Surf the Internet privately with Browzar

 

Privacy is the flavor of the season! Every one values privacy on the Internet, but no matter how hard to you try to eliminate your browsing and other online history, temporary internet files, cookies, index.dat file, Flash cookies, etc, you will always end up leaving traces behind on your computer. While this may not affect most computer users, if you truly value your privacy and are looking to surf privately on the web, you can check out freeware Browzar.

Browzar is a shell browser for Internet Explorer which lets your browse anonymously without leaving any trace. Being based on Internet Explorer 9, makes it that much more secure. It also offers a Private Search too, but you are free to set any alternative search engine of your choice. It does not support ActiveX downloading and auto-complete too.

I found the .com button to be very handy and useful. No need to type the URL including .com or press Cntrl+Enter. Simply type the URL in the address bar and click on the .com button to add www and .com before and after the domain name.

Browzar comes in the installer version as well as a portable version, thereby letting you carry it on your USB stick. So the next time you are using a public computer like maybe at a cyber-cafe, your school or college library and you want to check out some sensitive information, you can simply plug in the USB stick and start browsing with Browzar.  And if you need to close Browzar quickly or don’t want to have the clean up box showing when you exit, simply hit the “Boss Button” or Ctrl + Space keys and Browzar will close instantly.

On exit, Browzar deletes:

• Temperory Internet Files
• Cookies
• Browsing History like list of sites visited
• Index.dat file
• Media files
• Temporary Application data like Flash and Java files.

There is also an option to Secure Delete all your web history. The Secure Delete function can be activated by selecting the function under the Browzar ‘Tools’ menu.

Browzar comes in three flavors or themes:

1. Browzar Black theme
2. Browzar Silver theme
3. Browzar Windows theme.

It is a very light-weight app - just a 222 KB download, and you can download it free from its home page.

You might want to also check out this link which talks of over 25 alternate web browsers for your Windows computer, each offering a different set of features or this one about portable browsers.

If you have liked this post, you might want to check out some more, on topics like Browsers.

Opt out and maintain your privacy when using Google Services

Google’s change in its Privacy terms has been a cause of concern for many. Google has also responded to the wide-spread out-cry about this with the suggestion that you not log in to you Google account, if you have privacy concerns:

You don’t need to log in to use many of our services, including Search, Maps and YouTube. If you are logged in, you can still edit or turn off your Search history, switch Gmail chat to “off the record,” control the way Google tailors ads to your interests, use Incognito mode on Chrome, or use any of the other privacy tools we offer, says Google. You can use as much or as little of Google as you want. For example, you can have a Google Account and choose to use Gmail, but not use Google+. Or you could keep your data separate with different accounts, for example, one for YouTube and another for Gmail.

Prevent Google from tracking your activities

While you can always use a browser like Browzar to surf the web privately, there are also a few steps you can take, if you want to continue using your existing browsers and yet stay private, as far as is possible. To do so, you will have to log in to your Google account and change a few settings.

Turn off search personalization

Google tries to personalize your search results based on your past searches on Google, using Cookies. This search history personalization includes searches you’ve done and the links you’ve clicked on. If you have clicked links of a particular site more often, it may show you links from that site more often.

To turn off search personalization, visit this page which lets you pause and remove your Web History from your Google account. Here you will also see a list of all your earlier searches.

If you click on Pause, your web tracking will be paused, but your web history will not be erased. So check the check-box and click on Remove all Web History.

Confirm with an OK. This will Pause and remove your web history.

Turn off personal results

You can also you turn off personal results. This will also disable other personalization features. You will then be however unable to search across content shared by your friends. If this does not matter much to you, you might want to turn it off. To do so, open your Search Settings.

In the “Search plus Your World” section, select “Do not use personal results.” Click Save.

Searches which are part of the Search plus Your World, like results from Google+ shared by your friends, Picasa albums, Google products, Search History, will no longer appear in your search results.

Opt out of ad personalization

Google actually crawls your email to serve targeted advertising to you, depending on what you write in your mail. You can opt-out of ad personalization using Google Ads preferences page. Visit this page to do so. Do note that you have to opt out of two types of ads.

Opt out of Ads on Search and Gmail:

Opt out of Ads on the web:

After opting out, you’ll still see relevant ads, but Google won’t use additional information to personalize those ads on Google search and Gmail. 

