Everyone has their own story about how they first met VPN. Many simply used it on an ongoing basis, while others did not even understand why it was needed at all. Nevertheless, a VPN allows you not only to hide on the network, but also to bypass many regional restrictions, and even save money. For example, many sites and services are simply not available in USA. You won’t be able to visit them without a VPN. Sometimes some services, for example, ticket sales, set different prices for residents of different countries. In this case, VPN allows you to pretend to be a resident of another country and get a lower price. And, of course, you should not forget about security, which is much higher when using a VPN, especially in networks provided in a public place. All this is a VPN, which is sometimes simply irreplaceable.

Content

1. Which VPN to choose for a smartphone
2. Cons of Free VPNs
3. Dangerous smartphone VPNs
4. How to choose a paid VPN

Which VPN to choose for a smartphone

First of all, you should understand that free cheese is only in a mousetrap and you can easily be deceived. Any major VPN service is a huge global network of servers and computing centers. All this costs a lot of money and, no matter how much we would like it, no one will pay this money for us, especially since one server costs about 200 – 500 dollars a month. As a result, the entire network runs into a cost of several hundred thousand dollars a month, and this does not include maintenance, developers, designers, application creators, and maintenance. The creators of the service will still earn and get their money, the question is, how?

In particular, they can steal your data that passes through them. It does not have to be the data of bank cards and payment applications. This is a scam and no one will deal with it. But analyzing your traffic and selling data to advertising services is easy. In addition, your contacts can be intercepted, which will also find how to use it.

Paid services in this regard are a completely different matter. They value their reputation, because by taking a fee from users, they will earn more than on the side. If the price is low, it’s easier to pay and get access to unlimited traffic at high speed.

Cons of Free VPNs

In addition to the security issues listed above that come with free VPN services, there are other reasons not to use them.

First of all, among such reasons it is worth mentioning the smaller number of servers compared to paid counterparts. This leads to slow and unstable operation, as well as the inability to select servers in some countries of the world that you may need. This is important, because we have become accustomed to stability lately and we have a reason .

In addition to advertisers, your data may also be shared with others. In some way they get on the exchange and the one who pays for them will get them. In many cases, you will not know about it, but you can understand that advertisers have received information about your queries if information starts to appear in the results based on your search queries.

In addition, free services very often bombard you with ads, without even giving you the opportunity to skip them. In combination with the low speed of work, this can lead to the fact that you will not wait for the desired page very soon.

And most of the free services work through China, which for many years has been recognized as the main “spitter” on the confidentiality of information. Not many people want to transfer their data there.

Something like this, your data is carried on the Web through a secure tunnel when using a VPN

Many free services do not disclose any information at all regarding their activities. Even the user agreement they have is more “for show”. Good services are sure to describe everything in detail and make sure to indicate that their policy is no logs, which ensures that no one saves your personal data.

Dangerous smartphone VPNs

Relatively recently, one of the largest free VPN providers, Hola, was exposed. It boasted over 50 million installs but sold its user activity to third parties. The sale used a third party service called Luminati. This proves once again that free VPNs are still dangerous in one way or another. You will not even be saved by the efforts of Android developers .

How to choose a paid VPN

From the above, we can conclude that the only disadvantage of a paid VPN is that you have to pay for it. Many will have to overcome themselves, but it’s worth it.

I used several similar services from different teams, but in the end I realized that for a small amount per month it is much easier to turn it on once and always be safe than to turn protection on and off every time.

Lately I’ve started using Surfshark ‘s VPN . This service not only fulfills its main function, but also offers many useful additional features. For example, automatic disconnection of the connection in case of disconnection from the VPN server and the ability to use not only physical, but also virtual points.

For added security, Surfshark can track malware, block ads, and is encrypted with 256-bit AES keys. For some streaming services, such as Netflix and Spotify, a stable connection is important, otherwise, if the VPN falls off, the broadcast will be interrupted. Surfshark has an auto-connect feature that will solve this problem without the user noticing.

The best part is that with a two-year subscription, this VPN only costs $1.99 per month. Even with the jumped rate, it’s cheaper than a Yandex Plus subscription, three liters of gasoline, three subway rides, shawarma, a couple of bottles of light or a cup of coffee in a good coffee shop.

