We can’t believe we even have to say this, but in case you were wondering: No, iOS 7 does not suddenly make your iPhone waterproof. If you heard that it does, whoever told you that is a big, fat liar.
The whole ‘iOS 7 makes your phone waterproof’ thing is a hoax apparently concocted by the merry pranksters of 4chan, who created an Apple-like ad (see below) that claims the company’s new mobile operating system, which launched last week, has the magic ability to keep moisture from frying users’ iPhones.
“Update to iOS 7 and become waterproof,” reads the ad, which goes on to claim that, “In an emergency, a smart-switch will shut off the phone’s power supply and corresponding components to prevent any damage to your iPhone’s delicate circuitry.”
This is, of course, a pile of nonsense – but we don’t have to explain that, right? You are all smart people who know that dunking your electronics buys you an instant ticket to Screwedville. Right? (Please, say yes!)
Some people, apparently, aren’t so tech-savvy. As the Independent reports, at least some poor saps were duped into giving their iPhones a bath, which resulted in some angry tweets. It also resulted in this amazing Vine:
A quick look at Twitter shows that, rather than being fooled by the fake ad, most people are just trying to trick more gullible types into ruining their expensive devices. Funny? Yes. Worth becoming a terrible person for? Maybe. Cool thing to do? Definitely not.
A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a server run by the VPN provider. Websites see the VPN server’s IP address instead of yours, and you can get around geo-blocks, censorship, and ISP throttling. The best VPN services are paid, but there are still a handful of free options that do the job well.
Most free VPNs come with a hidden cost, because running servers isn’t cheap and a company that doesn’t charge you has to make its money somewhere else. Many do so by logging your browsing activity and selling it to advertisers, while others flood you with ads and track you across apps.
There's nothing quite like curling up with a good book on a cold evening. As much as I love the feel of a physical book, books take up a lot of space, and carrying more than one on a trip quickly becomes a chore. That's where e-readers come in, and the Amazon Kindle remains one of the best options.
Amazon just refreshed its Kindle lineup with thinner, lighter designs, a new flush-front display, and colors that wrap from front to back. Add the Kindle Scribe and the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft to the mix, and you have more choices than ever before.
A good Android app should earn its place on your phone. It might make an everyday task easier, handle something the built-in software can't, or let you change an experience that never quite worked for you.
These 20 apps cover everything from quick notes and password management to automation and local file sharing. Some are free, others charge for advanced features, and a few take some effort to figure out. The point isn't to install them all. It's to find the ones that make your phone work better for you.