In about a week, Amazon is removing the ability to download Kindle ebooks to non-Amazon devices

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Ebooks can be a great alternative to traditional books. They do not weight anything, which means that you can carry around hundreds if not thousands of books effortlessly. They also come with extra features, like the ability to search books.

If you have bought ebooks in the past, you may know that you do not really own the books. Like most digital content, you get a license to use the book. This license can be revoked at any time and you do not have any say in the matter. If you are lucky, you get a refund. Besides outright removal, rightsholders may also update books at any time.

You are probably wondering what this has to do with Amazon. Well, Amazon is taking away a fundamental feature of its ebook store that existed for a long time: the ability to download your ebooks to your PC, Mac, and other devices that are not owned by Amazon.

Here is why that is bad. Currently, you have an option to download any ebook you bought from Amazon to a computer, say, a Windows PC. When you do that, you store the book in a place that Amazon has no control over. It cannot remove the book from the computer nor can it updated the book. Even if the book gets removed from Amazon’s ebook store, you retain that copy on your device.

This option is removed on February 26, 2025. Means, you only get the option to load ebooks onto Amazon Kindle devices. Amazon does have control over these. It can remove books from Kindle devices or push updates to the devices.

Another example of why that is bad for you. If you get locked out of your Amazon account, close it, or get banned by Amazon for whatever reason, you will lose access to all of the books that you bought.

So, if you own Kindle ebooks, you may want to download them before February 26 to a device that Amazon has no control over. You can do that by accessing the Content Library on Amazon’s website, selecting the “more actions” option, and then download & transfer via USB.

Note that you cannot do so anymore when you buy books after February 26th, as Amazon is removing it.

Now it is your turn. Do you buy digital content or prefer to buy physical content, if possible? Let us know in the comments.

Chromium’s feature to limit installed extensions is still great

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Browser extensions are great. They improve usability and functionality on the Internet. From blocking ads and tracking over creating screenshots to improving password management or games.

All extensions come with a manifest file. This file defines rights and permissions. One of these sets the websites the extension is designed to run on. This can be a single website, part of a domain, or on the entire Internet.

Chromium has a great usability feature to limit the access of extensions. You can use it for the following:

  • Allow an extension to only run on sites you select.
  • Block an extension from running automatically. Make it run only when you want it to.

This may sound complicated, but it can increase privacy or performance significantly. Here is how you use the feature.

Limiting extensions in Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers

Chrome menu to limit extensions

Make sure you have one extension installed. This works in Chrome, Brave, and many other Chromium-based browsers.

  1. Right-click on the icon of the extension in the toolbar of the browser. Some extension icons may not be displayed. You find them when you click on the general extensions icon in that case.
  2. Move the cursor over “This can read and change site data”.
  3. Select one of the following options:
    • When you click the extension: this prevents the extension from running automatically when the website is opened. You need to click on its icon to load it.
    • On “sitename”: this allows the extension to run on the active website.
    • On “all sites”: this allows the extension to run on all websites (it is configured for).

Some notes:

  • Functionality of some extensions may be reduced or not available when you select the click to run option. A prime example for this are ad blockers, which need to run when the site loads.
  • When you select the option to run an extension on a specific site, it is set to “click to run” on any other site you have not picked.
  • You may modify the setting at any time.

The list of allowed sites is manageable. You find it under Chrome menu > Extensions > Details of the extensions.

There you see “site access”, which lists all allowed sites. You may also add new sites there, if you prefer that.

Closing Words

The ability to restrict extension access in Chrome can be mighty useful. While it depends on the installed extensions, it may limit extension access to sites that you want to use the extensions on.

Sometimes, you may need extension functionality on a single site only. With this feature, you can do that exactly.

Mozilla has the feature “under development” apparently, but this has been the case for more than three years. Will it ever be a part of Firefox? I do not know.

What is your take on the feature? Do you use it actively, or is it the first time you hear about it? Let everyone know in the comment section below.

Microsoft is deprecating Windows 11’s Location History feature

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

After two months of not adding anything new to the list of deprecated features, Microsoft has added another feature to the list of features that will eventually be removed from its Windows 11 operating system.

This time, it is the Location History feature that has been put on the list by Microsoft.

Microsoft says that it is an API that was used by Cortana to “access 24 hours of device history when location was enabled”. With Cortona no longer playing a role at Microsoft, it is put to rest as well.

As far as the effect of the removal is concerned, Microsoft notes that location data will “no longer be saved locally”. Furthermore, the corresponding settings under Settings > Privacy & Security > Location will also be removed in the process.