Opt out of Gmail Chat History

Google stores all your chat logs. But you can opt of Gmail chat history. Such chats that have been taken off the record aren’t stored in your Gmail chat history, or in the Gmail chat history of your contact.

To take a chat off the record in Gmail and iGoogle, and prevent Google from saving their logs, click the Options link in the bottom of the chat window and select Go off the record.

Opt out of Google Analytics

Many websites including this one uses Google Analytics to track web traffic and related statistics. But if you wish, you can opt out of websites logging your visits. For this you can use the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on released by Google.

This plug-in works on Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari. The add-on communicates with the Google Analytics Java Script to indicate that information about the website visit should not be sent to Google Analytics.

Opt out of YouTube

You can also opt of Google tracking your YouTube video searches, targeted advertising and viewing patterns. To do so, log in to your YouTube account and click on the Videos tab. Next click on History and select the check-box and click on Clear all viewing history.

Next click on Search History. Here, select Pause History. You can also select the check-box and click on Clear all search history.

You can also click on your Settings and click on Privacy.

Next un-check the Please use my account to provide me with relevant advertising check box and click on Save Changes. This will prevent Google from tracking you and providing you with relevant advertising.

If you need to reverse any of the changes made in your Google account anytime, you can do so, by opting back into the feature/s.

You can use Internet Explorer in inPrivate mode, Chrome in Incognito, etc, to avoid your browser saving Cookies and browsing history. In any case, you could also maybe make a habit of clearing  your Cookies more often, especially before using Google.

I am sure there may be more settings where you could opt-out to try and maintain your privacy, while using Google services. If you do know of any more, please do share them here for the benefit of others.

Incidentally, you may also want to check out Microsoft Persornal Data Dashboard, which lets you decide how Microsoft uses your data.

Top 50 best free iPhone apps 2011 Part II

26. Tube Map
At its most basic, Tube Map is a London Tube map on your device, for free. In landscape, even the ads get out of your way, which is rather nice. And if you've a web connection, the app also provides live board info, a station finder and a route calculator.

27. Google Earth
"Hold the world in the palm of your hand," says Google about Google Earth, which enables you to fly across the planet by swiping your finger. More integration with content and features from Maps would be good, but Google Earth's Wikipedia articles and a Panoramio layer at least ensure it's a great app for seeing the world from your living room.

28. XE Currency
XE Currency is a fine example of an app that does what it needs to, without fuss. You configure a list of currencies, and it shows current conversion rates. Double-tap a currency to set its base rate or to define values for custom conversions.

29. Shazam
Shazam is an app that feels like magic when you first use it. It's deceptively simple—hold your iPhone near to a music source, and wait while the app listens and tells you what track is playing. But the sheer technology behind this simplicity is mind-boggling, and while Shazam doesn't always guess right (and only allows five 'tags' per month for new users, unless you upgrade to the paid version), it's worth a download.

30. Bump
Another contender for the 'surely, that's witchcraft?' award, Bump enables you to select up to four contacts, then 'bump' your device into another iOS device running Bump to transfer details, or to compare contacts. And, yeah, we know there's an email-based 'share contact' option in Contacts, but where's the fun in that?

31. Yell.com
As you might expect, Yell.com enables you to find local stuff. Select from a bunch of built-in categories or type in your own term for a list of local amenities, and use the map to navigate. Avoid the clunky augmented reality view, though.

32. BBC News
BBC News has a mobile website that works very nicely in Safari. However, when using it you'll find video isn't accessible. The BBC News app has some slightly quirky navigation (and occasionally questionable stability), but provides quick access to breaking stories, complete with playable videos and zoomable text.

33. Find My iPhone
For the paranoid souls out there (or the unlucky ones who've had their devices pilfered), Find My iPhone has now been freed from the paid version of MobileMe. Assuming you've a 2010 or later iOS device, you can set up a free account and locate your devices within seconds. (Note that older devices can also be added to Find My iPhone - you just need a recent one to get things going.)

34. Dragon Dictation
Fed up of typing on the tiny iPhone keyboard? Use Dragon Dictation instead, which happily converts your speech into text (with slightly spooky levels of accuracy for a freebie app). You can even punctuate ("Comma! Full-stop!"), and when you're done the app enables you to fire your thoughts at Facebook, Twitter, Mail or the iOS clipboard.

