Author: Martin Brinkmann

When I was young, I studied German, History and English at Essen University in Germany. I worked in computer support for several years at the time to help other computer users when they ran into issues. Writing started out as a passion project, as I wanted to help more users and not just the ones that I handled in support. This lead to the founding of Ghacks Technology News in 2005. First, as a side-project, but shortly thereafter as a full-time project as the site's popularity exploded. I sold Ghacks to Softonic some years ago, but stayed on as Editor. You can still read my articles on the site. I do publish on Betanews as well. In recent years, I started to write and publish technology books, including my latest book "Windows 11 From Beginner to Advanced", which is available on Amazon. I'm also a freelance writer for the German publisher Gamestar. Chipp.in is my newest project. I want to use it to talk about my book projects, sell my books directly, and write about technology, as this is what interests me.
Windscribe

A look at WindScribe’s Build your own VPN plan

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

VPN services are mighty useful additions in this day and age. They protect your data and privacy, and may also help you bypass geo-restrictions. There are numerous VPN services out there that serve different purposes.

Many charge a lot for monthly plans and give you huge discounts if you sign up for a year or more. Some, like NordVPN, seem to offer discounts all the time.

I reviewed WindScribe years ago when the VPN service gave free users 50 gigabytes of data. Currently, free users can still sign up and get 10 or so gigabytes per month for free. Connections are also limited some

I stumbled upon the Build your own VPN plan recently. It sounds interesting. Instead of getting a range of features and server locations, you simply select what you need. The price is then based on that.

Here is how it works. Once you have set up a Windscribe account or signed in to one, you may select the Build your own VPN option from the paid plans section.

Here you make two core choices that determine the plan:

  • Select whether you want unlimited bandwidth (adds $1 to the plan).
  • Pick at least two regions that you want to connect to (each region adds $1).

So, if you just need connectivity to one or two regions, you end up paying $3 per month for the plan. While that limits connectivity, it does not really matter if you do not require access to servers in other regions.

Also, you can edit the plan to add or remove locations from it. The regular plans costs $9 per month or $5.75 per month when paid yearly. They offer a handful of advantages besides unlimited regional connectivity:

  • Only 10 custom rules for the R.O.B.E.R.T. add-on, instead of 1000.
  • No ephemereal port forwarding.
  • Static IP only if you get the unlimited bandwidth option.

It does not really make sense to push the custom plan beyond the price charged for the regular plans, as you get access to all server locations in those. The main advantage is that you pay less, if you limit regional availability to two or three locations.

While $3 may still pale compared to the discounts that companies like NordVPN throw around all year round, it may still be better than the $5.75 that you pay for a regular plan at Windscribe.

My main recommendation regarding a VPN remains Mullvad though. While it costs $5 per month, it is as private as it gets. May not be for everyone, especially if you have different requirements.

Now You: do you use a VPN service? If so, which do you use and why? How much do you per per month or year for the service?

Firefox

Firefox’s address bar is getting a makeover: here is a first look

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla’s Firefox web browser remains a popular choice, especially for open source enthusiasts and users who want as much customization options as possible.

While Mozilla is going through some form of decline, at least when Firefox’s usage share is concerned, it is still used by hundreds of millions of users each month.

Mozilla tried several strategies to turn the tide. It continues to reduce its reliance on Google money through new products, but most revenue still comes from that one search deal with Google.

Recently, Mozilla introduced much-requested features in Firefox. From tab groups to vertical tabs. an improved profile manager and the upcoming link previews feature.

Now, it is the address bar that is getting a makeover.

Tip: check out my guide on enabling compact mode in Firefox.

The improved Firefox address bar

Improved selection of search engines and search data

Image source: Mozilla

Click on the icon at the left side of the address bar to pick any search engine for search. You may also select internal options, such as bookmarks or the browsing history from the menu.

My take: Good addition, but nothing major.

