Month: March 2016

Chinese mobile phone manufacturers Xiaomi has managed to get 14,440,000 users to reserve its latest product: the Xiaomi Mi5 – and it’s not just because they’ve been waiting two years for it.

In a world dominated by iPhone and various expensive gadgets, no one could have predicted the global success of Mi5 – apparently one of the biggest successes for Android in 2016. So just what has this phone got that’s creating such a buzz?

Check out the video below to see!

Don’t see the video? Click here.

When the Internet was first conceived and developed, the speed of data transfer was very slow. Today, however, you can not only enjoy super-fast Internet data transfer from all over the country, but also enjoy at your home or office. So, how did the industry make the leap from slow, wired connections to a blazing wireless connection?

What Determines Internet Speed?

Internet speeds are based upon the bandwidth that your service provider has allotted you, often based on how you pay each month. Download and upload speed tests may provide you with a specific number, but the truth is that Internet speed tests will often be biased. This is because they typically take a small data sample and use it to determine where you stand.

The problem with this is that Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, tend to treat traffic differently. A user who is accessing live streaming video may be categorized differently than someone who is accessing a web page. The streamer may receive priority because he or she is gaining access to a greater amount of data, whereas someone who is pulling up a web page may be left to wait because he or she isn’t hogging a lot of data. This is not always the case, but ISPs use advanced technology and software to ensure that data is routed properly.

How Internet Download Manager Fights Against Limits

One of the main benefits of Internet Download Manager is that users can schedule downloads. This option means that you can choose a large number of downloads at once, schedule them to download on a specific timeline, and get them on by one. Using this resource, you won’t have to fight for data bandwidth, and you will also receive your downloads when you want them to be delivered.

Furthermore, if your ISP issues constraining limits to your downloading ability, Internet Download Manager provides the ability to set limits on how many connections are in use at one moment and how much data can be downloaded within a certain amount of time. This can help to stave of ISPs that are serious about data caps, allowing you to download what you need over the course of a period of time.

To learn more about downloading, check out Free Download Manager through Softonic!

When you visit any website, you are sharing an incredible amount of information. Any click can let others know your physical location, the type of device you used to access the Internet, what site you visited just prior, and even what type of browser you used. Proxies are a great way to protect your online identity.

What Are Proxies?

A proxy server acts as a protective shell around any information you send or receive online. Proxies work by providing an inaccurate depiction of your location, essentially masking your identifying features. Proxies have a primary practical purpose: to keep Internet users’ identities safe. For many, a proxy is a way to ensure confidential connections, such as when accessing and transferring sensitive business files.

Proxy servers act as a technology that provides a tunnel from one computer to another. When a user connects to a proxy server, the user’s actual IP address, a unique identifier showing the location of an online device, is hidden. When a user requests information from another server, the proxy server acts as an intermediary, providing access to the sought-after information.

Why Does Using a Proxy Matter?

If you want to keep your web activity private, especially when downloading, proxies are an effective way to protect yourself. On an open connection without proxy protection, you share more information than you might realize.

Software programs let website owners learn the locations of the devices used via your IP address. These programs also reveal the kind of devices you used, what service providers you used, and which sites you came from. If you visited a particular site after clicking on an email link, a page link, a banner ad, or you typed the URL into your address bar, the site owner knows that information too.

Even worse, visiting some sites installs cookies on your device. Granted, cookies can be helpful, but they can also used to capture even more information about you, possibly opening you up to attacks by malware. By using a proxy connection, those issues are virtually wiped out.

Why Do People Use Proxy Servers?

There are all kinds of reasons for using a proxy. Maybe you want to keep your digital footprint small and not give sites information about your browsing and computing habits. Maybe you want to download information, music, or videos without running up against ISP limits on downloaded data. Whatever the reason, using a proxy is an important tool in maintaining your privacy while staying within the guidelines.

How to Use a Proxy for Safer Internet Surfing

There are a number of free proxy sites available, but download speeds can be slow. Be sure to find sites that have a good reputation. Some of those free sites, and many others, offer a paid option that promises faster download times and extra features.

Once on a proxy website, simply enter the name of the website you wish to visit. Your browser window will show the proxy site address with an add-on and an encrypted alphanumeric link to the site you’re visiting. Within the browser window, most proxy browsers include an address bar that lets you surf from site to site without returning to the proxy home page.

If you regularly need to download large files from the Internet, using a proxy server is an effective and easy way to get the files you need while protecting your identity from those who may wish to do you harm.

Check out this video to get faster downloads with Internet Download Manager!

As the Internet has evolved, so have scammers and con artists. These are people who look for any way possible to lead you off the beaten path, onto their sites, and into a trap that typically involves getting you to pay up. The most recent example of a prevalent Internet con is the fake “play” or “download” button. Most people have fallen prey to this scam at one point or another, so how do you guard against it?

Know Your Source

Before you can guard against fakers, you have to know whether you’re dealing with one or not. There’s no need to name specific sites, but if you frequent sites that offer sketchy downloads and “free” video and TV streaming, you’re bound to run into fake play and download buttons. If you’re not sure about a particular site’s legitimacy, do some searching to see if people give it negative reviews.

Look for the Biggest Button

In most cases, a fake button will be the biggest, most brightly-colored button on the page. It may also be animated and blinking. This is done on purpose to draw your attention away from the real play or download buttons. Many times, the real button will either be directly below the video in a play bar or the download link will be a simple text link. Also, beware of fake play buttons that pop up on top of videos when paused. These may look like they’re meant to resume the video, but typically, they’re leading you to another site.

Hover Over the Button

Before pushing any button on the Internet, hover over it. When you do this on a video, you should see a URL pop up in the bottom of your browser. This shows you that the button is actually a link and not a functional part of the site. When you do this for a download, make sure the URL’s root matches the site from which you’re supposed to be downloading.

The Button Opens a New Window

One dead giveaway that a button is fake is if it opens a new window or tab when you click on it. Keep in mind that when you download something, you should receive a notification that the download has started, or if you click to play a video, the actual video should start playing. In other words, you should not be taken to a new site in order to complete the action.

Unfortunately, con artists these days have begun to utilize technology that prevents you from closing windows. Instead, the new site will continue to create pop up dialogs, even when you click on the window’s close button.

Thankfully, you can avoid these problems by immediately closing any new browser windows or tabs that a fake button may generate. If you do find yourself facing a window or tab that keeps popping up, check the box on the dialog that says “Prevent this page from creating additional dialogs” to finally close the offending site. This option is typically available when the dialog pops up for the second time.

Even if you get fooled by a fake button, you can always protect your computer. Take a look at the Best Antiviruses of 2016 for more information on keeping your computer secure!

Next: Security 101: Using a Proxy for Downloads