Location History in Settings of Windows 11 24H2

The option to clear the Location history in the Settings will be removed.

As always, Microsoft does not say when it plans to remove the feature exactly. Best guess is that it could be removed as part of the 2025 feature update for Windows 11. For now though, it remains available on Windows 11 devices.

The end of Cortana

Back in 2023, Microsoft announced that it would retire the Cortana application for Windows later that year. The personal assistant Cortana was created at a time when personal assistants were en vogue. Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa were popular services back when Microsoft created its personal assistant.

Microsoft removed Cortana in Teams and other apps in the fall of 2023 and several other Cortana-related features in 2024 in favor of AI. It is rather funny that Cortana’s Windows-specific features have been more powerful than those of Microsoft’s AI Copilot.

Display the weather on the Windows taskbar (without Widgets)

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system displays the Widgets icon on the taskbar by default. It was updated recently to show weather information. If you do not use Widgets, but like the weather information, you can use a third-party alternative.

Tray Weather is an open source application for Windows to display weather information in the System Tray area.

Weather Tray shows two icons in this configuration (weather and temperature)

Good news is that it supports multiple weather providers, and one of them does not require an account or API access.

The details:

  • Weather Tray is compatible with Windows 7 and newer versions of Windows, including Windows 11.
  • Setup is a bit fiddly, but not too complicated.

You can download the latest version of the program from the project’s GitHub repository.

Windows will display a security dialog when you execute setup, because the application is not signed. Setup itself is straightforward, but it is necessary to make a few changes in the configuration and in Windows.

Lets talk about the program’s configuration first. Here you make a number of important decisions regarding the program:

  • Select OpenMeteo API under Weather Data Provider to get weather data without API requirement.
  • Make sure the set location is correct or change it.
  • Switch the measurement units, modify graph temperatures, and opacity.
  • Pick an icon for display on the taskbar. The default displays a representative icon of the weather, e.g., a sun or clouds. You can switch that to temperature or combinations.
  • Add or remove information from the icon’s tooltip. The default displays the location, current weather, and temperature only. You may add information such as air quality, wind speed, humidity, ground pressure, and more to it.
  • Change the time between updates from the 15 minute default.

Windows may not display the icon of the app by default in the system tray area. On Windows 11 for example, you need to enable it first so that it displays all the time.

Right-click on a blank space on the taskbar and select Taskbar Settings. Expand “Other system tray icons” on the page that opens and toggle Weather Tray to display it permanently.

That is as far as configurations are concerned.

Closing Words

Weather Tray may not have the prettiest icons, but it works well, is open source, and does not get in your way with other content that you may not want. It is an excellent option for Windows users who would like to display weather information on their systems.

What is your take on this? Do you use little helper apps like Weather Tray on your devices? Let us know in the comments down below.

Reddit

Reddit plans to improve search with AI-powered answers

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Search engines were among the first to push AI answers. These use artificial intelligence to generate answers for user queries and are often placed prominently.

If you ask me, these are hit or miss. Sometimes, they provide answers that are dead on. At other times, they recommend to eat one rock per day.

Reddit, which calls itself the homepage of the Internet, has launched its own AI-tool Answers some time ago.

Answers works like other AI communication tools. You write something and get a response. You may then refine or ask follow-up questions, and get another response.

In its latest earnings call, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman announced that the company was working on AI-powered search results.

Reddit’s integrated search feature does not use AI currently. It returns subreddits and posts based on the user’s query. Since it works so-so, some users prefer to use regular search engines instead to find content on Reddit.

Techcrunch reports that Reddit plans to launch an “upgraded search experience” this year. This is achieved by integrating Answers into search.

For Huffman, the integration is just the first step to go head-to-head with search engine giant Google.

He said:

I think helping the user be able to search directly on Reddit, refine their queries on Reddit, eventually come directly to Reddit for those types of queries, and even integrating search into something like onboarding over time..

So, instead of going to Google, Bing, or another search engine to find answers, Reddit users might start their searches on Reddit and stay on Reddit. That seems to be the vision of Reddit’s CEO.

How search engines will react to this remains to be seen. Reddit may be a massive site, but it still pales in comparison to the traffic that Google or Microsoft gets.

I expect more AI integration in more search tools and more communities going forward. Good news is that these can be ignored largely or removed.

What is your take on AI-powered search? Something that you use, are interested in, or ignore? Feel free to leave a comment about it below.

