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.
Windows 11

Is Windows 11 a Flop?

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft released its Windows 11 operating system in late 2021 to the public. Internal data, viewed by Windows Central, suggests that the operating system passed the 400 million monthly active devices mark this year.

Microsoft has not released information on monthly active users to the public. Third-party sites such as Steam’s hardware survey or Statcounter show a slow rise of Windows 11 since its release.

Windows 11 rose from 13.61% in September 2022 to 23.64% in September 2024 on Statcounter. Windows 10, on the other hand, nearly kept its commanding market share lead. The operating system dropped from 71.88% to 71.62% in the period.

Things look a bit better on Steam. Windows 11 has a share of about 37%, but it is still trailing Windows 10’s 57%.

Most of Windows 11’s gains appear to come from Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1. Microsoft ended support for both operating systems in January 2023 and both have tanked since then.

Windows 11’s rise compared to Windows 10’s

It took Windows 11 two years to reach 400 million devices. While that would sound impressive for many systems, it is not, when compared to Windows 10.

Windows 10 managed to reach that number in a year’s time and it even managed to cross the 1 billion devices mark in 2020.

Granted, the underlying situation was different. Microsoft pushed Windows 10 with free upgrade offers from Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 devices. Users could upgrade their devices for free. Not all did, but the free upgrade offer certainly helped push the new operating system into the market.

Microsoft failed to reach the ambitious 1 billion device goal.

When Microsoft released Windows 11, it still let users upgrade for free to the new operating system. Initially, users of Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 could upgrade to free. This changed recently, when Microsoft eliminated the option for Windows 7 and 8/8.1 systems and product keys.

What kept Windows 11 back from rising as quickly as Windows 10 was a change in system requirements. Microsoft changed the operating system’s minimum requirements, which meant that older systems could not upgrade to Windows 11 directly.

More or less any device purchased before 2018 could not be upgraded to Windows 11 using official means.

The end of Windows 7 and 8/8.1

End of Windows 7 and 8/8.1 support in January 2023 benefitted Windows 10 and 11 similarly. Windows 7 and 8/8.1 devices were upgraded to Windows 10, which was still possible at the time.

New devices, bought by Windows 7 and 8/8.1 users benefitted Windows 11 more than it helped Windows 10.

The vast majority of Windows devices are sold with Windows 11 nowadays.

Microsoft believes that Windows 11 devices will reach the 500 million mark in 2024.

Windows Central cites unnamed sources at Microsoft that said the the company’s expectations regarding Windows 11 were “set rather modestly” and that these have been surpassed consistently.

2025 is the year decisions need to be made

Windows 10 will reach end of support in 2025, at least for consumer editions. It will be interesting to see what users will do then. Some may upgrade their devices to Windows 11, or Windows 12, if the rumors of a new operating system are correct.

Many users may not be able to upgrade, because of the system requirements. It is unreasonable to assume that all of these will purchase new Windows devices in 2025.

Some may continue to run Windows 10, even though the operating system is no longer supported by Microsoft. It is unlikely that Microsoft is going to introduce Extended Security Updates for consumers. It has not done so when Windows 7 reached end of support.

Windows 10 users could migrate their devices to Linux. It is a chance for the open source operating system, but solutions need to be created to make the migration as painless as possible.

Verdict: Flop or not

Microsoft may have had higher hopes for Windows 11, but this is disputed in the internal document according to Windows Central. The company has been tight lipped about sales and monthly active devices, and that often means that things are not as good as hoped.

400 million devices is a sizeable number on the other hand. All of these will likely get the option to upgrade to Windows 12, if the operating system is released.

In closing, Windows 11 is not a flop, but it is not a hit either.

Now You: do you run Windows on your devices?

Netflix on TV

Ads and higher prices: how to cope with a changing streaming landscape

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Streaming media pioneer Netflix set out to become the home of the cord cutting movement. Offer a better experience than Cable to a lower price.

Things have changed significantly since then. Now, there are numerous players on the market, e.g., Disney+, Netflix, Apple TV, Paramount, Prime Video, HBO Max and many more. All want a piece of the cake.

