I took Opera Software’s new browser Air for a spin

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Opera Software launched a new web browser today. Called Opera Air, it is the second specialized browser by the company after Opera GX, a browser with a strong focus on gaming.

Opera Air is in early access. Opera says that it is “the world’s first browser with mindfulness at its core” that offers a “focused, balanced, and stress-free web” when used.

First, the basics. Opera Air is based on Chromium, which means that it offers the same excellent web compatibility and performance as other browsers that are based on it, including Google Chrome.

Apart from all the browsing, which you can still do, Opera has baked in several health features into the browser. These are:

  • Mindful Breaks – short or long exercises to recharge.
  • Exercises – breathing, full body, and neck exercises as well as medition.
  • Boosts – play binaural sounds to “boost creativity, relieve stress, stay focused, and more.

The features are accessible from a small floating panel on the left side of the browser window. When you select Boost, for instance, you get to select one of the available background sounds that you may play. These use different frequencies and help users relax, improve concentration or creativity, according to Opera. You can change the volume and hit the pause or stop button at any time.

The exercises take between four and 15 minutes to complete. Each comes with a very soothing male or female voice, and in-depth explanations. Note that only English appears to be supported for now. While Opera Air did display German text when I switched the interface language to German, the instructors were still using English for communication.

Pay attention to the installation

Opera Air installer

The installer uses a few dark patterns, which you can only avoid if you are careful. First, you need to make sure you display the installation options. If you don’t, you will end up with the following:

  • Opera as the default web browser.
  • Feature usage information is send to Opera.
  • Crash reports are send to Opera automatically.
  • Opera Air launches with the computer.

Furthermore, there is another screen, Help make Opera better, that asks for consent to gain general usage statistics, general interests based on articles a user reads in “news feed, searches, websites you visit”, and personalized content, news, and ads.

That screen has a big accept button and no “no thanks” button. You need to select “configure in settings” to avoid this.

Closing Words

Opera Software seems to have carved out a niche for itself in the browser world. After launching a browser for gamers, it is now launching a browser for Internet users who are interested in health.

This is certainly not a browser for everyone, but it could attract a certain type of user just like Opera GX has done already. If you like those, and do not want to use third-party apps or extensions that offer similar functionality, then it could be a browser that you might want to take for a test drive.

What is your take on Opera Air? Is a specialized browser like Air or GX of interest to you? Feel free to leave a comment down below to join the discussion.

Block Breaker Google Search

You can now play Block Breaker on Google

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google loves to add little easter eggs to its products. It is not uncommon for the company to add games to its search engine. When you run searches for Pac Man, Snake, or Minesweeper, you may get the chance to play that game directly on Google Search.

The latest addition to Google Searches’ growing list of games is Block Breaker. It is a Breakout or Arkanoid clone.

You control a paddle at the bottom of the screen with the left and right arrow keys on the keyboard. The goal is to destroy all bricks displayed at the top of the screen.

To start, hit the up arrow. This releases the first ball. Some bricks include bonuses that extend the paddle, add lasers to it, or release more balls. There are also maluses, like temporary slow downs for the paddle.

Levels change fluently, which means that you keep all extras and balls. This is an interesting take on the game, which put you back to a single ball and no extras on each level start.

How to play Block Breaker

Block Breaker Game on Google

To play Block Breaker, you need to access Google Search and run a search for Block Breaker.

Note: The search for the game appears limited to certain geographic regions. There is a workaround though apart from using a VPN.

Just load this link in your favorite browser. This should display the Block Breaker game at the top of the search results.

Hit the play button to get started. The game shows its basic controls on the first screen, so that you know what to do. You have three lives after which you get the game over screen.

A few basic controls are supported. You may turn the music off or enable fullscreen mode.

The game should work across all device types and browsers. You can play it on your mobile devices, desktop PCs, or tablets without issues.

Note that there is no progress saving of any kind. When you close the game and reopen it later, you start at the first level again. Block Breaker does remember the high score though.

Now You: do you play games online or locally? Anything great that you started playing recently?

Hide Gemini removes Google AI features on the Internet

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Google, just like Microsoft, puts lots of effort into adding its Gemini AI to its products. AI is changing the Internet as we know it.

There is the AI Overviews feature, which gives searches an AI generated answer on Google Search. Other examples include the Gemini button on properties such as Gmail or Google Docs.

Hide Gemini is a browser extension that removes Google AI features on Google sites. It does away with AI Overviews and most / all Gemini buttons that Google has added to its services.

The extension is available for Chromium-based browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, and Opera, and also Mozilla Firefox and Firefox-based browsers such as Mullvad Browser or Tor Browser.

