Author: Anna Galvez

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Tech

Here Are The Best Reasons Why You Should Use A VPN

Why should you use a VPN in 2018? Virtual Private Networks have been a hot topic in recent years. However, many Internet users do not see any interest in using a VPN connection. Here are the best reasons why you should use a VPN like PureVPN.

Protect your privacy online

Your Internet service provider and hackers can track the websites you visit and the applications you use. That means that your browsing activity can be traced back to your IP address. Using a VPN mainly allows you to hide your IP address and replace it with that of the virtual private network. Sound interesting? Here’s a great VPN you can use.

Bypassing geographical restrictions

Have you ever gotten an error message like “Inaccessible from your country” when trying to access a site hosted in another country? That is called geoblocking. Virtual private networks allow you to change your IP address and access sites around the world. It’s also suitable for accessing streaming services such as Netflix.

Accessing blocked websites with a VPN

ISPs in most countries now prohibit citizens from accessing specific sites. China blocks many popular websites such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Youtube. Schools and colleges apply the same concept. Students cannot access some social networks. In both cases, you can use a VPN to bypass Internet censorship and access the sites of your choice at any time of the day.

Use public WiFi hotspots safely

Whether you are in a restaurant, airport, hospital, or a park, using public WiFi is a convenient way to connect to the Internet. These WiFi access points are extremely vulnerable to hacking, though. Cybercriminals target these networks because they are not adequately secured. By setting up a virtual private network on your laptop or smartphone before connecting to a public WiFi hotspot, you prevent hackers from accessing your device.

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Tech

Google Removed From Its Play Store 13 Games That Were Installing Malware On Android Devices

A total of 13 games have been withdrawn from Google Play Store after Google detected that they are infecting the Android devices on which they were installed with malware. Hackers were using malicious programs within these mobile games to access Android-powered smartphones to obtain private information.

These games seemed harmless, and most of them were driving simulators, while some of them even had a great success regarding the number of downloads and were also placed in the trend section of the Android app store, Google Play Store.

This severe security problem was not detected by Google’s own protocols that filter content on Google Play but was revealed by ESET analyst Lukas Stefanko who, through a message on his Twitter profile, showed that 13 applications accumulating more than 560,000 downloads were infected with malware. The analyst’s cryptic message explains that these apps, which have already been removed by Google from the Play Store, installed an additional APK file unrelated to the purpose of the game and without a “legitimate function.”

Google Removed From Its Play Store 13 Games That Were Installing Malware On Android Devices

Apparently, the first alarm signals have come from the users themselves who have installed these applications and have made them clear in Google Play comments, reporting that the game itself does nothing, but they have detected a slowdown of the mobile.

All these applications had the authorship of the developer Luiz Pinto, and in some of the cases, users reported that they were unable to find the icon of the app once installed as, perhaps, the developer himself hid it.

Everything indicates that the malicious programs within these 13 games are adware, programs designed to display advertisements on the infected devices without the authorization of the owner and from which the developer makes money. Google has not made any further comments on this situation besides the announcement of the removal of those 13 infected apps.

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Tech

Pokemon Go Creators, Niantic, Hired To Make Exclusive Mobile Games for Samsung Galaxy Devices

Today, news emerged that, although doesn’t intend to shake up the telephone industry, it can, in some way, change the panorama of mobile gaming. Now, we have exclusive games for Samsung, exclusive games for Huawei, exclusive games for Xiaomi, and so on, so we could be at the beginning of a new era for mobile gaming. According to recently released reports, Samsung is planning to invest $40 million in Niantic, the devs behind Pokemon Go, among other titles for iOS and Android, for them start developing exclusive mobile games for Samsung Galaxy devices.

An anonymous source would have told The Inquirer that this new partnership could result in games that would be included by default on Samsung Galaxy smartphones shortly.

That opens the door to a future where a much fiercer competition would be happening between smartphone brands just as there is now an open battle between PS4 and Xbox One, for example.