Things have turned for the worse for viewers. The rise of streaming services has spread films and shows across the networks. While most offer a core set of films and movies, including original productions, other content often moves between services.

It may happen that you watch Part 1 of a show using one service, but need to switch to another service to watch the second part. There is also little hope that you may watch all movies of an actor at a single service. Even worse, older content may not be available at all.

Ads and price jumps

Many streaming services have increased the price of a subscription in recent years or announced plans to do so. Netflix, for instance, increased the price in several regions in 2022 and may increase prices again according to reports.

The introduction of ad-powered plans is another recent development. Netflix and Disney launched plans with ads already. These cost less, e.g., Netflix’s Standard with Ads is available for $6.99 compared to $15.49 for its cheapest ad-free plan. Amazon will push advertisement to all Prime Video users, unless they subscribe to an ad-free option.

Ad-powered plans are cheaper, but they deteriorate the viewing experience, especially if ads are shown in the middle of streams. Still, they appear to be lucrative to streamers. First, because they unlock access to new viewers, and second, because it is highly lucrative.

In short: ads are being pushed and prices are increasing. Most streaming services will likely have introduced an ad-powered plan in the coming years.

What you may do about it

Internet users have one main option to deal with the development: to limit subscriptions. Instead of subscribing to a service for an entire year or longer, viewers could subscribe for only one or two months per year.

Streaming services hopping is a valid option to have access to all content, albeit not at the same time. This is not particularly problematic for most viewers. The majority of streaming services fail to release enough content to warrant a yearly subscription.

Subscribe to Netflix for one month and cancel afterwards. Subscribe to another service in the next month, and cancel again. It may not be as comfortable as having subscriptions for all services all the time, but you will save hundreds of Dollars per year doing so.

A full year Netflix Standard plan subscription sets you back $185.88 in the United States. Add yearly subscriptions to Disney+, Amazon Prime and some other services you like, and you pay hundreds of Dollar per year.

When you subscribe to a single month and then cancel, you end up paying a lot less.

There is also the possibility to completely dispense with subscriptions. Films and shows may be rented at public libraries, or from friends or colleagues. DVDs may not offer the best quality, but they are incredibly cheap on marketplaces such as eBay.

A problem looming at the horizon

Stream subscription hopping works only if the streaming services offer monthly subscription periods. There is a chance that this could change in the future to support only longer subscription periods.

No streaming service has announced plans of this kind though.

There is still the option to subscribe to none of the services, if that happens in the past. While the end of discs is also looming, it won’t happen in the coming years.

Closing Words

Why are some Apps System Components in Windows 11?

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Native applications on Windows 11 will soon be divided into apps and system components. Microsoft introduced the change back in July in Insider builds and it looks as if it is going to roll out soon to stable versions of the operating system.

Windows 11 ships with a large number of apps. Some of these are classic apps, such as Paint, Notepad or Calculator. Others, including Game Bar and Phone Link, aren’t nearly as old. New apps are also introduced regularly.

Current versions of Windows 11 list all of these apps in a single listing under Settings > Apps > Installed Apps. Soon, some of these apps are moved to another location instead. It is located under Settings > System > System Components.

Microsoft announced the change back in July 2023. Back then, the company’s message focused on the Start Menu. It said:

Under All apps in the Start menu, Windows 11 system components will now show a “system” label. This change is beginning to roll out and so not all Insiders in the Dev Channel will see it right away.

System Components in Windows 11

System Components in Start

The following apps are tagged as system components in future versions of Windows 11.

  • Game Bar
  • Get Help
  • Microsoft Store
  • Phone Link
  • Tips
  • Windows Security

Twitter user Techosaurusrex discovered this and published two screenshots of the new menu.

Microsoft does not explain why it made the decision to separate this assortment of apps from the rest. Some of them fit the definition of a system app, for example, Get Help or Windows Security.

Others, especially Game Bar and Phone Link, look somewhat out of place here. What makes them a system component and apps like the Feedback Hub or Remote Desktop Connection not?