35. iHandy Torch Free
It's a torch! It's a cheesy neon light! It's a hypnotic spiral effect! With slightly annoying ads! (In reality, iHandy Torch Free is a mostly a handy app to have installed in case you get up for a midnight snack or toilet visit, don't turn on the light and want to avoid smashing your toe annoyingly hard into an unruly cupboard.)

36. TVGuide.co.uk TV Guide
TV Guide is an app that's come a long way. At one time, this was a disappointing UK TV listings app. Today, it boasts now-and-next and scrollable listings views, reminders, and calendar, Twitter and Facebook integration. Only avoid if you hate TV or don't live in the UK.

37. Zoopla Property Search
There are loads of property search apps on the App Store, but Zoopla is the best of them. Its listings are comprehensive and there's also local market data, including local sale prices and estimates on market value. The location button is a bit rubbish, but the app soon finds properties when you manually type a location.

38. IM+
If you're an instant messaging fiend, IM+ gives you access to GTalk, Yahoo, MSN/Live Messenger, AIM/iChat, ICQ, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and Jabber. With multitasking and push notifications in iOS 4, IM+ has been transformed from a curiosity into a must-have freebie app.

39. Atomic Web Browser Lite
The lite version of Atomic is missing quite a few features that are found in its paid-for version, including even basic multitasking support and content resumption on reopening the app. However, for times where you need a single-session browser that automatically dumps everything on exit, such as when buying gifts, this is a handy app to have installed.

40. Virtuoso Piano Free 3
Virtuoso Piano Free 3 won't turn you into a virtuoso, but it's a perfectly serviceable mini piano. You can amend the number of keys shown on screen, and buttons enable you to rapidly navigate the full keyboard. You get two built-in voices for playback, to which you can add variable levels of sustain.

41. TuneIn Radio
Don't bother buying a DAB radio - just install TuneIn Radio instead and plug your device into a set of speakers. TuneIn Radio has a great interface for accessing over 50,000 digital stations; it also has AirPlay support, and you can use it as an alarm clock.

42. 4oD Catch Up
Technically, more like '4oD Catch Up With A Specific Chunk of Channel 4's TV Shows Only' (no archives yet in the iPhone version); also 4oD Catch Up lacks subtitles and AirPlay support. But it's free, unlimited, and gives you a month to catch up with Channel 4's programming on your device.

43. Jamie's Recipes
More a gateway drug for the tasty treats of Jamie Oliver, this IAP-infused app nonetheless flings ten freebie recipes your way and a few videos. The interface in Jamie's Recipes is lickable, and there's a handy shopping-list feature, for those of you who don't fancy arriving back home after fighting the crowds in the supermarket, only to find you accidentally picked up 500 lemons and forgot the chicken.

44. Instagram
Take a photo, smash a filter into it, and upload it. Instagram's service is now used by millions of people to share nuggets of visual loveliness, and the app itself is a pleasure to use, and also to browse during moments when you're not feeling quite so inspired.

45. Google Translate
Assuming you're online, Google Translate is a great app for translating text between 57 different languages; handily, 15 of the most popular also enable you to speak into your device and listen to translations. It's also considerably cheaper and more portable than 56 translation staff.

46. iMotion HD
We say a big PFFT! at CGI. Real animators use stop-motion, until they inevitably go crazy at only being able to craft about three seconds of footage per week. iMotion HD enables you to create such painstaking animations with your device.
The sting in the tail: a £1.49 IAP for export, but if you don't care about that, you can play your creations on your device to your heart's content. There's also the free iMotion Remote to use as a remote controller over Wi-Fi for iMotion HD, to avoid you accidentally moving your 'camera'.

47. TED
TED is brain food. The app provides access to talks by insanely clever people, opening your mind to new and radical ideas. You can also save your favourite talks locally, for even easier access, or ask the app to inspire you, based on your mood and available time.

48. Remote
The remote for Apple TV is a bit of a joke when you need to do anything more than play or pause. Remote is a free app which provides much better control and the ability to stop yourself going mad when typing things into search fields. It'll also happily use Home Sharing to pull content from computers on your network to your device, or fire said content at your Apple TV using AirPlay.

49. Skyscanner
Skyscanner's a great website, which enables you to punch in airports and find out the cheapest way of getting from A to B. The Skyscanner app is the same, but it's on your device and with a spiffy AI. Well worth a download, even if only to check flights for an upcoming holiday.

50. Apple Store
Apple fans with a lack of self-control should steer clear of the Apple Store app, which enables you to buy shiny Apple products directly from your device, and also to locate your nearest shrine of tech loveliness (aka Apple Store).

