What's This New Browser?

Vivaldi New Browser Looks Promising

First Published Date: March 3, 2015

Internet Explorer was history long ago, I gave up on Chrome because of concerns with Google, and I was not really too happy with Firefox. My quest for a brand new browser never stopped, but I found nothing good enough to replace good old Firefox. It seems like those days are over, as Vivaldi offers more than expected in a new, baby browser.

Opera’s former CEO, Jon Tetzchner, just launched this self-funding new browser with only 25 employees spread across the globe. Vivaldi shocked the tech world with 500,000 downloads in first ten days. You don’t need ads to spread good news.

Vivaldi uses Chromium as its backbone engine. However, its minimalistic looks and some brand new features make it a more distinctive browser than any other.

There is no menu on the top, but there is a menu strip on the left side panel to let you access bookmarks and other tools. This menu strip can be easily collapsed if you want.

There is also a note-taking feature built in that allows you to take notes for those sites you are visiting.

Tabs show thumbnails of the websites and stack on top of each other when you open more sites from the same tab. Also, the active tab shows the main color of the site you are browsing, making it easy to find a tab among others.

There are other features available as well, such as quick commands, email client, speed dial for one or multiple groups, etc.

As Vivaldi is at its early stage, there are lots of features still missing, but expect to get more features as time goes by.

We have seen many browsers in the past with a nice start, but they failed to live up to their expectations later on. Hopefully Vivaldi will not become one of them.

How to Travel and Make and Receive Calls on Your Cell Number Without Paying For Roaming

Apps Lets You Roam Over Wi-Fi or 3G

First Published Date: April 12, 2015

We all have heard one of those horror stories where someone accidentally placed or received calls while roaming and ended up paying sky-rocketing roaming charges. Well, no more. There are apps now that let you roam paying little to nothing. Today, I will talk about two such apps that will let you roam on your own phone number in foreign countries without hassle and paying big fees to phone companies.

Roamer – Roamer lets you use your own cell phone number abroad and you can make or receive calls either using Wi-Fi or local SIM card cellular networks. As of this writing, you can buy SIM cards for 40 countries on the Roamer website and it comes with free international shipping. The way it works is before you travel you buy a SIM card of that country and Roamer forwards calls made to your cell phone to that local SIM, making it like a local call with low local rates in that country. If you are on Wi-Fi, you can even receive calls for free in foreign countries. The rates to call back to your home country using Wi-Fi or local networks are much cheaper than your phone companies roaming charges. The Roamer app is easy to use and has a sleek interface.

YouRoam – YouRoam allows you to make or receive calls over Wi-Fi or 3G on your cell phone number anywhere on earth. YouRoam has an unlimited plan option for $4.99 per week that lets you make and receive unlimited calls over Wi-Fi on your own US phone number. Or you can call or text for 1 cent a minute to most US numbers.

If you do not want to use apps like Roamer or YouRoam, there are other apps such as Fongo, Groove, and many more that give you real US or Canadian numbers that you can use to make or receive calls (to/from USA/Canada) while travelling via Wi-Fi anywhere on earth.

What Is A Green Car?

The Green Car

First Published Date: Feb 13, 2010

What is a green car and why it is gaining so much popularity is a question that a lot of users are asking and reading about in different blogs or articles. People have become more conscious of the hazards that are presently polluting our environment and there is a lot of awareness that has been given to us by the media and the technology to become environment friendly. The green car is exactly serving the same purpose by introducing alternate fuel and battery technology. The car manufacturers are now experimenting and investigating hydrogen-powered vehicles and also that are powered by ethanol. Another technology that is being introduced by the green car manufactures is the new battery technology. The battery technology has more efficiency and there is no pollution as well.