Clearly, Microsoft wants to distinguish this particular assortment of apps from the rest. Maybe, and this has not been confirmed by Microsoft, it is an attempt to make it difficult to remove these apps from the system. Or, at least highlight to users that these apps are more important than others, even if that may not be true for all of them.

Installed Apps Windows 11: can't uninstall

Note that the listed apps can’t be uninstalled in the Settings app even on today’s systems. Only Advanced Options are displayed when users select the three-dots menu next to these apps.

Microsoft could make more apps System Components in the future. Some of the apps listed as System in Start are not included (yet) in System Components in Settings. This is the case for instance for Get Help and File Explorer.

Not Microsoft’s only attempt to protect apps

The recently launched Windows Backup app is another example of a new approach to releasing apps for Windows. This app, which is not a real backup app by any definition, is not listed as an app.

When you try to uninstall it, you will notice that it is not listed in All Apps in the Settings. Microsoft made the decision to integrate it into an Experience Package. While it is possible to remove that, doing so will also remove other apps and features from the system.

Others have noticed this as well and no one seems to be particularly happy about this change.

To be fair, Microsoft announced plans in August 2023 to drop the blocking of uninstalls of several apps. These apps — Camera, Cortana, People, Photos and Remote Desktop — aren’t system components. Cortana is on its way out, but the other four apps remain a part of Windows in the foreseeable future.

Don’t wait for Google to end third-party cookies

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google plans to eliminate third-party cookies in its Chrome web browser. An updated schedule, published on Wednesday, confirms that testing begins in the first quarter of 2024.

A total of 1% of Chrome users will join the test, which disables third-party cookies in their browsers. Google plans to push the change to the entire Chrome population by the third quarter of 2024.

The main purpose of this type of cookies is tracking on today’s Internet. While it is up for debate whether the disabling will have a positive effect on tracking, it is clear that it does eliminate a widely used form of tracking.

Google, being an advertising company first and foremost, has already created a system that it believes is better for the privacy of Internet users. Called Privacy Sandbox, it integrates the tracking directly into the Chrome browser.

Chrome analyzes the browsing data and assigns the user to interests groups. Websites and web advertising companies may use the information to display targeted ads. There is also an option for websites to assign certain interests to users. The system runs in the local browser, which, Google believes, is reason enough to use the term privacy to describe it.

You can disable these ad systems in Chrome for desktop systems and on Android; check out the linked guides to find out how.

Disable third-party cookies in Chrome

Block third-party cookies in Google Chrome

Most Internet users have no benefit from keeping third-party cookies enabled in their browsers. Very few may use services that require third-party cookies for functionality. The vast majority of websites and services works fine without third-party cookies.

It is therefore a good idea to test disabling third-party cookies in the web browser. If you run into problems, you can still enable the feature again to resolve it, or create exceptions for these rare cases.

Here is how that is done in Chrome:

  1. Load this page in Chrome’s address bar: chrome://settings/cookies. It opens the Cookies and other site data preferences.
  2. Select “block third-party cookies” under general. Chrome displays information about this when the option is set.

It states:

Sites can use cookies to improve your browsing experience, for example, to keep you signed in or to remember items in your shopping cart

Sites can’t use your cookies to see your browsing activity across different sites, for example, to personalize ads. Features on some sites may not work.

This is all that is required to block the use of cookies for tracking across different sites. Note that the change does not affect first-party cookies, which remain supported. These serve an important purpose, as they are often used to keep user’s signed in among other things.

All major browsers support options to turn off cookies entirely or only third-party ones. Most Internet users may want to block these cookies or configure their browsers to delete them regularly to limit tracking. Firefox users may want to check out this cookie banners article, as it explains how to do so in the browser.

Closing Words

Google’s crusade against cookies is self-preserving. The company makes most of its money from advertising and a lot of that money relies on tracking. The euphemistically called Privacy Sandbox is a continuation of that, albeit under different conditions.

