Weekly Tech Wrap-Up 4-29-2023, a week where articles about privacy protection, malware threats, and Twitter alternatives captivated our readers the most. Today, we look back at this week’s ten most engaging stories from the Tech Help Knowledgebase social media feeds. We order the story summaries below by user engagement — the stories our users interacted with the most. Stories are in descending order with the most engaging story first. Our human-curated social media feeds include links to technology news, how-to and help articles, and video tutorials for common issues.
Stories curated for our feeds are from our staff writers or culled from third-party sources that produce content related to the categories covered by our site. See the summaries and links below for this week’s top stories by user engagement. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to interact with our feeds.
Top 10 Most Engaging Stories This Week
1. Do you have ADHD? This web browser is designed to make it easier to focus (Fast Company)
Sidekick is a web browser designed to help increase productivity, particularly for people with ADHD. Alex Pushkarev created the browser in 2019 after he saw an opportunity, informed by his lifelong struggle with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The browser has features such as a minimalistic interface, a built-in task manager, and a focus mode that blocks distracting websites.
2. Proton Pass is the newest password manager on the block (Android Police)
Proton Pass is a new password manager from Proton, a company known for its secure ProtonMail email service. It uses end-to-end encryption on all fields (including the username, web address, and more) and also includes fully integrated two-factor authenticator (2FA) and support for 2FA autofill. The new password manager also allows shared ownership of vaults in the same way as shared Proton Drive storage and Calendars. Proton collaborated with SimpleLogin, a company that offers easy email aliases, and uses the email alias feature in Proton Pass has well.
3. Malware threat report reveals risk on Mac compared to Windows and Linux (9 to 5 Mac)
According to a report by Elastic Security Labs, Macs are at a heightened risk of malware. The report found that only 6% of malware detections were found on Macs, while roughly 54% of all instances were found on Linux endpoints and around 39% on Windows systems. Trojans made up the most common type of malware while cryptominers and ransomware were the next two common categories.
4. Online privacy protection: How to stop your phone, TV from tracking you (USA Today)
Kim Komando offers some tips on how to stop your phone and TV from tracking you online. She suggests turning off app-based location services on your phone, using privacy browsers and VPNs on your phone, limiting ad tracking, clearing stored historical activity on your device, and turning Bluetooth off.
5. Google ups Chromebook privacy with new camera and mic switch (The Verge)
Google is planning to introduce a new feature for Chromebook users that will allow them to turn off their camera and microphone with a single switch. The new feature will be available in a future software update later this year. Once enabled, the new systemwide privacy controls cut off the rest of the computer’s access to the hardware, which is a software replacement to the physical camera and mic kill switch one can find on various PC laptops.
6. Firefox vs Edge: Which browser is better between the two? (Android Authority)
Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge offer fast performance and a clean interface, but Firefox has better privacy features, such as Enhanced Tracking Protection and built-in VPN. On the other hand, Edge has better integration with Windows, including syncing with other devices and utilizing the Windows taskbar. Ultimately, the choice between the two browsers depends on personal preference and priorities.
7. What I learned by trying 6 Twitter alternatives (Fast Company)
Fast Company discusses potential alternatives to Twitter: Mastodon, Post.news, T2, Bluesky, Damus, and Substack Notes. These alternatives give users more control over their data and potentially more privacy than Twitter. However, it remains to be seen whether they will gain widespread adoption and be able to compete with Twitter’s massive user base.
8. The new version of Opera made me want to ditch Chrome for good (Digital Trends)
Opera One is a new browser that has a lot going for it. It has innovative AI features and redesigned tabs. Opera One has a modular design, workspaces, tab islands, and AI features. It is a great alternative to Google Chrome and may make you want to ditch Chrome for good.
9. Quitting Twitter? How to join a Mastodon server with the official Android app (ZDNet)
To join a Mastodon server from the official Android app, you will need to have the Mastodon app installed and the URL and credentials for the Mastodon server you want to join. Once you have these, open the Mastodon app and tap on “Join a server.” Enter the URL of the server you want to join, tap “Next,” then enter your username and password. Once you have entered your credentials, tap on “Join.” You will then be able to start using Mastodon on that server.
10. WordPress Has Done It: Performance Improvements Take Off (Search Engine Journal)
WordPress 6.2 introduced improvements to how the core development team works, resulting in a consistent focus on performance at every step of development. The two improvements responsible for this change are a new performance lead role to coordinate between teams and automated benchmarking. These changes allowed the WordPress team to make performance a part of developing every part of WordPress. The results speak for themselves: 6.2 is the first major version that improves server-side performance across the board.
Thank you for visiting Tech Help Knowledgebase to read the Weekly Tech Wrap-Up 4-29-2023, a summary of this week’s ten most engaging stories. If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @techhelpkb and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep in the loop.
Henry Irvine, Contributing Technology Writer, translates more than a decade of internet technology experience in product and customer relationship management into practical help and how-to content. Look for him on Bay Area trails, music venues, or sausage shacks when he’s not writing. Don’t call him Hank if you see him. Seriously. Hank on Twitter