How Many Browsers Do we Have …?

 

While most of us prefer to use Chrome and are familiar with Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera &Safari,  there are several other Browsers available for Windows OS, some with a specific targeted feature set.

While I prefer to use the feature-rich Chrome as my default, there is one specially for the kids called as Kid Rocket.

Here is a list of a total of 26 browsers for Windows. How many had you heard of,  from these?

Google Chrome – Google rethought basic assumptions about what a browser should do & stripped it down to its essentials

Firefox – Mozilla Firefox has been the most successful alternative web browser. The browser traces its lineage back to Netscape.

Internet Explorer – Browse with more confidence knowing Internet Explorer 8 helps protect you from evolving online threats right out of the box.

Safari – Safari is an open invitation to innovate & claims to continuously redefine the browser, providing the most enjoyable way to experience the Internet.

Opera – Opera’s newest Web browser introduces a new technology platform, Opera Unite, allowing you to stream music or share files, photos and more, right from the browser.

Epic - The First ever Web-Browser of INDIA a faster and safer browser

Maxthon – Maxthon is an IE based feature-rich secure Browser, which gives a great browsing experience.

Netscape Navigator-

In addition to high-speed browsing and instant-messaging capabilities, Netscape features one-click searching from the address bar; Quick Launch, which reduces the browser start-up time; Click-to-Search, which allows users to select a word within a Web page and search;

Avant – Avant Browser’s user-friendly interface brings a new level of clarity and efficiency to your browsing experience, and frequent upgrades have steadily improved its reliability.

Flock – Flock is a social brow - ser that integrates with web services for blogging, photo sharing, and bookmark sharing. Update: 13th April 2011. Flock has decided to shut down.

Kid Rocket – A Kids Web Browser with an Internet Filter, PC Desktop Protection & more.

Lunascape – Lunascape is the world’s first and only triple engine browser. It has been downloaded over 15 million times and it’s available globally in 11 languages.

Slim Browser – SlimBrowser is a fast-tabbed multiple-site web browser software.

Sea Monkey – It is a Web-browser, with an advanced e-mail, newsgroup and feed client, IRC chat, and HTML editing made simple; all your Internet needs in one application.

Prism – There are two ways to use Prism; as a Firefox extension or a standalone application. Either way, you can easily turn any website into a Prism application.

Deepnet Explorer – Deepnet Explorer is the world’s first browser with RSS news reader, P2P client integration and phishing alarm.

K-Meleon – K-Meleon is an extremely fast, customizable, lightweight web browser based on the Gecko layout engine.

Amaya – Amaya is a Web editor/browser, i.e. a tool used to create and update documents directly on the Web. Browsing features are seamlessly integrated with the editing and remote access features in a uniform environment.

Midori – Midori is a lightweight web browser.

Browse 3D – The Browse3D web browser offers user a visual advantage making finding and using web information more productive.  Using multiple browsing engines is made easier because each web page is represented by an image of that page not just a generic tab.

ShenzBrowser – This is a customized browser for individual use. It is simple yet functional.

JonDoFox Browser – Try it for private & secure browsing.

PhaseOut.net – PhaseOut adds functionality to your current Internet Explorer version. Once you install PhaseOut your version of Internet Explorer and its settings are not modified or touched.

CrazyBrowser.com – It is an easy-to-use fast browser.

Smart Bro – Smart Bro is a tabbed browser, similar to Internet Explorer, but with many new features, introduced to help you browse the Internet in an easier and more exciting way.

Bitty Browser – Bitty Browser helps you keep track of your favorite Web stuff by enabling navigable windows directly within your favorite sites — it’s like Picture-in-Picture for the Web.

xb Browser for Anonymous Browsing – The main advantage compared to other anonymous web browsers is that xB Browser requires no configuration or technical knowledge in order to achieve anonymity. xB Browser is open-source so you can feel safe knowing what goes into our code. Additionally, it is even portable on a USB stick so you can take it to work, school, or on vacation.

Sleipnir – Sleipnir is designed to be a highly customizable browser that you can configure to suit your individual needs. With Sleipnir, you can create your ideal browser by changing the design, skin, and visual appearance. You can also add custom functionality to Sleipnir with a wide range of plugins and user scripts.

AND Many more…

Not all may run on Windows 7  so do check the requirements