Search term instead of search URL

Image source: Mozilla

A controversial change. When you run a search, Firefox displays the original search term in the address bar instead of the URL. Mozilla says that it is done to give users easier access to change the phrase and to run the search using a different search engine.

My take: Don’t like, as the URL should always be visible.

Search using keywords

This feature is not really new, as Firefox supported keyword-based searches for a long time.

Use @bookmarks or @tabs to limit searches

My take: not really new, but may expose the feature to more users.

Actions to take

Image source: Mozilla

Actions is a new feature. An action is a command that you want Firefox to execute. Options include printing the active page, opening the Settings, viewing the page source, or clearing the recent history.

My take: this one is handy for users who prefer the keyboard over mouse.

Contextual search suggestions

Firefox shows contextual options for some searches or prompts. It may show a shortcut to search the active site or to switch to a specific tab.

My take: sounds like a useful feature, not entirely new though.

No HTTPS:// anymore, but clear warnings for insecure sites

Since most sites use the secure HTTPS now, Mozilla decided to hide the protocol from Firefox. It continues to show warnings if a site uses HTTP or another insecure protocol or misconfigured protocol.

My take: I prefer to see all protocols all the time, so, not something that I like.

Good news is that you can make changes to Firefox’s configuration to alter the defaults. Check out Mozilla’s blog post for additional screenshots and information.

Now You: what is your take on these features? Something that you find interesting or superfluous? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Quick Tip to get rid of AI elements on Google Search

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

If you do use Google Search as your daily search driver or occasionally, you may have noticed an increase in AI summaries at the top of the search results.

Run a search for “what is Windows 11” and there is a good chance that Google displays an AI generated answer to the query at the very top. While that is useful at times, especially if you just need a quick overview of a topic or want something that would require significant manual research, it may at other times be of no use or even relaying incorrect information.

While you could switch to another search engine or install an extension that removes the AI content, you could also use the following to handle this on a case-by-case basis.

All you have to do is append &udm=14 to the URL. Just paste the string at the end of the URL and hit reload. This takes care of the AI overview.

Tip: you may also add a custom search engine to your browser of choice. This is the URL that you need to add: https://google.com/search?udm=14&q=%s

If you want something permanent, the best option is to install a browser extension for that.

Here is a short list of extensions you may consider:

Chromium-based, e.g. Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, or Opera:

Mozilla Firefox:

Now You: What is your take on AI overviews or summaries in search? Do you find them useful, sometimes useful or not useful at all? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Mozilla is shutting down Pocket and Fakespot

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla announced today that it is shutting down two of its services: Pocket, a long-standing bookmarking and reading service, and Fakespot, a recent acquisition, that can detect fake reviews of products online.

Pocket

Pocket started out as an independent “read it later” service back in 2007. It allowed users to save bookmarks to web resources to keep track of everything from a central location. Mozilla acquired Pocket in 2017 and integrated it in Firefox.

Pocket users have until October 8, 2025 to export their data. The service will enter export-only mode on July 8, 2025 and you may use the service normally until then. All user data will be deleted permanently after October 8. The Pocket extension and mobile apps will also be shut down.

Why is Mozilla shutting down Pocket? Mozilla says that “the way people use the web has evolved” and that it made the decision to channel its resources “into projects that better match” the browsing habits and online needs of this evolved user type.

Paying subscribers will get a partial refund that is based on the time left in a subscription after July 8.

You can check out this support article for details.

Fakespot

The second service that is axed is Fakespot. It started out as an independent service to distinguish fake reviews and ratings of products online from legitimate ones.

Mozilla acquired Fakespot in 2023 and integrated Review Checker into Firefox. This tool is shutting down on June 10th, 2025.

Closing Words

I have to admit that I never warmed to Pocket. While I tried the service, especially in the early days, I never found it particularly useful for my use cases. I know users who have used it for over a decade.