A promising and popular technology that has come into the limelight of the future of the car industry is hybrid technology. This is unique when fuel efficiency is boosted by an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. There are a variety of greener alternatives that have made their room in the markets of the United States and Europe as well. In the year 2020, more than a billion green cars will be a part of the traffic as estimated by the experts. It is more like a dream coming true to save our environment and our planet from pollution and this dream had been watched over by millions of people over the years. The car manufacturers are also being pressurized by the governments to increase the manufacture of green cars because they are friendlier to the Ozone layer as well. Another reason for its popularity is that the green car fuel technology will also finish the global agony of rising fuel prices and now brought forward is this latest concept of more efficient and clean cars so petrol-powered vehicles will no longer be marketed or manufactured. Many big names in the field of car manufacturers have introduced their green series like Toyota “Prius,” Honda “Insight,” Nissan “Altima Hybrid” and also Hyundai’s “i10” which was launched by a famous Indian celebrity.

At present, there are a limited number of green cars available on the market for purchase. But this new technology is ever-expanding and it can be easily speculated that green technology will hit the markets of the world like a storm. There are also trial runs conducted to examine the roadworthiness for the concept cars. These concepts cars have exciting sleek designs and features that may never be introduced to most of the other ordinary car models. One of the hydrogen-powered vehicle that is a talk of the town is going to have features beyond the space age. There’s another revelation about one of the future concept car which at first glance would look like it can fly. This will also run on ethanol and its material will be very light which will contribute to its fuel efficiency. The production dates are not yet revealed but there is a possibility that the green car will be introduced and manufactured for the mass market as well. The preview of the concept car is only a way to imagine what the expectations will be for the future and these green cars will be a real help to our environment and it will go green again.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Feb 13, 2010.

How Google Image Loadings in Gmail Will Affect You

Gmail Now Loads Images on Google Server

First Published Date: January 1, 2014 ADawnJournal.com

Google recently announced a policy change in terms of how it handles loading images for Gmail and other Google apps.

Here is what you need to know in brief:

– In your Gmail, images will load automatically by default (you can change it by going to settings if you don’t like it this way).

– Images now will not load from the senders external original host servers. Instead, images will load from Google’s own secure servers.

Are These Changes a Good or Bad Thing?

The positives about these changes are as Google is loading on their servers first, they will do thorough scans for possible malware or spyware, and images showing inside your Gmail will be safer when you open your email. Also, you should see emails with images loading faster as Google servers are very fast.

On the other hand, some email marketers or email tracking services may not be able to provide accurate real-time or geolocation data as it will show Mountain View, Calif.

For the majority of Gmail users, these changes are positive. If you would like to find out more, read the following links:

5 Safe Online Shopping Tips You Need to Know

Online Shopping Safety and Security Tips

First Published Date: February 16, 2012 ADawnJournal.com

Convenience has its advantages and disadvantages. Advantages? There’s no need to elaborate when it comes to online shopping. Disadvantages? One of the many is that con artists or scammers get hold of your credit card or other valuable information and make you suffer endlessly. I will go over some simple things you can do to make your online shopping a safe one.

1. Protect Your Computer – Use a full version Internet security software like MacAfee or ZoneAlarm. Prices have come down a lot for the paid version of such software these days and you can get a full version protection for less than $100 annually. This is the first thing to do to protect yourself.

2. Secure Your Browser – Keep your browser up to date. I recommend Google Chrome for all your online activities. Whenever you are shopping or banking online, make sure your browser is properly encrypted by checking its URL. URL should start with HTTPS:// instead of HTTP://.

3. Use Well-Reputable Websites – Internet shopping is a lot easier when you know the merchants. We all know Amazon, eBay, Future Shop and won’t be hesitant to buy something online due to their reputation. Be extra careful when you buy from a merchant you don’t know. Research online first to check if this is a fake online store that has had issues in the past dealing with customers.

4. Do Not Use Debit Cards – If you use debit cards (Interac in Canada) online, your bank account may be exposed to thieves. Canadian credit cards now offer zero liability policies for fraudulent or unauthorized transactions under some conditions. Also, you can use PayPal instead of credit cards and I find it even safer than credit cards.

5. Other Precautions – Do not use public computers or public Wi-Fi to shop online, access your bank accounts, or access your email. Use a strong password and change it from time to time.