The main danger of Privacy Sandbox is not that it continues to track users using a different system, but that it is an advertising system that is now integrated into a web browser. Google controls this web browser and also the open source core Chromium. Several developers of Chromium-based browsers announced that they won’t go along with Google, which is good for users of these browsers.

Problem is, Chrome has a commanding usage share and that means that the majority of Internet users will be enrolled automatically into the new system.

Now You: how do you handle third-party cookies on your devices?

Spacedrive: cross-platform file manager with a twist

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Spacedrive is an open source cross-platform file explorer that is powered by a virtual distributed filesystem written in Rust.

Note: the software is alpha at this point. It may contain bugs and issues, and its main purpose is testing at this stage. I experienced some hangs and issues during the test.

All modern operating systems come with file managers. Windows has its File Explorer, macOS Finder and Linux lots of them.

These file managers provide basic functionality. While that is usually sufficient to find, run, move or delete files, they are also lacking in many areas.

Windows’ File Explorer, for example, only lists data from connected drives. Anything that is not connected at the time is not displayed. Other issues may include a lack of organization, a messy interface, search that works so-so only or a focus on folders.

Spacedrive is a different kind of file manager

Spacedrive interface

Spacedrive uses virtualization to display files from any location that you have added in the past. This can be folders and files from different local, removable or network locations, and even files from different systems.

This location-based approach changes a core characteristic of traditional file managers.

When you launch Spacedrive for the first time, you are greeted with emptiness. The file manager displays files only from locations that you add to its virtual filesystem. The first task, therefore, is to press the Add Location button to add a location to it.

The app supports local drives and partitions, folders, network drives as well as removable drives. Spacedrive indexes the content so that it remains visible in the app even after the storage location is disconnected.

The developers describe Spacedrive in the following way:

Organize files across many devices in one place. From cloud services to offline hard drives, Spacedrive combines the storage capacity and processing power of your devices into one personal distributed cloud, that is both secure and intuitive to use.

The Virtual Distributed Filesystem

At its core, Spacedrive’s virtual distributed filesystem (VDFS) is keeping a record of all storage locations that users added to the application. Record is another word for index. This index is not restricted to a single device or machine either, which is one of the main advantages of the technology.

The developers point to a UC Berkeley research paper by Haoyuan Li, which offers information on the underlying VDFS concept. The focus of the paper was on cloud computing, but the developers of Spacedrive say that the concepts apply to consumer software as well.

The core idea is not new. Applications such as DiskCat for Windows index drives or disks and make the data available even while offline. These solutions are not as advanced as this one and often not open source, but the main idea is similar.

What you can do with Spacedrive right now

Media viewer in Spacedrive

The current version lets you add local and network locations to the virtual filesystem. Support for adding devices is coming in the future.

Select the add location option and pick a drive letter or folder on a connected drive. Spacedrive indexes the location so that it remains accessible, even if disconnected.

The app lists all indexed files in its interface. It supports three display modes currently: grid, list and media view. The first two modes list all files, the last only media files. Options to change the size of icons and sorting are also available already.

You may then browse individual locations or all data. A search is provided to find files across all locations quickly. Double-click on a file to launch it using the default file viewer or press the Space-key to display it in the program’s own quick viewer.

Options to edit files, e.g., rename or delete files, are also provided. You may add tags to files and create new tag categories. These may then be accessed in the sidebar directly.

A check of the preferences lists options to switch between light and dark mode, change display formats and even keybindings. There is a lot to explore already.

The future

The developers of Spacedrive have big plans for the app. The roadmap lists a key manager, to use encryption, an AirDrop-like feature and cloud integration as the next features in versions 0.2 and 0.3 of the file manager.

That is not all though. The roadmap reveals plans to add extensions supported, a media encoder, encrypted vaults, a timeline feature and much more.

Verdict

Spacedrive may not be ready for use in production environments, it is alpha software after all. It is one of those projects that you want to keep an eye on, as it is ambitious and could turn out to become an interesting app for many computer users.

Photographers or media archivers, for example, may use it to keep an always up-to-date index of all their media files, regardless of location.

