Features

6 tips to make your phone more private and secure

Exercise caution during these times

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Your smartphone is capable of gathering and collecting personal information. As such, malicious hackers are always looking for ways to break into your phone to gain that valuable information. Meanwhile, big tech companies and governments are actively developing discrete methods of tracking you through your smartphone.

Thus, it is important to protect your smartphone’s privacy and security. However, it can be daunting to do that if you don’t know where to begin. With many privacy and security guidelines out there, it can be confusing where to look for protection.

Luckily, it’s easy to make your phone more private and secure. These tips are easy to do, and can be accomplished in an hour. Remember though, that the level of protection varies for different people.

These tips aren’t intended for the privacy paranoid. Instead, they act as tips on ensuring that you have the baseline privacy and security protection for your smartphone.

1. Change your device’s privacy settings

“It starts with you,” so the saying goes. The same tip also applies to making your device more private and secure. You have to start by changing your device’s setting.

Unfortunately for you, some default settings actually harm your device’s privacy and security. For example, your device may have analytics turned on by default — this violates privacy by sending data to third-party companies without your consent.

Changing the default privacy settings in iOS is simple and intuitive. All you need to do is to head over to the Settings app and scroll to the Privacy menu down below. Here, you’ll see a lot of things that you can change.

On the Android side, you’ll usually find the privacy settings for your device on the list of menus under your phone’s settings app. Like in iOS, you’ll see a lot of things that you can change to make your device more private.

These include limiting or opting out of ad personalization, turning off analytics, and changing notifications to display only the app name.

2. Review individual app permissions

Most apps that you use every day ask for permissions. These act as barriers that stop apps from mindlessly retrieving sensitive data.

Treat permissions as a powerful tool for safeguarding your privacy and security. Likewise, most permissions are important enough that you need to be more mindful of what apps you’re allowing and not allowing.

Common permissions include access to the camera, microphone, contacts, SMS, and location. There’s no exact rule to determining what permission should be allowed for an app.

However, as a general rule of thumb, know first the advertised function of a certain app. A calculator app shouldn’t ask for your microphone if, in the first place, it doesn’t tout voice input as a function.

For messaging apps, you’ll obviously need to allow contacts and SMS access. These apps will also need the camera and microphone access for video calling purposes.

Social media apps commonly require access to contacts, camera, and location. Meanwhile, utility apps should have minimum permissions from the get-go.

3. Use a VPN

You may have heard about someone using a VPN to unblock shows from Netflix or view restricted websites. Basically, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) routes your connection to multiple servers around the world. As such, you also end up with an IP address that hides your real location.

This is a huge deal especially for some websites or services that hide content depending on a user’s location. It’s also a boon for your privacy and security.

VPNs also protect your privacy by feeding false location information to most advertisers on the web. Most websites today have ads that track users wherever they go. Companies have sophisticated methods of tracking and building user profiles. This violates users’ privacy and security.

There are a lot of VPN services to choose from in this day and age. However, some VPN services actually leak sensitive information. On top of that, some of them have monthly data allocation and speed caps.

Some of the reputable VPN services out there include ProtonVPN, Private Internet Access, TunnelBear, and NordVPN. It’s also worth checking out Mullvad, SurfShark, and IPVanish.

Configuring VPNs is easy. You just have to follow the instructions given by your selected VPN provider.

4. Install messaging apps with encryption.

We use messaging apps to stay connected with our friends and families. However, not all messaging apps are built equally.

Some messaging apps don’t implement end-to-end encryption (E2E encryption), allowing malicious hackers and third-party companies to access your valuable information without your permission.

End-to-end encryption protects your valuable data by making your messages hard to read for hackers and companies. That means that even if a company that owns a messaging app gets hacked, they will only see random blobs of data instead of other people’s messages.

By now, most messaging apps in the market use end-to-end encryption. However, most apps only encrypt your data while in transit, which means that your message is safe while it travels across servers.

The messages that reside in your device aren’t encrypted at all, so hackers and companies can retrieve any information using sophisticated methods such as apps that harvest data in the background.

There are quite a good number of messaging apps that offer full E2E encryption. One of the most popular is Signal — a messaging app used by the famous NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. You only use a mobile number to create a Signal account, mitigating the need for emails and passwords. It also has quite an extensive list of features that even rival Facebook Messenger.

Other apps that offer full E2E encryption includes ThreeMa, WhatsApp, Wire and Viber.

5. Consider using a secure browser

Chances are, the browser that you’re using today is Google Chrome. Many people use Chrome since its fast, simple, and just works.

