October 2015

This is the second part of a little travel apps series that concentrates on applications that provide offline functionality. The first part was about XE Currency, a free offline currency converter for Android. Check it out.

Mozilla is testing a new feature in Firefox Beta or up on Android currently that enables you to open links that you open in external applications in the background for later viewing.

If you are still using Instant messengers for communication -- that's so last century by the way -- then you may be interested in the first public release of Tor Messenger Beta, an instant messaging client based on Instantbird but enhanced with the power of Tor.

Tor Messenger is a cross-platform chat application that is based on Instantbird (just like Tor Browser itself is based on Firefox).

Unlike Instantbird however, all traffic is routed automatically through the Tor network which is the main distinguishing feature.

Microsoft released a new build to the Windows Insider channel today that updates Windows 10 to build 10576. The new build includes improvements for the Microsoft Edge browser mostly plus several fixes of know problems. In addition, it introduces several new issues that users need to be aware of before updating.

If you run a machine with a Fast Ring Windows 10 Insider Build, then you may have noticed already that a new update is available. If not, tap on the Windows-key, type Windows Update and click on the check for updates button to check for it manually.

While Google is ignoring Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system largely when it comes to company applications, Microsoft's change in business strategy has seen the release of several non-Windows applications in the recent past.

The latest addition to the growing number of applications is Office Online, a browser extension for Google Chrome to improve how Office files are viewed, edited and created in the browser.

Microsoft wants computer systems that run Windows 7 or 8 to be upgraded to Windows 10, there is no doubt about that.

The company projected that more than one billion Windows 10 devices will be running the new operating system in the next couple of years which is an ambitious goal even if you consider that this includes mobile devices and the Xbox.

Windows 7 and 8 users who want to upgrade can do so easily, but those who don't, fight an seemingly endless battle against Windows 10 upgrade patches that prepares their systems for the upgrade.

FixWin 10 is an update to the popular FixWin application that introduces several Windows 10 specific repair options to the application.

We have reviewed FixWin back in 2010 when it was released to the public and came to the conclusion that it is a useful troubleshooting tool for devices running Windows.

The update delivers more of the same include a setting reserved solely for Microsoft's latest operating system.

NetGuard is a free application for devices running Android 5.0 or up that allows you to control which app may send or receive data.

It is difficult usually to find out what applications do on mobile devices as you are limited in terms of what you can run on the device to track usage.

While you can set up a monitoring solution to overcome this, most users probably don't as it is not easy.

I prefer file downloads over running downloads automatically on the system once they complete on it.

That's true for most file types but not for all. For instance, I prefer that torrent files get downloaded directly in a BitTorrent application as that's where I'd load them in anyway.

You too may have certain file types that you want opened directly. Maybe PDF files, Usenet NZB files, or even videos that you download from the Internet.

This is the first part of a mini-series that reviews travel related applications that I will take with me next year on a trip to South-East Asia.

While I'm pretty good with numbers, I like to have access to a currency converter whenever I travel to a country that uses different currency.

It is easy enough to come up with a rough estimate if you round up the exchange course, but if you want to be thorough or avoid making mistakes, you better use a calculator to assist you or confirm that rough estimate.