Firefox 120 will block cookie banners, but only in Germany

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla plans to enable cookie banner blocking in Firefox 120, but initially only in Germany. Other regions will follow at later point in time. Firefox users may, however, enable the blocking already.

Many websites display cookie consent banners to users. These banners give website visitors a choice regarding the use of cookies.

Cookies are data that websites may save on the local system. The sites may read the data in future visits. Cookies are useful, as they may keep the user signed-in or store preferences. Cookies are also used for tracking purposes.

The rise of cookie banners coincided with new regulatory laws in the European Union, California and some other regions. The main idea was to put users in control again in regards to cookies.

What was once thought of as a good idea turned into a huge annoyance for users. More or less all websites display cookie banners to users now, which often means that users have to interact with these banners frequently.

It is an annoyance, especially since there is no “don’t allow” default option that the browser sends automatically. Users who delete cookies regularly will get these banners in each browsing session.

Firefox 120: cookie banners be gone

Mozilla plans to introduce automation in Firefox 120 in Germany to block cookie banners and select “decline” whenever possible. The web browser will block cookie banners that include an option to refuse all but necessary cookies.

It should be clear that users will continue to see cookie banners. There is no standard for showing them to users and sites may use third-party scripts or custom scripts for the functionality.

Still, Firefox 120 will block common cookie banners, which should reduce the number of banners that users see while using the browser.

How to enable cookie banner blocking in Firefox

Firefox Cookie Banner blocking preferences

Mozilla plans to launch the feature in Germany only, but all Firefox users may configure the browser to block banners. I mentioned this back in 2022 on Ghacks.

  1. Load about:config in the Firefox address bar.
  2. Use the search field at the top to find cookiebanners.service.mode.
  3. Change the value of the preference to 1.
  4. Change the value of cookiebanners.service.mode.privateBrowsing to 1 as well. This enables the functionality in the private browsing mode.
  5. Restart Firefox.

The preference supports three values:

  • 0 — disables the feature. In other words, no cookie banners are blocked.
  • 1 — blocks all known cookie banners and does nothing otherwise.
  • 2 — blocks all known cookie banners and accepts any cookie banner otherwise.

Dealing with cookies

Tracking is severely limited if third-party cookies are blocked in the browser. Other options include deleting cookies and site data regularly.

Firefox ships with tracking protection functionality. While not as good as a true content blocker, such as uBlock Origin, it is better than nothing.

Blocking third-party cookies is a good idea to reduce tracking. Firefox makes this a bit complicated, as it does not offer a simple switch to turn off third-party cookies like Chromium-based browsers do.

  1. Load about:preferences#privacy in the browser’s address bar.
  2. Select the Custom option under Enhanced Tracking Protection.
  3. In the cookies menu, select “All cross-site cookies (may cause websites to break)”.

This blocks third-party cookies in the browser. Note that some, very few, sites may not work properly with this setting.

Closing Words

Several browsers deal with cookie banners automatically. Brave Browser has a cookie consent blocking feature and so does Vivaldi Browser.

Mozilla is a bit late to the party, but better late than never, especially if the feature improves usability. Firefox 120 will be released on November 21, 2023.

Now You: how do you deal with cookie banners? (via Sören Hentzschel)

How to deal with Service Handler requests in browsers

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Most modern web browsers may display service handler requests when you visit certain websites. Chromium-based browsers display an icon in the address bar that shows two connected squares.

The mysterious icon displays “page wants to install a service handler” or a similar message on hover. A click displays an interactive menu.

You may allow, deny or ignore the request using it. There is also an option to manage existing service handlers.

What browsers like Chrome fail to do is explain what a service handler. Most users who never encountered the term before may not know what to do with the request.

Service Handler 101

Operating systems link file types and services with applications. This can be a local installed application, say an image viewer that is used to display photos and images, but also a web service.

Web applications like Gmail, Google Calendar and many others, may act as so called Service Handlers. It is just another term for an app that will load associated content. Note that protocol handler is used as a synonym.