Pokemon Go Creators, Niantic, Hired To Make Exclusive Mobile Games for Samsung Galaxy Devices

At the moment we have to wait for confirmation from either Samsung or Niantic, as there are still no official statements from any of the two companies. An official announcement would come out by the end of the year, the same source reported for The Inquirer, who also added that the first exclusive Samsung mobile game made by Niantic would come out in 2019 and, reportedly, would be included on the future Samsung Galaxy S10.

If we take a look at what happened with Fortnite, exclusively launched for Galaxy Note 9 for Android, the agreement between Niantic And Samsung might differ in reality from what the source has stated for The Inquirer. It might as well mean that Niantic, Pokemon Go creators, would create for Samsung some temporary exclusive titles so that the Galaxy users would be the first to play those mobile games before Niantic rolls them out for a wider public.

For now, some rumors pointed to Harry Potter: Wizards Unite as the first Niantic game to arrive exclusively on Samsung Galaxy devices next year.

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News Tech

Nintendo Switch Was The Third Bestselling Product on Cyber Monday Across the United States

Nintendo took a risk, and it worked out well for the famous Japanese entertainment company. By now, no one can argue with Nintendo that they got it right when they came up and released the Nintendo Switch, the relatively new video games console. The sales confirm it. As we already know, Nintendo returns to the list of the best brands in the world thanks to the Switch.

The latest confirmation of the success of the newest product from the Japanese factory has come with the Cyber Monday. This Monday’s sales results in the United States have been excellent news for Nintendo. The Nintendo Switch video game console was the third best-selling product and the first one among all the consoles, according to data from Adobe Analytics.

Nintendo Switch Was The Third Bestselling Product on Cyber Monday Across the United States

The Switch is the only product in the video game sector that has managed to get into the top five in the American Cyber Monday. The Fingerlings toy line leads the list of sales (both in physical stores and online) for the Cyber Monday across the United States. It is followed by L.O.L. Surprise!, Nintendo Switch console, Dell and Apple’s laptops (yes, they put them together in the same position), while on the fifth position, there is LG with its new TV sets.

Thanks to its hybrid video games console, Nintendo Switch, the company is the 99th best brand in the world, according to the ranking prepared by the brand consultancy Interbrand. It is, therefore, among the 100 most significant companies worldwide in 2018. The company that gave birth to Super Mario Bros and other popular games haven’t appeared in that list since 2014. Most likely, the Nintendo Switch console was the primary driver for the recent success Nintendo experienced.

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Tech

YouTube Plans To Offer Free Access To Its YouTube Originals Productions Starting With 2020

YouTube will offer users its own productions, including movies and series, free of charge thanks to an advertising-supported solution, which will be available to all users of the platform in 2020. A YouTube representative has reported the change of strategy to the US weekly Variety.

The platform owned by Google has stated that during 2019 “will continue to invest in programming with scripts and changes to make YouTube Originals, the company’s own productions, supported by advertising,” reach a wider audience. YouTube has said that this initiative “will expand the audience of YouTube Originals product creators,” and offer advertisers “incredible content that will reach the YouTube generation,” an audience of nearly 2 billion users within the platform.

YouTube’s new strategy is called “Single Slate,” and the spokesman said it would combine video-on-demand (VOD) pay-per-view solutions with free access monetized with ads.

YouTube Plans To Offer Free Access To Its YouTube Originals Productions Starting With 2020

The company’s original content, YouTube Originals, will be available free to all users, although YouTube has reported that it will keep some paid productions, such as the second season of Cobra Kai, a series inspired by the Karate Kid movies.

YouTube launched its catalog of original productions at the beginning of 2015, and since then new products have been added. Within YouTube Originals, there are series such as Foursome, Mind Field or the previously mentioned Cobra Kai. According to the publication, YouTube will include in its premium service early access to exclusive original content.

Currently, the YouTube Premium version offers the ability to view content without ads and the need for an Internet connection for $11.99 per month. This paid service has expanded to 29 countries during 2018. On the other hand, YouTube Music will cost $4.99 per month. For now, these new rates are only available in the United States, although the company plans to extend them to more countries, as well.

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