Some were disappointed by some of the decisions that Mozilla made regarding Pocket. Search, for example, some said, got a whole lot worse years ago making Pocket less of a useful tool in the process.

Mozilla does not say, but it is probably throwing dead weight over the board to become leaner and be better prepared for the potential Google breakup and end of the search deal with Google.

Google

Google: “people have been finding ads within AI overviews helpful”, so we are expanding them

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When you run a search on Google, you may get an AI Overview at the top of the results. Google announced an expansion of the AI-powered feature to roll out in more markets and for more languages.

Google revealed information about its AI plans yesterday on its Ads & Commerce blog. There, the company noted that AI Overviews is “one of the most successful launches in Search in the past decade”. Google saw a 10 percent increase in usage of Google for queries that displayed the overview generated by Google’s Gemini AI.

As a consequence, Google is expanding ads across AI Overviews. In particular, Google says that it is expanding ads in AI Overviews in English to more countries on mobile and desktop, and Search and Shopping ads in AI Overviews for desktop users in the United States.

Ads will also be tested in AI Mode, which Google calls its “most powerful AI search” feature. AI Mode is limited to Google Search users from the United States at the time of writing.

In other words: expect (more) advertisement in AI Overviews and other AI tools in the coming months and years.

Clearly, running AI is expensive. While companies like Google, Meta, or Microsoft have the means to sustain development, infrastructure and operations, the clear goal is the direct or indirect generation of revenue from these services.

Direct revenue may come from subscriptions or ads, indirect revenue from using data for training or other purposes.

The consequences are clear: users should expect to see more and more ads baked into AI services. This looks like a testing ground currently, but it looks similar to how Google introduced ads in search. First, some ads, separated clearly from search results. Now, Google users get more ads than organic search results in some queries and there is no longer a clear distinction between the two.

Now You: do you use AI services? What is your take on ads being integrated into those?

Gemini Google Chrome

Gemini in Chrome: Google integrates AI directly into the browser

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google announced Gemini in Chrome yesterday. The integration of the AI into Google’s browser is the next step in Google’s masterplan to spice up its products using artificial intelligence.

Chrome users in the United States who are subscribed to Google AI Pro or the new Google AI Ultra plan, will be the first to gain access to the AI.

The initial version closes the gap to other browsers that use AI already to summarize webpages for users or allow users to ask questions about the content of a website.

Gemini for Chrome will do the same initially. You activate the AI tool with a click on its icon in Chrome. From there, you can ask questions or give it instructions. The first iteration is limited to the active webpage. You can, for instance, ask it to explain certain concepts to you or provide a summary of the key points.

Google included the following examples in a demo video:

  • Make a regular recipe gluten-free.
  • Helping a student understand the differences between chemical bonds.
  • Adding a reminder to calendar.
  • Asking Gemini which plant is best from a selection of plants in open tabs.
  • Asking Gemini which poses one should do for a racing podium.

Note: it is a good idea to verify information generated by AI to make sure it is accurate.

Gemini in Chrome: goal is full access to all tabs and agentic functionality

Google is working on improving this base functionality. The company plans to give Gemini access to all open tabs. This enables more features, including the ability to compare different webpages or products or taking everything into account when generating a response.

Gemini will also be able to open websites on behalf of the user, according to Google’s announcement. Google did not explain why users would want the AI to open webpages on their behalf.

Closing Words

Like it or not, AI is going to be integrated into the majority of web browsers. Not everyone will see the use of this, but this will surely expose AI tools to more users. This could change how users use web browsers, searches, and the Web significantly.

Now You: do you use AI features or tools in your browser of choice already? Let me know in the comments below.

Microsoft Edit Open Source Text Editor

Microsoft’s new open source Edit application may remind you of the classic MS-DOS Editor

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

If you have used computers for a long time, you may remember MS-DOS and the tools that Microsoft shipped with it. Microsoft developed Edit, an open source command line text editor for Windows as an homage of sorts.