Mozilla describes protocol handlers in the following way on its Developer Network website:

A protocol handler is an application that knows how to handle particular types of links: for example, a mail client is a protocol handler for “mailto:” links. When the user clicks a “mailto:” link, the browser opens the application selected as the handler for the “mailto:” protocol (or offers them a choice of handlers, depending on their settings).

Google Calendar, for example, may become the service handler for all calendar links on all webpages. When you click on such a link, Google Calendar is opened. The same principle works for other services, including email, image and video editing, 3D modelling, or conferencing.

Not all web users want web services to become Service Handlers. If you use a local calendar app, you may not want Google Calendar to handle these links.

Managing Handlers in Browsers

All Chromium-based browsers, including Google Chrome, Brave, Microsoft Edge and Vivaldi, support service handlers. Mozilla’s Firefox web browser and browsers that use its source support similar functionality.

The feature is enabled by default and the browser displays the icon in the address bar whenever the webpage supports it.

A click on the icon displays the interactive menu. You may block the icon by selecting ignore or deny. It is unclear how these two differ, but ignore may be temporary.

Allow, on the other hand, makes the web app the protocol handler for the listed item(s).

Chrome Protocol Handlers management

Load chrome://settings/handlers in the browser’s address bar to manage existing options.

The page lists options to change the default behavior. Websites and apps may “ask to handle protocols” by default. You may switch that to “don’t allow sites to handle protocols”, if you never want to see these requests again.

All allowed, blocked or ignored websites and apps are also listed here. You may remove them from the listing to reset their status.

Closing Words

All browsers give users a choice when it comes to service handlers. The requests may be handled on a case-by-case basis, but there is also an option to disable it entirely. Which choice is best for you depends on how you use your computer and Internet services. If you, for example, use Gmail on the Web, you may want mailto links opened in Gmail. This is configured using service handlers.

sony ps5 slim

Refreshed PlayStation 5: slimmer, lighter and slightly more storage

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Sony released the original PlayStation 5 console in two versions three years ago. One PS5 included a Blu-Ray disc drive, the other did not.

This initial version of the PS5 won’t be available for much longer. Sony unveiled a new, slimmer version of the PlayStation 5. This version will replace the classic version of the console this year.

The new model is lighter and slimmer, but that is not the only difference. Sony plans to replace the original model with the new one. Old models are no longer in production but they remain available until the remaining stock is depleted.

Sony PlayStation 5 Slim

Refreshed Sony PlayStation 5 with detachable disc drive

The new version of the PS5 is slimmer and lighter than the classic version. While not called Slim by Sony, it is definitely a smaller version. The new PS5 is offered in two versions, one with a Blu-Ray disc, the other without, just like the original models.

The weight of the disc-based version drops from 3.9 kg to 3.2 kg and dimensions shrink to 36 x 10 x 22 cm from 39 x 10 x 26 cm.

The disc-less model’s weight is 2.6 kg, down from 3.4 kg, and the size shrinks to 36 x 8 x 22 cm from 39 x 9 x 26 cm.

Weight and dimensions are not the only characteristics that change. Owners of the disc-less version may purchase a Blu-Ray drive to turn it into a PS5 console with disc drive. The new Blu-Ray drive may be attached to the console. It is sold separately for 79.99 USD | 119.99 EURO | 99.99 GBP | 11,980 JPY according to Sony. The add-on drive is only compatible with the new PS5, not the classic disc-less version.

This is not the only difference though. The consoles include a a horizontal stand. A vertical stand may be purchased separately for 29.99 USD | 29.99 EURO | 24.99 GBP | 3,980 JPY.

Last but not least, PS5 Console Covers will become available in early 2024. These will change the look of the console. Covers start at 54.99 USD | 54.99 EUR | 44.99 GBP | 7,480 JPY.

Refreshed Sony PlayStation 5: hardware changes and price

Sony’s new PlayStation 5 models use the same hardware components as the classic versions, with one exception. The hard drives of both models have a size of 1 TB now, compared to 825 GB of the old models.

The new PS5 models have two USB-C ports at the front and one USB-A port at the back. The original version has an USB-C and an USB-A port in the front. Everything else looks identical.