Obscura client macOS

Obscura VPN partners with Mullvad to create two-party VPN service

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

VPN services offer an excellent way to improve privacy while online. To be precise, good VPN services do, while bad ones either leak your data or sell it outright.

Mullvad is considered to be one of the best when it comes to online privacy. The Sweden-based provider gets audited by third-parties regularly and offers several options to purchase access anonymously.

Mullvad announced this week that it has entered a partnership with Obscura VPN.

The core idea is simple: Obscura VPN uses Mullvad’s servers as exit nodes for its customers. This means, in essence, that the traffic of Obscura VPN customers flows through two independent systems.

In other words, neither Mullvad or Obscura have full control over the data. This may remind you of how Tor operates, or how some VPN services offer multi-hop connections.

The latter pushes the connection through two or more servers in different countries to improve privacy. The difference is that a single VPN provider is in control of all servers.

As for Tor, it uses a three-hop system and comes close to what Obscura offers. Tor is largely operated by volunteers, which means that it can be slow at times and that denial of service attacks happen regularly on top of that.

I published a guide about using multiple VPN services on a single system. It involves virtual systems, which allow you to chain-link as many VPN connections as you like.

Privacy by design, says Obscura

The system that Obscura uses to protect the privacy of users connected to the service. Source: Obscura

Obscura claims that the system that it uses never sees a user’s browsing history while using the VPN. Here is how Obscura explains it on its website:

  • Obscura uses Mullvad for exit hops. This means that it does not know which websites users access.
  • Mullvad operates the exit hops, but it does not know the customer. Obscura says that it is masking a user’s real IP address when traffic is relayed to the exit server.

Obscura is available for $6 per month as a starting offer. The regular price is $8 per month according to the website. Users can pay via Credit Card or Bitcoin over Lightning.

One downside right now is that there appears to be a client for macOS only.

Closing Words

The idea behind Obscura VPN is interesting. Combine two VPN services to increase security. The new company still has to prove itself and pass audits. The app code is open source, which is a good start. Support for additional platforms is a must.

What is your take on this? Do you use a VPN service? Would you use a service that offered Obscura’s system? Please leave a comment down below to let us know.

Stellantis testing annoying ads in infotainment systems of cars

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Most modern cars come with infotainment systems. These control a variety of functions, including the radio, calls, navigation and more.

It was only a matter of time before some car manufacturers started to play with the idea of displaying ads on those screens to their customers to increase their profit margin.

Stellantis, the fourth-largest manufacturer of cars, owns brands such as Jeep, Fiat, Maserati, Opel, Peugot, or Chrysler. It seems that someone at Stellantis must have that idea of displaying ads to customers, as owners of Jeeps are now flocking to social media to report that their car’s infotainment system is pestering them with ads.

Here is what happens: ds are displayed whenever the car stops. They display on the screen and may be closed with a tap on the close icon. Problem is, there does not appear to be a setting to disable the display of ads entirely.

This means that, whenever an affected owner stops at a red light, an ad is shown. Drivers who want to look a the navigational map or make changes to the radio cannot, unless they close the ad first.

The ad, interestingly named “Purchase Peace of Mind”, is always shown. There is no variance, and there is no option to get rid of it by saying “no”. The reason for that is simple: the ad uses dark patterns. There is no “I do not want to, please do not bother me again” option.

The response would probably be better if Stellantis would sell an adblocker called “Peace of Mind” to its customers.

You can only close it, only to see the exact same thing again on the next stop of the car. Talk about frustrating experiences.

Here is a video in which the issue is discussed in detail:

This development may lead to the rise of adblockers for cars or specialized services that block ads in cars or disable online connectivity.

What is your take on this? Would you buy a car that had an infotainment system with these kind of ads? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Using “last used” as a metric for software uninstallation on Windows

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Even careful Windows users may accumulate a good number of software programs over the years. Some of these are used daily or weekly, while others may sit idly on the hard drive for months or years without any use.

It is certainly possible to use a program just once every six months or once a year, but some of these may not be needed anymore. The old web browser that you no longer use, a program that you tried and forgot to remove, or a game that you no longer play.

While you can go through the list of programs manually, you may also use the “last used” metric to find these programs easily.

Windows 11’s own list in the Settings app under Apps > Installed apps shows the install date, but not last used date. For that, you need to look elsewhere.

Using Last-Used to find old installed programs

Wise Program Uninstaller is a free program for Windows that is a popular option when it comes to the removal of applications on Windows systems. It is compatible with Windows 11 and also older versions of Windows, down to Windows XP.

It needs a moment on first run to display the installed programs. Each ist listed with its name, size and installation date. Next to that is the last used metric.