Why am I doing all this? And to the fact that security and privacy, which we talk about so much, are not just at arm’s length from us, but even closer. For such money, it is definitely not a pity to try it. Moreover, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you’re serious about online privacy, you’re probably wondering which service to trust with your traffic and your data.

Try SurfShark

What apps do I use to get things done? In my work, I often have to use various task schedulers. It is very convenient. Especially when you have several projects and you need to remember what needs to be done on that particular day. Otherwise, it will turn out to be something that literally everyone has encountered, but they really don’t want to repeat it. Customers are dissatisfied, the boss yells, the pulse jumps, and a sleepless night at the computer looms ahead. And okay, if you missed the deadlines for something local, but sometimes other employees also suffer from this. But not only for work, task schedulers are useful. In everyday life, they can also be very useful. Therefore, today I will tell you which planners I use and which ones I am ready to recommend personally. And at the same time I will give a couple more examples of such applications.

Content

1. Android to-do planner
2. How to plan things for the day
3. To-do planner with notifications
4. How to ask an assistant to create a reminder?
5. Free planners for android

Android to-do planner

There are at least two dozen task scheduling programs on Google Play and AppStore. Good of them will be at most half, and those that you want to use, a maximum of 2-3. Another important factor in the comfort of use is the ability to synchronize tasks between devices and simply store a backup copy on the server. After all, the tasks in the list are usually not limited to one day. Personally, I have everything planned out for several months in advance and the loss of all this for me would be a disaster.

How to plan things for the day

However, I also have an application that allows you to plan things for the day. Well, or just collect what needs to be done without reference to specific dates. It’s called Clear Todos and it’s available for both Android and iOS. True, on Android, a banner sometimes pops up in it. For iOS it is completely free.

I use it to, for example, on the way to work, throw in a few tasks that need to be done first, but they are all small. Or in order to break a larger project into subtasks, gradually crossing them out as they are completed.

Minimalism is always inviting.

The application interface is as simple as possible, consists only of cards and is controlled by gestures . To make it easier to imagine, you can draw a parallel with the levels. On the top are the to-do lists, and on the bottom are the to-dos. Between them, you can just move with swipes.

Cards can be swapped, and as they are executed, deleted by swiping them to the side. Everything is very simple. I advise this application to those who do not plan something far in advance, but simply make plans for the weekend or think about how to distribute things in the next few hours.

Download Clear Todos from Google Play

To-do planner with notifications

Another option that I use on a regular basis is Todoist. In our editorial office, this is generally the main working tool, after the site admin panel and the “Telegram” messenger. In it, we communicate with authors who, without exaggeration, are scattered all over the world.

A nice feature of this particular scheduler is that it can be used for a team. That is, we can set tasks within the framework of the created projects and understand who should do something and by what time. Based on this, we can build our plans and do the work more efficiently.

Todoist even has a dark theme.

In addition to common projects in the same application, you can create your own lists or simply throw things into your inbox. If you move on to the tasks for the day or plans for the week, then the whole picture of the upcoming tasks becomes very clear. If something is not done, then it is marked in red and moves up as something that is overdue and must be done first. If plans have changed, you can easily drag the task to another day.

And the ability to add a description for tasks helps in the work. There you can put individual notes or links to materials that you may need.

There is a paid part that will provide additional features, such as SMS reminders, but all the features that will be enough for daily use are free.

Download Todoist from Google Play

How to ask an assistant to create a reminder?

Sometimes I use stock Android and iOS reminders as I have devices on both platforms. First of all, it is convenient when you need to quickly set a reminder. Just asked an assistant and the reminder is ready.

To do this, you need to launch it by voice or in other ways and ask “Remind me …” or “Set a reminder …”. After that, dictate what and when to remind. Ready!

True, this approach has its downsides. First of all, they lie in the fact that the assistant may misunderstand you. Okay, if he just writes “she” instead of “he” or something like that. But sometimes reminders are created in such a way that it is simply impossible to understand something. Especially if you made it on the run and set it a few days ahead. Then you try to understand what you mean.

Therefore, even if you set a reminder by voice, it is better to see what the assistant wrote down there. If nonsense is written, it is better to correct it immediately.

