Cool Stuff Found starts the day here, with things for printing webpages, controlling your trackpad/mouse, and organizing your life. Need a VPN at home? Your two favorite geeks have got you covered! Plus, the cable companies have priced it such that cutting the cord isn’t enough. Listen as Dave tells John — and all of you — what he’s learned. Press play and learn five new things!
VPN
‘ProtonVPN’ Introduces a New Smart Protocol Selection
ProtonVPN got an update on Tuesday with a new feature called Smart Protocol Selection. It will automatically detect and use the VPN protocol that works best on a given network, such as OpenVPN and IKEv2. This update also prepares the app for something called VPN Accelerator which will be in a future update. There are new Info buttons to provide additional information about features and supported streaming services, and the VPN connection stability has been improved.
Is iCloud Private Relay Safe For Banking?
In this mini-episode from Mac Geek Gab 877, Dave and John discuss Apple’s iCloud Private Relay and if it’s safe for banking.
In addition, be sure to check out our piece on iCloud Private Relay to learn more.
Digging into Apple's iCloud Private Relay
At this week’s WWDC Keynote, Apple announced iCloud Private Relay, a privacy feature aimed towards further separating you and your browsing activity from people who want to track and collect data about you. iCloud Private Relay works for anyone with an iCloud+ subscription using iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, and when enabled it protects all your Safari browsing, all DNS queries, and any insecure web traffic from other apps.
Cool Stuff Found
SurfShark VPN 2-Year Subscription: $42.74
We have a deal on a 2-year subscription to SurfShark VPN for Memorial Day. This service features unlimited data, military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption, and IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols. The company also has a no logging policy. Two years with SurfShark is $42.74 through our Memorial Day sale.
Many Top VPN Apps Have Inaccurate Privacy Labels
An analysis of 49 VPN apps in the App Store shows that many of them have inaccurate privacy labels, and others didn’t have a label at all.
Surfshark VPN 3-Year Subscription: $83.99
We have a deal on a subscription to Surfshark VPN, a service that offers Military-grade AES-256-GCM encryption, support for IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols, and unlimited simultaneous connections. A 3 year subscription is $83.99 through our deal, and the deal listing has 2 and 4 year options, too.
You Can Now Use Orchid VPN Starting at a Dollar
Orchid VPN now costs as little as US$1 to get started with the service, the company announced on Thursday.
With Orchid’s iOS and macOS app, users simply buy VPN credits for $1, $5 or $20, which is then turned into a XDAI-backed account. Once the user’s VPN is active, users are only charged for the bandwidth run through the VPN, with no recurring monthly or annual subscription fee, in stark contrast to other VPN offerings. The current market rate for Orchid service is only $0.06 per GB.
A pay-as-you-go blockchain-based VPN is an interesting service.
Apple Blocks ProtonVPN Updates Over App Messaging
ProtonVPN announced in a blog post that Apple has blocked its app updates, saying this harms users in countries like Myanmar.
Mozilla VPN Arrives on macOS and Linux
After rolling out on platforms like Windows, Android, and iOS, the Mozilla VPN arrives on macOS and Linux for US$5/month.
The Mozilla VPN isn’t the cheapest option on the market. However, Mozilla has said that, because it uses fewer lines of code than other VPNs, the service is faster than many rival ones. You can connect to more than 280 servers in more than 30 countries via the VPN without any bandwidth restrictions.
I think US$5/mo is definitely one of the cheapest VPNs on the market.