Wise Program Uninstaller may display date ranges, such as “within 1 week”, “7 month(s) ago”, or “1 year ago” there.

The last used column in Wise Program Uninstaller

A click on the last used column header sorts the data accordingly. One click displays the programs that were not used for a long time at the top. Note that the information may be missing from some apps. This is the case, for instance, when they were never run.

All that is left now is to select one or multiple apps for removal. Hit the uninstall button in the program interface afterwards and keep the settings. A System Restore Point is created in that case and a leftover scan is run after the actual removal of the applications from the Windows PC.

Note: Wise Program Uninstaller uses the default uninstaller of the selected applications. You may need to interact with them to commence the removal. You may want to save all open work before you start using the app, as automatic restarts may happen, depending on the software that you remove.

Most unused programs are not problematic, apart from them using disk space. Removing them may still be beneficial, especially if your system is low on free disk space or will be in the future.

Do you keep a keen eye on the list of installed programs on your systems? What is the program that you have not used in a long time that is still on your PC’s hard drive? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Brave Browser gets support for injecting scripts into websites

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Remember userscripts? These little scripts are a useful alternative to browser extensions. They can be used for lots of things, most often for changing something on websites, like removing elements.

Brave Software announced support for scriplets in the company’s Brave Browser today. These work similarly to userscripts. Users of the browser may add scriptlets to Brave so that they run on selected sites automatically.

The new feature has landed in Brave 1.75, the current stable version of the browser.

Good to known: the process is fiddly right now. You need to enable developer mode, add the scriptlets yourself, and assign websites to these scriplets using custom filters.

Here is how it works in detail:

  1. Load the Content Filters section of the settings. The easiest option is to load this URL: brave://settings/shields/filters
  2. Toggle Developer Mode to turn it on.
  3. Activate the “add new scriplet” button on the same page after enabling developer mode.
  4. Type a name for the scriptlet. You may want to avoid spaces.
  5. Type or paste the code of the script.
  6. Select the Save button.
  7. Now use the following syntax to assign the scriptlet to specific websites: example.com##+js(name-of-your-scriptlet.js)
  8. Select the save changes button.

Notes:

  • Replace example.com with the hostname of the website, e.g., chipp.in.
  • Replace name-of-your-scriptlet.js with the name that you have specified during creation.

Brave will execute the script whenever the matching domain is visited.

You can check out the technical documentation of the feature here.

Userscripts or Scriptlets?

Userscript extensions offer some advantages. They may load userscripts easily from various sources, and they may also update them. They also work in all browsers, which is great if you use multiple browsers.

Brave’s solution supports pasting scripts, but it is still fiddly to link them to specific sites and maintain them.

With that said, it may be interesting to advanced users who prefer to avoid extensions whenever possible.

I cannot really say how Brave’s integrated solution compares to userscripts. It is more powerful, equally powerful, or less?

What is your take on the integration? Good move by Brave?

Google Chrome is getting an automatic picture-in-picture mode

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google plans to roll out an automatic picture-in-picture mode in Chrome 134. The browser will be released next month. When it does, Chrome may continue to show video content on certain sites when the user scrolls away from the video content.

This feature works for the most part identical to that of Mozilla Firefox, which has had the feature for some time now.

Google has added a few safeguards to the feature. In particular, automatic picture-in-picture kicks only in if..

  • The site uses a secure connection (https).
  • Media is playing in the active window / tab.
  • Media played with sound for at least two seconds.
  • The media player needs to have set a handler for picture-in-picture.
  • Google uses heuristics next to that using media engagement, unless you explicitly allow a site to enable the mode.

Chrome users may allow or disallow automatic picture-in-picture mode, which gives them control over the feature.

Enable or disable Chrome’s auto picture-in-picture feature

You can give it a try in Chrome 134 or newer by following these instructions:

  1. Load chrome://flags/#auto-picture-in-picture-for-video-playback in the Chrome 134 or newer address bar.
  2. Set the value of the feature to enabled.
  3. Restart Google Chrome.

Note: the feature won’t be available on all sites at the time of writing. It does not work on YouTube for instance.

If you do not need the feature, you could set the value of the experimental flag to disabled to block it. This flag will be removed in the future though, which means that you do need to make changes to the settings in Chrome at that point to disable automatic picture-in-picture mode in Google Chrome.

Since it launches in Chrome, it is likely that it will also launch in other Chromium-based browsers in the future.

What is your take on this feature in general? Do you use it in another browser already? Feel free to leave a comment down below.