Interested users can download and install the latest version of Edit for Windows or build the app from scratch, if they prefer to do so. Microsoft plans to integrate the editor into insider builds of Windows first before making it available to all users as part of Windows 11. It is also available for Linux.

The big difference to the classic MS-DOS Editor is that Edit has a modern graphical user interface.

Microsoft describes Edit in the following way on GitHub:

This editor pays homage to the classic MS-DOS Editor, but with a modern interface and input controls similar to VS Code. The goal is to provide an accessible editor that even users largely unfamiliar with terminals can easily use.

Edit has a size of just 250 kilobytes and users may run the app without installation.

Here are key features that Microsoft highlights on this Dev blog:

  • Lightweight open source text editor.
  • Supports mouse and text user interface to select all menu options using keys.
  • Support for opening several files and switching between them using Ctrl-P.
  • Support for finding and replacing text. Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL-R for that, or select Edit > Replace.
  • Word wrap support.

Compared to established text editors, the functionality is not really special. Notepad++, for instance, supports additional features, such as syntax highlighting, which Edit does not.

Edit on the other hand does not appear to be an attempt by Microsoft to introduce competition to established third-party editors. Microsoft itself says that the main goal of Edit was to introduce a command line text editor for 64-bit versions of Windows, as these come without one (unlike 32-bit versions of Windows).

Closing Words

Edit looks like an interesting protect. It is open source, lightweight, and will one day be included in default Windows installations. That does not mean that you have to use it, but it is an option for users who like these types of editors.

Now You: what is your take on Edit? Will you give it a go? Let us know in the comments.

Opera GX

Opera GX update introduce new usability features, including one that is a first

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When was the last big usability feature introduced in your favorite browser? One that is new and unique? Not speaking of tab groups and vertical tabs support in Firefox. While great and new to users of the browser — if you ignore extensions and Mozilla’s decade-old attempts, they are not particularly new features.

Google and other Chromium browsers supported tab groups for quite some time, and some browsers, like Vivaldi, supported vertical tabs as well. Opera introduced AI-powered tab commands recently and an AI browser operator that acts as the user’s agent.

Opera announced three new features for its gaming browser Opera GX the other day. Not all of them are new as well, but some are. It is a browser for gamers, featuring gaming news and all kinds of gaming related features, including themes and sounds that Opera thinks appeal to gamers.

It is not my preferred browser, but Opera continues to introduce features to it that I find interesting. This particular update introduces three:

  • Split tabs — this enables you to display two open websites side by side. Opera says this is ideal for keeping an eye on the game you are playing while using another tab to chat or look up information.
  • Tab traces — if you have lots of tabs open, you know that it is sometimes difficult to switch to a tab was active recently. While most browsers on the desktop support the shortcut Ctrl-Shift-Tab or Ctrl-Tab to go back to the previous active tab. Tab traces in Opera GX highlights the five tabs that were active previously, making it a tad easier to switch back and forth between tabs. The minimum number of open tabs for the feature in Opear GX can be configured in the settings.
  • Automatic tab islands (tab groups) — Opera GX will create tab groups automatically, if you open links from a page in a new tab. This bundles all links together, so that you get handy options, such as collapsing all tabs at once.

You can check out the blog post on the official Opera blog for additional information.

Split tabs is a useful feature, provided that the browser window is large enough to display two websites side by side without side-scrolling. Tab traces sounds like a useful feature, as it may enable you to locate the previous tabs quickly. Good option for users who do not use shortcuts.

What is your take on these features? Good additions to the browser? Do you use similar features in your browser of choice?

Netflix to use AI “to serve the right ad to the right member at the right time”

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The next frontier for AI is advertisement. While some companies are already experimenting with AI-powered advertising formats, more and more will hop on the bandwagon to increase revenue and ideally make ads more lucrative for companies and better for users as well.

