this listed as 45 percent NTSC on the laptop’s spec sheet), and the difference between that display and an OLED with 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage is night and day. IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp In plenty of cases, that color gamut has also come with stellar color accuracy. It’s not a given and always worth checking reviews to make sure, but if you’re looking to do creative work where getting the colors right is crucial, then color accuracy is a serious matter. And having a display that not only lets you work with a wider palette but also ensures accuracy could make or break your experience with the machine. Best OLED laptop for content creation Samsung Galaxy Book4 Ultra Read our review Best Prices Today: $2999.99 at Best Buy OLED displays are still lagging behind LCDs in terms of the refresh rates offered, but plenty of them have fast refresh rates, with 90Hz and 120Hz laptop panels fairly common. And on top of that benefit for gamers is the nearly instant pixel response time. Where LCD panels often exhibit ghosting — especially on laptop displays which typically lack the response times of desktop monitors — OLEDs keep each frame impressively sharp, providing excellent motion clarity in games. One less-considered bonus of OLED laptops is that the display panel can be extra thin. But this consideration hardly matters. The needs for structural integrity in the laptop all but ensure that the display lid won’t go as thin as possible. I’ve seen the Acer Swift Edge show how thin an OLED laptop can go, and the display was worryingly flimsy as a result. The downsides of OLED Is that glare I see? Is that glare I see?IDG / Mark Knapp Is that glare I see?IDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp With all their positive attributes, OLED displays might sound like an obvious choice, but they do come with their share of downsides. Obviously the increased price is a key one, but this can vary a lot. Plenty of OLED laptops are available at reasonable prices, and plenty of OLED laptops have more expensive competition that wield LCD panels. Best OlED portable gaming laptop HP Omen Transcend 14 Read our review The upgrade to an OLED display isn’t always one-to-one either, so while it may appear like an expensive option when configuring a laptop, you have to also consider whether an upgrade is just the change to display technology or whether it includes a few other upgrades, like a boost to color gamut, resolution, refresh rate, or touchscreen capabilities. All of these upgrades would also cost more even with an LCD panel. Perhaps the biggest downside to OLED displays on laptops is their visibility in different conditions. Many OLED laptops have glossy screens, and though the displays may offer high brightness, glare can be a major struggle. Reflections appearing on the display also eliminate OLED’s contrast advantage as fast as Thanos eliminated half the universe. This puppy maxed out at 284 nits and was still easy to see This puppy maxed out at 284 nits and was still easy to seeIDG / Mark Knapp This puppy maxed out at 284 nits and was still easy to seeIDG / Mark Knapp IDG / Mark Knapp If you’re someone who expects to be using your laptop all over the place, indoors and outdoors, in dark rooms and bright sunlit spaces, know that reflectivity could hamper the experience of an OLED display. It’s given me plenty of grief using my own OLED laptops, and even drove me to apply an anti-glare cover to one despite the reduction to my perceived contrast. I’d wholeheartedly recommend a solid anti-glare LCD display in this case. Though OLEDs’ per-pixel dimming can offer battery savings in some unique circumstances, those are rare. More often, OLED laptops appear to have worse battery life than their LCD counterparts. That can further compound with the need to bump the brightness to compensate for the glare issues. That said, plenty of OLED laptops still offer stellar battery life, like the 2024 Acer Swift Go 14 and 2024 Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, and you should consult reviews in making your decision. Best overall OlEd laptop Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Read our review You may have also heard of OLED displays having color fringing and text-clarity issues, and while this has been true for desktop OLED monitors, I have not encountered this on laptops. Laptop displays aren’t using the same panels as TVs and monitors, and even if they were, their pixel density is high enough that these issues would effectively be shrunken to the point of being out of sight. While there are other concerns, this isn’t really one of them for OLED laptops. Burn-in is also a concern for any OLED display, and the many static elements on a laptop display can pose some risk of this. Having used an OLED laptop extensively for work, I did not notice any of this, but I relied on some dimming features and a system-wide dark mode to protect the display. My sample size is also limited, and some OLED panels could fare worse. OLED laptops: Yay or nay? OLED displays on laptops have some fantastic qualities that can make them a true delight for entertainment and media. Gamers also get major benefits from them. If these are your primary uses for a laptop, then by all means, go for the OLED laptop. It will almost certainly look gorgeous in ideal conditions. But if you do a lot of work on your laptop, all the downsides of OLED laptops are liable to rear up. While an OLED laptop can make a Word document look good thanks to those inky black pixels composing the text, it’ll hardly be a noticeable improvement, and the glare and battery-life issues you’re likely to face will neutralize any perceived benefit. And if you ever want to work near a bright window or outdoors in the daytime, even a dim LCD panel with a good anti-glare finish can prove substantially easier to see than even a quality OLED display. Laptops