With all the developments in mobile devices these days, it is easy to let some things slip you by. For users making their way from beginner to intermediate user and beyond, there might be some components of mobile devices with which you are not familiar. Here we'll go over some basic information on VPNs to help you understand what they are and how they are used - and with this, you might get some indication on whether or not they're right for you.
The Basic
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, and in simple terms can be thought of as a go-between between your computer and the internet at large. When connected to a VPN you receive your data from the VPN, and the VPN service itself is responsible for sending and receiving your internet data requests. The benefits of this come primarily down to security, geo spoofing and evading various limitations imposed by your connection point.
When you have a VPN, any attacks have to come through the VPN service, rather than directly to your computer. As VPNs (especially professional ones) have improved security over most basic computer setups, they manage to take a lot of slack for the end user. There is also the added complexity in attacking through a VPN, which again benefits the end user.
"Internet Security Padlock for VPN & Onli" (CC BY 2.0) by mikemacmarketing
Geo-spoofing is a term applied to tricking a website or server into thinking you are from a different location. Sometimes websites or videos are locked behind geographical requirements, so this can be an easy an effective method of circumvention. The same can be said for limitations placed by the connection point themselves. Commonly, this can be seen in free Wi-Fi places like public transport. While the blocking of certain websites is a good idea, they can be overzealous, blocking places which are safe and offer no significant bandwidth drain.
The Modern VPN
Modern VPNs are far from the sluggish old behemoths we had to deal with a decade ago. These days, VPNs can not only access largely the exact same web pages and services as natural connections, they also can do so at a speed which renders them similar in performance.
These days there are an enormous amount of VPNs to choose from, thanks to improving technology and a great market demand. If security is a big concern for you, as it should be, then check out our other articles. These can help to help to decide whether the rest of the features are a good fit for you.
Once you have decided on a VPN service ExpressVPN, we recommend checking out some of the many online reviews, which can help you narrow down the pros and cons, and get the most out of what is right for your devices. Remember to be thorough and read closely, some of them might come with features you didn't even know you would like.
The Take Home
VPNs are becoming more common for a reason. With issues like Net Neutrality raising to the forefront of social conscience our privacy, safety, and freedom of choice and speed have never faced so many threats. The right VPN can help protect you not only now but can help ensure that in the future you are inoculated against many of the issues that governments or businesses see fit to throw at you. Just be sure to use your powers for good.
If you are in France and you own a Galaxy Note 8, your wait is finally over because according to reports from multiple sources, Samsung's flagship Note series handset from last year has started receiving Android 8.0 Oreo in the country. In case you are reading this anywhere else in the world on a Galaxy Note 8, this news probably disappointed you a bit, but given that the rollout has already started, you will probably not have to wait too long for the update, irrespective of your actual location.
The firmware version on the Oreo update is N950FXXU3CRC1 and according to SamMobile, it does indeed pack in the March security update as well. Let us know what you are liking and disliking about the new update in the comments, provided of course, you already have it running on your device!
Check out our firmware section to find all the latest updates for your Samsung smartphones and tablets.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
Brand new updates for the Galaxy Tab S2 are not the only ones on today's list, so just pick the right model, go through our tutorial and begin updating your Samsung device with the latest security update right now.
It almost feels like every major Samsung smartphone in recent history has been released with at least one major flaw and just to add to that cliché, new reports from several users on XDA forums are claiming that this time around, Samsung might need to fix the fingerprint scanner even before the phone has begun to sale officially! Apparently, quite a few of the S9 and S9+ units are exhibiting a strange issue where the fingerprint scanner stops responding completely and can only be fixed by rebooting the device. Let's hope that the issue is only software-related and can be easily fixed with an update, because if it isn't, then Samsung is going to have to suffer huge losses.
SamMobile has officially asked Samsung about the issue, but no reply has been provided yet. We will keep you updated about this, so stay tuned and hold off on buying the S9/S9+ for a while.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
The March security update has actually been rolled out by Samsung much faster this month, especially compared to the last few months. This time it is time for the Galaxy J3 (2017) to receive the March security update in Italy, so if you have the phone, do check to see if firmware version J330FNXXU3ARC1 has made its way onto your notification bar. Even if you are not in Italy, there's a good chance that by the time you finish reading this, Samsung has already started rolling the OTA package in some other regions as well. This update should take care of five Samsung UI related issues and all of the multiple vulnerabilities shared by every Android device.
While a lot of people tend to complain when the low and mid-range smartphone models from the company's arsenal receive security updates before the more expensive ones, we think it's actually a good move by Samsung that shows they do care about all their handsets (at least up to an extent anyway!).
Check out our firmware section to find all the latest updates for your Samsung smartphones and tablets.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
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