However, it’s also one of the worst browsers to use for safeguarding personal privacy and security. After all, it is owned by Google. It’s common knowledge by now that Google thrives on a business that doesn’t totally safeguard your privacy and security.

There are other browsers out there that offer a better private browsing mode. Among them is Mozilla Firefox, which offers tracking prevention by default. Firefox’s tracking prevention blocks ads and other web elements that try to gather personal information as you browse the web.

Other browsers that have tracking prevention includes Microsoft Edge and Brave Browser. Safari also blocks trackers now, and you’ll see privacy reports in the future as part of macOS Big Sur.

You may have also heard of Tor Browser. Using Tor Browser is recommended if you want your browsing activity to be more private and secure. Keep in mind though, that browsing is much slower since it routes your network connection to different servers all around the world.

6. Store passwords with a password manager.

In this day and age, you should be using a password manager to manage your website logins. After using one, you’ll wonder why you haven’t used one sooner.

Password managers are convenient. Most of them feature one-click autofill which automatically fills in your username and password in the corresponding field. You’ll no longer have to enter your information manually. On top of that, you protect your privacy against snoopers.

Most password managers can also generate strong passwords for you. You don’t have to think about what unique word you’ll use when asked for a password.

More importantly, you no longer have to reuse an old password which just increases the chances of a hacker gaining access to your accounts. Some even have a password monitor feature, which alerts you if the password you used was retrieved by hackers.

Some of the best password managers out there include LastPass, Dashlane, and Bitwarden.

BONUS: Don’t give your personal info in an instant

This sounds simple but it’s something that we need to share with everyone. Especially our loved ones who don’t know better about giving out their personal information.

This not only applies in the digital world but also in the real world. After all, someone is bound to mishandle or abuse your personal data. The best course of action is to always ask if sensitive information is needed at all.

In digital terms, that means checking out an app or a website’s privacy policy for any mention of what data is needed to gain access to their service. However, privacy policies tend to get long, so we might be lazy enough to know why a piece of data is needed.

As a rule of thumb, always exercise caution when giving out personal information. If possible, limit any personal information to your name, email address, mobile number, and approximate location.

Making your device more secure and private doesn’t have to be tedious. These simple tips are easy enough to follow but will ensure a more private experience for you and your device.

These tips, however, only scratch the surface. Ensuring your device is private and secure is a proactive approach that requires one to be cautious of their data at all times.

Features

Why choose the MSI Claw?

Is it the gaming handheld for you?

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MSI Claw

The MSI Claw is the latest gaming handheld from a major PC and laptop brand. The competition in this emerging gadget segment is tighter than ever. So, what is it about the MSI Claw that can scratch your gaming itch? Here’s a quick list. 

Best grip in the game

One quick glance and it’s hard not to compare the claw with another popular gaming handheld. But a closer look and actually holding the thing will reveal that its grip easily feels better. 

It has a slightly deeper groove that makes it easier to hold. So, MSI’s “Grip and Game” tagline isn’t all talk. Its design truly does provide one of the better feeling handles among its competition. 

The overall design makes sure it’s made for extended gameplay sessions. The buttons are where you expect them to be. That includes the four mini buttons on the upper edges of the screen. These are the View, MSI Center M, Menu, and Quick Settings buttons.

In addition, the face buttons and d-pad all feel great. The face buttons, in particular, feel comparable to those of regular console controllers. 

The rest of the buttons and triggers have a very satisfying tactile feel. It also uses Hall Effect technology to get rid of any stick drift issues. 

Up top, you’ll find the power button, MicroSD Card slot, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, audio jack, and the volume buttons. These are intuitively placed and just makes sense given the overall design approach. 

As cliché as it sounds, you’ll really think you got your money’s worth once you hold, touch, press, and grip the MSI Claw.

Dragon Vision 

Now, MSI isn’t really calling it that but I thought it sounds pretty cool. A big part of the whole gaming experience is the display. Balancing resolution and frame rates is always tricky but the MSI Claw does it convincingly. 

With this gaming handheld, you get a 7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Looks great on paper and it’s even better in real life. It’s the sweet spot in terms of both size and performance. There’s enough here to immerse you all while delivering a satisfying level of crisp and smoothness.

It’s comfortable to view whether you’re on the couch, on a desk table, or lying down getting a quick game in before you get some shut-eye. 

Battery Life 

At 53Whr, the MSI Claw has a 36% larger battery capacity than its contemporaries and promises 50% more play time.

MSI claims “elevated performance with extended endurance” using the Claw with faster charging capabilities. 

These percentages are hard to measure in real life usage. What we can say for certain is that you get the expected performance and playtime typical of a handheld. That’s a little under two hours for graphically demanding titles, and close to four hours on less demanding ones. 

