The Opera Browser has added a free VPN (virtual private network) service, built directly into their web browser.

Currently available on the Opera Developer Build, the VPN service provided by SurfEasy Inc. creates an encrypted tunnel from the users computer directly to the VPN server at the switch of a button. 

A VPN service is also used to shield a users real IP address allowing them to bypass firewalls, enhance privacy on public Wi-Fi, and access blocked content. Eg: region blocked content. 

Opera's free VPN can currently change your IP address's location to mimic either Canada, Germany, or the United States. 

How to Enable Free VPN Service in Opera Browser (Developer Build): 

1. Download and install the Opera Browser Developer Build. Then open the browser, if it doesn't automatically open. 

2. Click "Opera Developer" in the Mac Menu bar, and then click "Preferences."

3. Under the VPN heading, check on "Enable VPN". 

4. Now open a new tab and navigate to a website.     

5. In the address bar, click the VPN button, then switch it to on. Then select the country you wish to mimic the geo-location of. 

You can read more about the Opera Browser and the addition of the VPN service, on their blog. 

Ads are annoying. Everyone hates them and for good reason. A lot of websites mistreat ads, they place them everywhere, they are intrusive, and often flashing, and telling you that you've won a price that you really haven't. And ads can even contain malware! There has been many cases where adware (or worse) has snuck into advertisement, even on major websites.  

Many people know of AdBlock Plus, but there's another great extension that may be even better!

uBlock Origin (unrelated to ublock.org) by gorhill; the founder and original author of uBlock, is a efficient ad blocker that is easy on your computers CPU and memory resources.

With all ready over 3 million users on Google Chrome, uBlock Origin is easy to use and comes pre-packed with the best filters including: EasyList, Peter Lowe�s Ad server list, EasyPrivacy and known Malware domains.

When compared to ABP, you can view a efficiency comparison, here.

uBlock Origin is free and open source with public license (GPLv3).

Wanna know more about uBlock Origin? Check out this podcast with security expert, Steve Gibson from TWiT.TV (about 1:21:50 into episode).


> View and Download uBlock Origin for Google Chrome

> View and Download uBlock Origin for Mozilla Firefox

MONIT by Tildeslash is a FREE app in the Mac App Store that all Mac users should install - it's awesome.

What MONIT provides is a widget for Notification Center that shows you performance data about your Mac in a nice design - filled with heaps of infomation.

In the widget, you can see info for your Mac's; CPU, Memory, Disk, Battery, and Network. By clicking on a topic you can then drill down into even more stats and details about your system.

In CPU; you can view; CPU usage percentages in user, sys, and idle and more...

Memory; gives you stats about how much is wired, active, compressed and free. You can also view physical memory, memory used, and more...

Disk; provides you with quick access to hard-drive stats, and how much is used and free.

Battery; view stats about how much time you have remaining on current charge. You can view your Mac's batteries Health percentage and the condition, age, cycle count, temperature, voltage, amperage, and capacity.

In Network; you can view your Mac's and Internet's download and upload speeds, IP address, Wi-Fi name, and total uploaded and downloaded figures.  


MONIT is a cool tool for Mac users. A great way to quickly view performance stats about your Mac - recommend for all users. And did I mention - it's free!


-> View MONIT on the Mac App Store.

Pocket Weather Australia by ShiftyJelly PTY LTD has long been a favorite weather app for Australians. It was just recently updated with a totally new redesign, along with the new much anticipated Apple Watch app. But wait! Users who haven't updated yet, may not want to hit that button too quickly. This update has left some users not too happy with the change and for what I think is good reasons. 

If you use Pocket Weather Australia, you'll know the app for its great design and more accurate weather information (than the stock iOS app) - right down to your local suburb. The app was designed for both iPhone and iPad, and used the real-estate advantages. The same can't be said for all of its previous positives in this latest update.

Gone is the great graphical weather images for a very minimal design, with a lot of white space and very basic weather icons. The new design also feels less intuitive - even with its very simple Google looking card system. Like tapping the today section card will open more in-depth information, however there is no indicator of this feature. There are also inconsistencies that don't make a lot of sense - like rounded up/down weather temperatures and showing the 'correct value' in different areas. I also experienced crashes and freezing while performing simple actions like adding a city or trying to load the weather.

The iPad app is also a let down compared to its previous version. Before the iPad made use of the larger display, however now, it's basically the same exact iPhone app on a larger plain background. It's clear that this redesigned version has taken design cues from Google, over Apple. 

On thing that many people were waiting for was a Apple Watch app to replace the  usually incorrect iOS weather app. But this app has its let downs too. While there is a complication you can add to the Watch face, it will not show the current live temperature - instead it'll show the days max and condition. Tapping the complication will take you to the Pocket Weather Australia Apple Watch app. 

The Watch app shows some more useful information for when you're on the go, like; current temperature, the day's predicted high and low, and the weeks temperature overview. Missing info that would be useful is; the Feels Like temperature, hourly/upcoming rain info, ability to switch through different cities/towns and a reload button for when the app fails to refresh, which in my experience, happens -  there has definitely been some updating issues. 

While it's still the same great app that pulls weather information from the Bureau of Meteorology, maybe with a few issues or bugs, this version feels a lot like a step backwards. Honestly, a hybrid of the before and after, I think, would look a lot better. Bring back the old weather graphics for the header, keep the simple new interface maybe with some adjustments and make better use of the iPad's larger screen size. 

Pocket Weather Australia is priced at AU$2.99 in the App Store. The new redesign and Apple Watch app update is free for existing users.