Availability of the new consoles

The new PlayStation 5 models will be released in November in the United States. The price of the disc version is $499.99 and the price of the disc-less version $449.99. The base price of the disc-less version jumped by $50.

Here is the retail price in other regions:

Europe

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – 549.99 EUR
  • PS5 Digital Edition – 449.99 EUR

UK

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – 479.99 GBP
  • PS5 Digital Edition – 389.99 GBP

Japan

  • PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive – 66,980 JPY (includes tax)
  • PS5 Digital Edition – 59,980 JPY (includes tax)

The new models will roll out worldwide soon thereafter according to Sony.

Verdict

The new Sony PlayStation 5 Slim console is different from the original one in several ways. The option to purchase the Blu-Ray drive as an add-on is a welcome addition. The console offers 175 GB of extra storage, which is always great, considering that games can easily exceed 100 GB nowadays.

No USB-A port on the front may make it more difficult for some users to play on the system while the controller is charging. There is also the question of heat and whether the slimmer design has an impact on that. It is hotter on average than the larger, but older, models?

Most owners of the original PS5 won’t likely migrate to the new console. The extra bit of storage and the slimmer dimensions may tempt some, however. I’d wait for tests to come out to make sure that heating is not a problem in these newer versions.

The increased price of the digital version makes it even less attractive than before. It is just $50 cheaper than the disc-based version, which allows PS5 owners to share games with friends and resell purchased games.

Now You: do you own a PS5 or plan to?

Why you should make use of Virtual LAN (Guest Wi-Fi)

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Guest Wi-Fi, or more precisely virtual LAN, is a feature of many Internet routers. It adds another wireless networking option, which is fully separated from the main local network.

The term Guest Wi-Fi refers to one of its primary purposes: to allow guests to connect their devices to the Internet using a wireless connection. There is more to virtual LAN than that, however.

Many modern devices ask for Internet connectivity. Some work perfectly well without, but others require this connectivity to be of any use. Basic examples of devices that fall into the latter category include Amazon Fire TV and Alexa, most Google Home devices and most virtual assistant services.

Many devices support Internet connectivity; these can be printers, scanners or web cameras, but also a growing assortment of, often, perplexing devices that include toaster ovens, toothbrushes or refrigerators.

All of these devices are on the same local network by default, which is bad.

A story of a Printer, Amazon and Printer Ink emails

A user posted an interesting story on Hacker News the other day. They revealed that they have been receiving emails from Amazon about printer ink reorders frequently. Amazon knew about the printer and ink consumption, but the user did not know how.

The user had an Amazon Echo device connected to the local network. It turned out that Amazon’s device was picking up information that the printer provided to any device of the local network. In other words, Amazon knew when and what the user printed. It used the information to estimate printer ink use to send printer ink offers to the user.

Guest Wi-Fi may prevent this

Guest Wi-Fi connection on Android

The use of a virtual LAN might prevent this data leakage from happening. You would have to enable the guest Wi-Fi option in the router and connect one of the two devices to it.

Not all routers support virtual LAN functionality and some only with limited functionality. You may open the router’s dashboard on the local network to check if you find Guest Wi-Fi or a similarly named feature there.

The only step left is to connect the devices that you want to isolate to the new wireless network, effectively cutting it off from the local one.

These devices retain Internet connectivity, but they can’t communicate with devices that are not connected to the Guest Wi-fi anymore.

There may be other solutions, depending on setup. Some devices can be connected using cables. If you don’t require Internet connectivity for a device, say a printer, you could connect it using cables only. This would remove an attack vector as well.

The advantages and disadvantages of Guest Wi-Fi

Virtual networks offer several advantages over connecting all devices to a single network:

  • Connected devices are isolated from the rest of the network, which means that they are blocked from interacting with the home network. This offers several advantages:
    • The devices can’t collect personal data anymore from the main network.
    • Attacks that exploit issues in Guest Wi-Fi devices can’t penetrate the local network anymore.
  • Another key point is that you don’t need to share the main wireless LAN password with guests.
  • Last but not least, you may turn off wireless access for these devices at any time.