Hide Gemini works automatically in the background. All you have to do is install it in your browser of choice. It either removes the AI content or uses CSS to hide it, so that it is not visible anymore when you access Google services such as Search or Gmail.

The developer notes that some AI content may still show up. One example is the “help we write” feature on Google Docs, which shows up in the canvas area. Temporary promotions that Google adds to its services may also be visible, even with the extension installed.

Extensions like Hide Gemini work well most of the time, but they work only when code is not changed by Google. Any change that Google makes to its sites may result in AI content being shown again, even with the extension installed.

This is only a temporary nuisance, provided that the developer reacts quickly and updates the extension to take the changes into account.

What is your take on AI features plastered on the web? Is that something that you use regularly or try to avoid as best as you can? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Windows 10

Microsoft cancels a Defender feature that gave subscribers a free VPN

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft introduced a new feature that it called Privacy Protection less than two years ago to Microsoft 365 Home and Family plans. The feature gave subscribers access to a VPN service along with 50 gigabytes of traffic per month.

Microsoft limited the feature to the Microsoft Defender app, subscribers, and users from a handful of countries only.

At this moment, Microsoft is sending out emails to users of the VPN that it is being cancelled.

The details:

  • The service will be pulled on February 28, 2025.
  • It affects Home and Family subscribers only.

About Privacy Protection: reason for its removal

I reviewed Privacy Protection back in 2024 on Ghacks. While bare bones, it was still miles ahead of Google’s offering, which I called the most basic VPN one could get. Interestingly enough, Google did shut down its Google One VPN in mid 2024 for many customers.

Microsoft explains on a support page that its goal is to ensure that subscribers “remain safer online” and that it decided to pull the feature after evaluation of its usage and effectiveness.

The company says that Windows, iOS, and macOS users do not need to take any action. Android users, who have used the feature, need to remove its VPN profile manually from their device.

These are the steps according to Microsoft:

  1. Go to your phone’s Settings app.
  2. Search for ‘VPN’ in the settings.
  3. If you’ve onboarded to privacy protection, you should see a ‘Microsoft Defender’ VPN profile in the list of VPN profiles.
  4. Use the info icon to tap on it and remove it.

Microsoft Edge Secure Network, a browser VPN integrated into Edge by Microsoft, does not appear to be affected by the change.

Closing Words

VPN solutions, like Microsoft’s Privacy Protection or Google’s One VPN feature, offered basic functionality when compared to dedicated VPN solutions. Heck, Google did not even support options like selecting a server to connect to.

Major features, like dual-hop connections, selecting different protocols, using obfuscation techniques, or kill switch functionality, were never supported.

This does not mean that the basic VPN solutions were useless. Users could still use the VPNs to protect their Internet traffic, especially in public places.

Now it is your turn. Do you use a VPN service sometimes or regularly? If so, which one is your favorite and why?

NordVPN says new Whisper protocol circumvents VPN filters, but details are scarce

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Using a VPN makes sense in a lot of situations. To protect your data when using networks that you do not have full control over, to protect your data from being sold by your ISP, or to access content that would be blocked otherwise.

Services and ISPs may use filters to limit the use of VPNs. This may lead to scenarios where you cannot access specific content while using a VPN.

NordVPN says that it has created a solution for the problem. Called NordWhisper, it is designed to disguise VPN traffic.

The company describes it in the following way:

While standard protocols using obfuscation techniques are effective on networks that prevent access to essential services or public resources, NordWhisper steps in when VPN-specific blocks make connecting to these networks more challenging. This protocol ensures users can browse securely in restricted networks.

NordWhisper mimics regular web traffic, making it more difficult for network filters to identify it. Essentially, it blends in with ordinary internet activity, providing users with a reliable way to browse on restricted networks while maintaining the same strong encryption and security as other VPN protocols.

One downside to using NordWhisper is that it may “be slower than other protocols” due to the way it works.

The feature will be integrated into NordVPN’s applications. First on Windows, Linux, and Android, but all other platforms will also be supported at a later point.

The feature has been in testing for some time. NordVPN customers may check for the availability of the new feature in the following way:

  1. Open the NordVPN application.
  2. Select Settings > Connection.
  3. Activate the menu next to VPN Protocol.

NordWhisper is listed as an option there, if the feature is available already. Tests will show how effective the new protocol really is and whether it can also be used for relatively mundane activities, such as accessing Netflix content in another region.

Regarding VPNs, do you use them? If so, which is your favorite and why? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge: scareware blocker is now available

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Microsoft has added a new security tool to its Edge browser. Called Scareware Blocker, it is designed to detect and prevent attacks that fall under scareware.

Good to know: Scareware attacks use pressure to get users to do something that they should not. Common types are warnings about viruses found or that data has been leaked or accessed.