The charging claim is legitimate. The MSI Claw juices up faster than most other handhelds, going from 20% to 100% in about a little over a K-Drama episode (roughly a little over an hour).

MSI Center M 

Any self-respecting gaming handheld has its own software to make navigating the thing more manageable. While its direct competitors have an armoury crate and a space, MSI went with Center M. 

The best part about MSI Center M is it puts your installed games front and center. Right when it launches, you get immediate access to the titles you have available on your machine.

MSI Afterburner is already the most commonly used app for taking a look at how your machine is performing while you play. That functionality is built-in to the MSI Claw. You can access it view the Quick Settings buttons. 

Layout and functionality-wise, the MSI Center M is certainly one of the better Gaming Handheld softwares available right now. 

Competitive Performance

A defining trait of the MSI Claw is that It’s the first gaming handheld to be powered by Intel Core Ultra. With it comes Intel XeSS tech. What it does is leverage AI upscaling to boost the fps of select titles.

As of launch, 50 notable games are supported. That number will certainly grow throughout the device’s lifespan. Some of the titles include Hi-Fi Rush, Dying Light 2, Forza Horizon 5, Call of Duty Warzone 2.0, Returnal, and many, many more. 

Naturally, results will vary depending on the game mode you’re using. But in general, AAA games get anywhere between 10% to 45% better frame rate performance with Intel XeSS. 

For our part we played TEKKEN 8 and the recently launched Horizon Forbidden West. Both graphically demanding games played relatively well on the MSI Claw. Frame rate performance on TEKKEN 8 is crucial and we got a relatively consistent fps, never dropping below 40. 

Horizon Forbidden West is a much more graphically demanding game. We were able to run it in Medium Settings and while it doesn’t look as incredible, it still played relatively well with a frame rate surprising for a gaming handheld. 

Extras 

MSI made sure that if you wanted to, you could get some extra stuff with the MSI Claw. Its separately sold accessory set includes the Claw Travel Case, Nest Docking Station, Claw Lanyard, and Claw Keychain. 

On paper, the MSI Claw lists its ergonomic design, AI Engine, and App Player as distinct advantages over its competition. 

Whether it’s the Gaming Handheld that matches your needs is still ultimately up to you. If you have the opportunity to test drive the device, we suggest you do so. That might just solidify your purchase decision. 

Price and availability in the Philippines

 

The MSI Claw will be available in three configurations in the Philippines. There are priced as follows:

MSI Claw A1M-075PH (PhP 45, 995).

  • Intel® Core™ Ultra 5 processor 135H 
  • 512GB NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 
  • LPDDR5 16GB, dual channel
  • Intel® Arc™ Graphics

Claw A1M-076PH (PhP 50, 995).

  • Intel® Core™ Ultra 7  processor 155H
  • 512GB NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 
  • LPDDR5 16GB, dual channel
  • Intel® Arc™ Graphics

Claw A1M-077PH (PhP 53, 995).

  • Intel® Core™ Ultra 7  processor 155H
  • 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 
  • LPDDR5 16GB, dual channel
  • Intel® Arc™ Graphics

Ongoing Promotion

You can still get your own MSI Claw with exclusive bundled freebies 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃 until 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟑𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒!


This feature article is a collaboration between GadgetMatch and MSI Philippines.

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Accessories

Marshall Major V: Reasons Why I Love It

After a month of using

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I’ve got a new favorite pair of headphones. 

They look good, sound good, last long, are compact and portable. 

Most of all? They are from a brand that I truly love.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Here’s are V Major reasons why I love the new Marshall Major V!

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Features

Fortify your home office or business setup with these devices

For the work-from-home go-getters

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Image generated using Copilot designer.

If the 21st century taught us something, it’s that fad trends don’t last but legitimate ones stick.

The concept of working from home is an idea deemed impossible before. Thanks to technology, though, it has become a practical alternative for professionals nowadays.

The pandemic magnified its potential even further over the past few years. Working or managing small businesses from your own place has proven to be convenient. It saves you time and money from having to commute or travel to a traditional workplace. It’s also easier to communicate nowadays with various devices and apps. Even ordering food or sending something somewhere has also become a breeze with transport apps.

It’s a trend that won’t go anywhere. For those planning on sticking to staying at home, these devices will give them enough leverage for a “future-proof” setup at the comfort of their own spaces.

Laptops

You cannot go wrong with the Lenovo Yoga laptops. They’re versatile and powerful, and should serve more than enough for light to medium tasks and overall productivity.