Netflix announced a push into AI-drive advertising, which it calls creative formats, just this week. The main idea is to improve advertising results with the help of generative artificial intelligence. The new ad-powered plans have pushed Netflix subscribers and revenue to new heights and there is seemingly no end to the growth just yet.

For users, the new formats could lead to more ads that try new tricks to get them to click and make a purchase.

Creative Ad-formats incoming

The first creative formats that come out of Netflix’s new modular framework for ads are interactive midrolls and pause ad formats. These introduce custom advertising creatives with “added overlays, call to action, second screen buttons, and more” to serve “the right ad to the right member at the right time”.

Netflix revealed that these new formats will become available in all countries in which the ad-supported Netflix plan is supported. The company plans to finish the rollout by 2026.

Does that mean that Netflix subscribers, who are subscribed to an ad-powered plan, will see more advertisement in the future? It sounds like it. Pause ads, for instance, are a new ad format that pushes advertisement to the screen when the viewer hits the pause button on the remote. That is one ad that has not been displayed before.

The new creative mid-roll ads, which Netflix says are interactive, are also new. It is possible that these are deducted from the hourly playtime of advertisement on Netflix, but Netflix has not commented on any of that at this stage.

Closing Words

AI-powered advertisement could introduce another issue to Netfix subscribers, besides increasing ads on the platform. AI may optimize ads and placements of ads to increase user engagement. In other words, it could lead to an increased spending by users by exploiting emotions or using other psychological tricks.

If you want my advice, it is better to sign-up for a single month or two of ad-free viewing on Netflix per year than to subscribe to the streaming service for an entire year. You could subscribe to other streaming services for a month or two as well each year. You will save quite a bit of money doing so, and the only downside is that you may not be able to view a particular show or movie when it comes out.

Now You: are you subscribed to ad-powered plans at Netflix or other streaming services? What is your take on these plans in general? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Windows 10 update may cause another Bitlocker recovery reboot issue

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

What is with Windows operating systems and issues with the default encryption software Bitlocker? Last year, Windows 11 users suffered from the issue after installation of certain updates for their systems.

Now, Microsoft is confirming a similar issue for users of the Windows 10 operating system.

The details:

  • The update in question is KB5058379, the May 2025 cumulative update for Windows 10, version 22H2.
  • It affects Windows 10 systems with Intel 10th generation or later vPro processors that use Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT)
  • An automatic repair is triggered on affected systems after installation of the update. This may require the entering of the BitLocker recovery key to proceed with the automatic repair.

Microsoft confirmed the issue on the official Windows 10, version 22H2 health dashboard. There, the company writes:

We are aware of a known issue on devices with Intel Trusted Execution Technology (TXT) enabled on 10th generation or later Intel vPro processors. On these systems, installing the May 13, 2025, Windows security update (KB5058379) might cause lsass.exe to terminate unexpectedly, triggering an Automatic Repair. On devices with BitLocker enabled, BitLocker requires the input of your BitLocker recovery key to initiate the Automatic Repair.

Affected devices may enter one of two states according to Microsoft:

  • They may try to install the update for Windows 10 several times before Startup Repair rolls back to the previous version of Windows 10.
  • Startup Repair may run into an error on some devices, which ultimately will trigger the Bitlocker recovery screen.

The first state should not require extensive troubleshooting or frantic searching for the Bitlocker recovery key. You can consult this Microsoft support page that lists all options to look up the recovery key.

System administrators may notice the following additional symptoms on affected devices:

  • ​Event ID 20 might appear in the Windows Event Viewer in the System event log, with the following text: “Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update with error 0x800F0845: 2025-05 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 22H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5058379).”
  • ​Event ID 1074 might appear in the System event log, with the text: “The system process ‘C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe’ terminated unexpectedly with status code -1073740791.”

Microsoft is working on a resolution for the issue and plans to release an out-of-band update once that administrators may install on affected devices. The company says that it plans to release the update in the coming days on the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

Users and administrators should monitor the issue on the Microsoft Health dashboard website for updates.