Free planners for android

Another good to-do app is the famous Wunderlist, but I stopped using it. Somehow it just so happened that I decided to try Todoist, and then the whole editorial office switched to it and the bridges were burned. Now it is no longer supported , but somehow you can use it. However, I don’t see the point in that.

The functionality is not very rich, but some people need it.

If you often use MS Outlook, pay attention to the Microsoft To-Do application. All in all, it’s not a bad, but not very efficient scheduler. But integration with an email client can be very useful. In addition, basic functions, such as creating lists and setting complex tasks, are in place.

Download MS To-Do from Google Play

Other interesting apps can be found on Google Play , but I have tried many of them and wrote this article based on personal experience.

6 Cool Android Widgets You Should Try. It is always a big problem to find a good and interesting smart phone widget. Because of this, many do not take advantage of the very nice Android feature that allows you to place widgets on your desktop. They can be arranged in different ways and so to ensure that the interface becomes even more convenient. I’ve gone without widgets for a long time, but lately I’ve started using some and picked up a few options that I like. I know that my opinion is shared by many and I am ready to share the list so that everyone can try to find something for themselves and make the interface of their smartphone even more interesting.

Content

#Widgets for Android
1.1 KWGT Kustom Widget Maker – Universal Widget
1.2 Overdrop – weather widget for Android
1.3 Data Counter Widget — Data counter widget
1.4 Musicolet – music widget
1.5 Calendar Widget – calendar widget
1.6 Sectograph – an unusual calendar widget

Widgets for Android

Indeed, the interface of a modern smartphone is good and allows you to get quick access to applications. However, sometimes access to them is not needed if they are started initially. Many applications allow you to bring to the desktop small dice, often of arbitrary size, which display the most important information from the application. For example, it makes no sense to open the weather application if the information from it can be placed on such a small rectangle and you can see it every time you turn on your smartphone.

Your smartphone already has widgets. In order to bring them to the desktop, you just need to touch in the place where there are no application shortcuts and hold your finger a little. Select Widgets from the dropdown menu. Then you can get acquainted with the list of what is available, touch it for a while and bring it to the desktop. Everything is simple.

KWGT Kustom Widget Maker – Universal Widget

If you consider yourself an advanced widget user, then KWGT is what you need. With it, you can create your own personalized widgets with a simple editor.

Some features require paid access, but a lot of things will be free. As a result, you will be able to assemble a widget that will contain a clock, maps, a battery indicator, memory, a music player and much more. Here is such a widget combine.

Overdrop – weather widget for Android

Weather widgets are as convenient as possible and this is what you should start with if you follow its condition and it is important for you what will happen tomorrow. In general, there are a lot of weather widgets on Google Play , but it is Overdrop that looks the friendliest. It is informative, elegantly designed and understandable.

It will simply be displayed on your desktop and you will not run the application. The weather will be before your eyes every time you unlock your smartphone. Again, there are paid features, but a lot is available even for free.

Data Counter Widget — Data counter widget

Another piece of system information that is always handy to have before gassing is the amount of data your phone is consuming. The Data Counter widget can separately display information on the cellular network and on Wi-Fi.

The text size, color and background can be changed, and clicking on the widget will give you more details (including a breakdown of which of your apps is using the most data).

Musicolet – music widget

Believe it or not, managing music is also much easier through the widget. As a rule, it is enough just to play the next song or press pause. The widget will do just fine with this.

Of course, you can use other methods of control. For example, displaying controls in the curtain, but the widget is much nicer. True, the fattest minus of the widget is that it only works with music that is stored on the smartphone. It does not support streaming.

Calendar Widget – calendar widget

Google Calendar has its own widget, but the Calendar Widget looks more interesting. Its design can be very finely tunedand it does not overload the home screen, as other calendar widgets sometimes do.

With the right combination of text, accent colors, and widget size, you can put together something that fits perfectly into the dedicated area of ​​your home screen.

Sectograph – an unusual calendar widget

Sectograph is another calendar widget, but it’s not as banal as the others. Others may be nice and clear, but none of them represent your day by breaking it into sectors.

For clarity, the sectors are placed in a circle and show all your affairs for 24 hours. This way you can see at a glance what you should be doing right now and what’s ahead of you – this is a great example of a really informative widget.