The goal of the attack is to gain access to a user’s computer system. Scareware attacks may display phone numbers that are made to look like tech support numbers. When a user calls these numbers, agents at the other end of the line try their best to gain access to the users device, for instance using remote computing.

Scareware often uses a browser’s fullscreen mode to prevent that users go back or run other searches to find out more about what is displayed on their screen.

Tip: long-pressing the ESC-key will always get you out of Fullscreen-mode.

Microsoft Edge: Scareware Blocker

Microsoft announced the new security tool in 2024. It is now available as a preview in Edge.

Here are the key points of the feature:

  • Scareware Blocker needs to be enabled, at least currently while in preview.
  • It complements Defender SmartScreen, which blocks known scareware pages and sites already.
  • The blocker uses machine learning on the local computer to determine whether a webpage is running a Scareware attack potentially.

If Scareware Blocker’s analysis concludes that a webpage is likely running a scam attack, it is existing fullscreen mode automatically and displaying a warning to the user.

A suspicious site is intercepted by Edge. Source: Microsoft

It is possible to select continue to go back, which is useful if it is a false positiv. The close page button enables users to close the page instead. All other options to close the page are also available, as fullscreen mode is no longer active thanks to the intervention of the security feature.

Users may report scareware attacks to Microsoft. This helps Defender SmartScreen “detect scareware outbreaks across multiple machines”. Users may also report false positives to Microsoft.

Microsoft admits that Scareware Blocker won’t detect every scam, but that is true for any security feature or software.

How to enable Scareware Blocker in Microsoft Edge

Enable the feature in the Settings to use its protective functionality.

Note: the feature is only available in Microsoft Edge for Windows at the time of writing.

Here are the steps to enable the feature in Microsoft’s web browser:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge.
  2. Select Menu > Help > About Microsoft Edge to make sure the browser is up to date.
  3. Open Menu > Settings.
  4. Select Privacy, search, and services.
  5. Scroll down to the Security section on the page.
  6. Toggle “Scareware blocker” to enable the feature.

You can repeat the process at any time to disable the security feature again.

0-click attack promises to narrow down a user’s location geographically

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Internet users have a few weapons in their arsenal when it comes to disguising their location. Some have good reasons for wanting to do that, from making sure that activity cannot be traced back to them to watching streaming content that is available only in other regions, or paying less for certain goods and services.

Deanonymization attacks try to locate a user through various means. A simple one uses a device’s IP address to find out information about a user.

Deanonymization using Cloudflare

A security research has discovered a new method, one that does not require any user interaction at all. It relies on Cloudflare, which operates one of the largest content distribution networks and certain services, that use Cloudflare for caching.

The main idea behind the attack is this: Cloudflare caches content and there is a way to check cached content on Cloudflare. All you have to do is send a unique file to a user before checking Cloudflare caches for hits. Cloudflare does not cache the unique file in all datacenters, if it is accessed only by a single user.

As a result, you get a hit in a datacenter that is close to the user. Usually, it is the nearest datacenter. Cloudflare operates hundreds of data centers in the world. While that still means that you get a radius of a few hundred kilometers or more, you can still narrow down a user’s location, provided that no other means of disguising the location are used.

The researcher describes the attack using Signal and Discord. In Signal, there are two options. The first sends an image to a user, which requires that the target opens the conversation. If the target has push notifications enabled, this one-click attack turns into a 0-click attack, as the attachment is shown already as part of the notification. All it takes afterwards is to check CloudFlare datacenters to find the one that has cached it (first).

On Discord, users can use custom emojis if they have a Nitro subscription. They can show the custom emoji in their status, which means that anyone opening the profile of the user may have their approximate location checked using Cloudflare.

Combined with GeoGuesser, which is a private Discord bot, it could be used to narrow down a user’s location.

Closing Words

While the attack still means that a radius of several hundred kilometers is returned, it may be possible to combine this attack with others, or use it regularly.. The attack may provide important information on its own, but if done regularly, it could help identify a user who is moving around a lot (e.g. for work).

There is little that users can do to prevent this kind of attack. One option is to disable the auto-accepting of attachments and media, another the use of VPN servers or other means of disguise.

NoBloatBox is another app to take care of preinstalled Windows apps in bulk

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When you install Windows or start a PC for the first time that comes preinstalled with Windows, there is a high chance that you have dozens of apps installed already on the system before the first sign in.

Some of these apps are all-time classics, like Notepad or Calculator. Others are not liked nearly as much with some of them consider bloat.

It did not take long for clever developers to create applications designed to remove preinstalled Windows apps. O&O AppBuster is my personal favorite, but there are others.