They’re powered by Intel Core processors and have ample memory and storage for multitaskers. Yoga laptops also have OLED screens for a crystal-clear view. 

For the more budget-conscious professionals, the ASUS Vivobook line is very reliable for most office work software and basic multimedia needs. They come with powerful processors as well, and a multitude of features for your needs.

Of course, the MacBook Air with Apple Silicon is a go-to choice for those inclined on getting Apple devices.

Smartphones

If you’re the ultimate workhorse, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5, OnePlus Open, and OPPO Find N3 are among the best recommendations.

Although they come with higher price tags, these devices ensure that you will have a smooth and seamless experience on your fingertips, whether it’s taking and editing photos, going on quick video calls, or organizing documents and other files.

There are also all-rounders like the HONOR 90 5G, OnePlus 11, and OPPO Reno10 Pro and solid mid-rangers like the POCO M-Series, Redmi Note series, and realme’s numbered series.

These more affordable phones can still deliver what is expected of them, especially for those who simply need a phone to aid them but do not necessarily have to literally rely on it for everything.

Epson CO-FH02 projector

It doesn’t hurt to have an extra screen at home. For those looking to consume digital content on a bigger scale, the Epson CO-FH02 projector provides an expansive view. This versatile lifestyle device can also be a realistic backdrop for presentations or livestreams, instead of just merely sharing the screen.

What’s great about the award-winning projector is it beams full HD resolution images, up to 3,000 lumens of brightness, and up to a 391-inch size. It suits many different scenarios and complements your space.

There’s also a handful of connectivity options for different devices. What’s great about the CO-FH02 is it has an Android TV 2 Dongle and Chromecast built-in. The dongle enables wireless connectivity, while Chromecast built-in technology lets you stream content right from the projector, making the viewing experience a breeze, minus all the annoying cables and wires. It’s surely a reliable tool to have, and doesn’t break your wallet.

Epson L11050 Printer

Meanwhile, the Epson L11050 Printer is an excellent choice for both small business owners or those simply needing important files to print. Unlike ordinary printers, the Epson L11050 can print documents up to the A3+ size, giving the printer a distinct advantage over other models.

The printer has a page yield of up to 4,500 pages for black and 7,000 pages for colored. It delivers fast and high-quality printing of up to 30 pages per minute in black and white and 20 for colored. Moreover, it has a large, 100-paper capacity so users won’t have to open it often to refill sheets. Users may also connect wirelessly using the Epson Smart Panel app for a more efficient printing process from your device.

Aside from the convenience it offers in delivering its purpose, the ink tank printer also contributes to a more sustainable world. It is powered by Epson’s Heat-Free Technology for lower energy consumption and lower carbon emission. And with Epson’s EcoTank technology, business owners will also simply have to refill the containers instead of disposing of cartridges. The spill-free process not only saves them operating costs, but makes the printer a sustainable choice as a result.

Epson DS-C330 Scanner

To complete your Epson setup, the Epson DS-C330 Scanner is a portable sheet-fed document scanner that is an absolute space-saver.

One simply has to insert the document they need scanned and the tool will do its work in just a few seconds. The scanner can work on hardcopy files up to legal paper size, even envelopes, IDs, and passports. It has a fast and efficient scanning rate of up to 30ppm and 60ipm, respectively.

It also comes with Vertical Path and Straight Path scan modes too. This means users can seamlessly select between the path modes so the scans come up desirably. With wireless connectivity, files can be saved instantly too. That saves time for uploading documentary requirements or helping customers save their own copies.

As the DS-C330 is also made from up to 34% recycled plastic, you are assured that you are minimizing environmental impact. It is the sustainable choice as far as scanners are concerned.

acerpure Cozy F1

Of course, where there is work, there should also be comfort. The acerpure Cozy F1 is a space-saving modern air circulator that uses an energy-efficient DC Motor and 3D AirFlow technology.

It has 12 touch-activated speed settings, and can project air for up to 15 meters away so it can reach every corner of a large room.

It’s also low-noise so users do not have to worry about getting distracted or bothered when keeping it cool and focusing on their everyday tasks.

Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine

Dyson V12s Detect Slim Submarine

After a day’s worth of hard work, it’s ideal to keep your workplace clean. Not only does it reflect yourself, but having a space that’s conducive for productivity always gives you the extra edge.

With the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Submarine, users get a compact and powerful stick cleaner that washes floors and surfaces from start to finish, using clean water.

The tool’s advanced vacuum system allows it to intelligently pick up dust and other debris. The multi-stage filtration system, meanwhile, ensures that even the smallest particles get picked up, leaving your spaces clean and healthy.

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