Even though Guest Wi-fi offers advantages, it is equally important to understand certain disadvantages.

  • Most routers support just a single virtual network. If you connect multiple devices to it, these devices may share information. Ideally, you’d put all IoT devices on a separate VLAN.
  • Some devices may require access to local data or other devices. If you want to cast from your PC to your TV, you need them on the same network. Others may flat out refuse to work without home network connection.
  • The configuration options of virtual networks may be limited.

Closing Words

It is a good idea to enable Guest Wi-Fi, if supported by the router. Some IoT device connections may be switched to improve security and privacy. While it may not be possible to migrate every device, it may also be a good idea to assess the status quo of all devices with Internet connectivity. Do all of these require an active Internet connection?

Now You: do you use Guest Wi-Fi on your network?

Windows Backup is not a “real” backup solution

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft developed a new app for Windows 10 and 11, called Windows Backup, which is rolling out to systems that install the latest updates for these operating systems.

Previous backup options, such as File History, remain available for now.

The backup application uses Microsoft OneDrive to save some data. While that sounds like a good feature on paper, it is far away from that.

Windows Backup: the functionality

Windows Backup main interface

Windows users may run Windows Backup from the Start Menu. Open the Start Menu, type Windows Backup and select the result.

The application opens after a brief moment. It displays the “Let’s back up your PC” screen on start. The app lists the various backup elements in the middle, the estimated storage space on OneDrive, and back up and cancel buttons.

Apps, Settings, and Credentials are automatically transferred if the user is signed-in with a Microsoft account. Only the content listed under Folders is not.

Windows Backup lists just the special folders for backup there: Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music. The app may omit some folders, especially if they don’t contain any user files. There is no option to select a custom folder for backup.

Each supported folder is listed with its size and a toggle to remove it from the task. A click on back up transfers the files to OneDrive.

The length of the process depends on the number of files in the selected folders. There is no option to restore files directly from the app. You need to open OneDrive, either on the local system or online, to access the files and restore them to the local system.

The “other” sources that backup uses

Windows Backup supports backing up information about apps, settings and credentials.

  • Remember installed apps and pinned app preferences.
  • Remember Windows settings and preferences: accessibility, language preferences and dictionary, other Windows settings, personalization.
  • Remember Wi-Fi networks and other passwords.

Here is what’s wrong with the Backup app

Windows users may only use the app if they sign-in with a Microsoft Account. Additionally, it can’t be used if Enterprise or Education accounts are used to sign-in.

If there is one point to criticize, it is the lack of backup options. Windows Backup supports backing up just the special folders. There is no option to select custom folders, let alone back up an entire drive.

Windows users who want to back up these folders can do so already using OneDrive, which is also available on Windows PCs.

Even File History, which remains available, supports backing up any folder to local drives or network drives.

The Windows Backup app lacks any option to restore files using it in addition. While Windows uses the backups on new PC setups or resets, it is the extent of the feature.

Not surprisingly is the focus on OneDrive as the only backup location, at least currently. All Microsoft account users get some OneDrive storage free of charge, but it is only 5 gigabytes. Microsoft charges a monthly subscription fee if users require more storage. Since OneDrive is the only option, there is little that users can do about that.

Manage Backups

Windows users may open Start > Settings Accounts > Windows Backup to control the backups. There, they may deselect the syncing of preferences and also add or remove folders from the backup process.

Note that these settings are specific to the active PC. There is no option to manage the backups of other Windows PCs from the Settings.

How to remove Windows Backup

Windows Backup is a system component. As such, it is not possible to remove it from the Windows device according to Microsoft.

A better backup alternative

There are quite a few free backup solutions available for Windows. The one that I use is Paragon Backup & Recovery, which ticks all the right boxes. Free, lets you back up files, folders, disks and the operating system, schedule backups and includes recovery options.

It is a full backup solution for Windows. You do need a second hard drive or optical disk device for the backups though, as cloud backups are not supported by it.

Now You: which backup application do you use?