Remove preinstalled apps with NoBloatBox

NoBloatBox is such an app. It is developed by serial developer Belim and the successor of BloatBox. It is an open source app that is designed and optimized for Windows 11, even though it runs on Windows 10 as well.

When you run the 200 Kilobyte app you may notice that it does not really do much on its own. It uses signature files, which you need to download separately from the GitHub repository. Currently, only a Windows 11 version 24H2 signature file is provided.

It lists the included apps afterwards. You may now select one, some, or even all of them for removal. A click on the remove selected button starts that process.

Apps are not necessarily listed by their name, which makes it difficult to identify specific apps. The removal happens without any user interaction.

It is highly recommended to create a system backup before running NoBloatBox or any application remover or tweaker for Windows.

Verdict

NoBloatBox is an easy to use program to remove preinstalled Windows apps. It is not as easy to use as AppBuster, but that could change in the future. It is a bit of a hassle to download the signature file. A better solution would be to always include the latest version or include an option to download it directly from the program on first start.

It is an early release on the other hand and improvements are said to come in the future. The community-powered approach of these filter lists is interesting, as it opens it up for wider use cases and ensures that the developer has time for actual development.

All in all, one to keep an eye on. For now, I will stick to AppBuster though.

Do you use app uninstallers for Windows? If so, which is your favorite and why?

Batteries

Windows 11 is getting a better battery indicator on the taskbar finally

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When you use a mobile Windows device, you see a battery icon on the taskbar that ideally should indicate the remaining battery live before the device needs to be charged.

Problem is, this icon is so bad on Windows, that it is barely workable. To get a true reading, it is necessary to hover the mouse cursor over the icon or dive deep into the Settings or other apps.

All other major operating systems support detailed battery indicators already. Microsoft is late to the party, but work has begun to change that in the near future.

The latest Developer build of Windows 11 adds an option to enable battery percentages on the taskbar next to the battery indicator. This is how that looks like.

As you can see, Microsoft is also adding a splash of color to the icon. Each color indicates a different state of the battery:

  • Black — Regular use.
  • Yellow — Energy saver mode is enabled.
  • Green — Battery is charging.
  • Red — Battery is critically low.

The percentage next to the icon displays the load state of the battery. It is not enabled by default, which means that you need to become active and enable it to get the detailed listing.

Here is how that is done:

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Select the Settings application.
  3. Go to System > Power & battery.
  4. Enable Battery percentage on the page to display the new information directly on the taskbar.

Microsoft is rolling out the feature to Windows Insiders in the Dev channel currently. Means, it will take some time before regular users will get it. It could be rolled out with the 2025 feature update for Windows 11, but Microsoft has not made such an announcement at this stage.

You can check out Microsoft’s announcement of the feature and the other changes of the release here.

What is your take on this change? If you use a mobile Windows 11 device, will you enable the new indicator once it becomes available?

Google Search

Google Search: mobile results get simplified URL views

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The URL, which is the site address of webpages, offers essential information to Internet users. It allows Internet users to verify that they are on the right website or verify links before they are visited.

The details: Google announced that it is stripping the address of results on Google Search on mobile so that only the domain name is shown.

Here is how this looks like on mobile now:

Google Search on mobile shows the domain name only.

Google Search displays the domain name only from now on. Google reasons that the full URL is not that useful on mobile devices anyway, as it is cut off usually because of limited space on the screen.

The change applies to mobile search only. Desktop users continue to see the full address using breadcrumbs.

Notably, this comes just a week after security researchers uncovered a malvertising campaign on Google Search that allowed threat actors to display fake source domains in Google ads.

Can you still check the address in Google Search on mobile?

Google Search on mobile: display address

Google has not implemented a straightforward option to display the address of a linked resource before visiting it.

A tap on the menu icon next to a result displays various information about the source that Google collected, but not the full address. It is only displayed when you activate the “more about this page” link.

The page that is loaded then displayed the linked URL, but often cut off.

Two workarounds remain at this point:

  • Long-press on a result to display to display various options. These differ from browser to browser, but they may display the address fully or at least partially.
  • Use share functionality by long pressing on a link in the search results. You can then share the link or use other options, such as copying the link.

The better option, if you want full addresses shown on mobile, is to switch to another search engine. Most display the full address.

Closing Words

It is true that the full address is usually not displayed on mobiles. While the new results page looks more pleasing to the eye, it strips users of a way to verify the target of a link displayed on Google Search.

Google could at least have added the full address to the summary page that users can open when they tap on the three dots next to a result. It would even be possible to display it on multiple lines, so that it is visible in full.

Alas, no such option has been implemented.

What is your take on this? Do you mind the removal off the information on Google Search? Feel free to leave a comment down below.