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REVIEW – Let me say first that I understand that many sites use ads as a means for additional funding for their site (including The Gadgeteer). I mean TANSTAAFL (There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch). That being said I’m probably a marketer’s nightmare; my clickthrough rate on ads I do see is probably less than 1% and I actually don’t pay much attention to ads in any media. I see a kewl ad on television and within an hour I know the ad but have no idea what the actual advertised product or brand is.
Blocking ads on your device can give you a much cleaner screen, protects your privacy and reduces your bandwidth usage. Blockada is a free, open source ad blocker for your Android device which works without root. How good is it? Read on…..
Blockada is a DNS-based ad blocker that (and I’m not going to get too technical here) that redirects all your network traffic to a local VPN interface and only allows queries to hosts that are not blacklisted in your chosen filters. The filters contain hosts there are known to serve ads, tracking, spam, malware and other “nasties” like that.
You don’t need to have a rooted device to make this work however it’s not available from the Google Play Store as it “interferes with Google’s business model”, so you’ll have to go to Blockada, download the APK, make sure your device allows you to install from unknown sources and install the APK manually.
Once installed and turned on it works on both WiFI and mobile networks and also across all apps, not just the browser (like some ad blockers).
Once you’ve installed it here’s the main interface. You can see that it’s blocked a fair few ads. To turn Blockada on or off you just open the app and just hit the on/off button. You can tell it’s on by the little key in the top right-hand side of my system tray.
Here’s where you can choose what host blacklist files you want. Each one has strengths and weakness (which are described for each), and you can choose more than one. Currently, there are 14 available, I use 2. There is also a whitelist for sites you don’t want to apply Blockada to as well.
For further ad, phishing and other bad thing filtering you can also change your DNS provider away from your ISP’s. I tend to use OpenDNS on all my devices. They can often be faster than your ISP’s and give you an additional level of protection.
There are various other options in the settings tab like how often you want your list updated or if you want Blockada to start on boot.
As mentioned to turn it on or off you can just open the app, but there’s also a toggle in your pull down drawer (2nd from the right) to do this much more easily than having to open the app.
And here’s a typical page rendered on my Chrome Browser without Blockada active (see no key in the top right hand). Note the annoying self-playing ad in the middle of my screen and the small ad bar in the bottom.
Once ad blocker is turned on, no more ads, video or static. OK, the grey boxes probably aren’t the prettiest but to me, it’s better than the ads. It’s worth noting that in Firefox I just get a grey box with no graphics. You can see because the ad domain is in one of the blacklists, the actual IP address of the site can’t be resolved from the address, so it can’t load the site.
An here’s the effects in an app. Nope, I’m not looking at refinancing my home. Ads begone!
For me, Blockada has a number of advantages as it allows me to block ads and other nasty things from known nasty sites. This also means less bandwidth used (especially for video ads) and faster loading times. Additionally, it easily allows me to change my DNS away from whatever ISP I’m connected to a more “secure” and fast one if I want to. Of course, there are some disadvantages, sometimes it actually blocks sites that you do want to get to, especially where the site link you hit redirects first via an ad site to get to the requested site, but that being said you can easily turn Blockada off temporarily to get there. Additionally, you don’t see ads, don’t click on them and hence the sites you visit may be missing out on click revenue but as I say I don’t click through much anyway. Well worth a try if you really don’t like flashy, horrible, irrelevant ads “shoved in your face” 
Filed in categories: Reviews
Tagged: Android app
Blockada ad blocker Android app review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 2, 2019 at 10:00 am.
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REVIEW – We’ve all noted the trend toward thinner devices and, thus, smaller, sleeker bags. My (current) favorite style is an over-the-shoulder sling bag. These allow for quick-on, quick-off, and easy sling-around access while wearing. The current model I am testing is from a company called Cannae, their Optio Sling bag.
Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.
The Optio is a basic Cordura sling bag with a main pocket with a tablet/laptop sleeve for a very thin device and room for a few other items, as well as a few zippered pockets on the front. It’s available in Black, Sage, or Navy with Black trim. I was sent the Black model.
Just the bag
The Optio is a slim-profile sling with a wide shoulder attachment and a two-piece strap that can be worn over either shoulder. Above this is a heavy-duty rubber padded handle.
The strap can be changed for left- or right-shoulder wear, is adjustable, has a clip to allow it to be opened and re-clipped easily, and a removable stabilizer strap. (See photos below for clip details and stabilizer strap.)
The bag has a single double-headed zipper around five of it’s edges. When the main compartment is fully opened, the front lifts up and away from the body so that you can place a stack of items inside without having to slide them in from the top. This also prevents you from losing items in the depths – you can see everything!
On the rear panel that is against your back, there is a sleeve sewn into three sides with a 1.5” wide elastic Velcro strap to keep the contents in. It’s a pretty tight fit for my iPad 10.5” iPad in a thin case. (See photo above.) The original 12.9” iPad Pro won’t fit in unless it’s out of any case. My Lovely Bride’s 2016 MacBookAir will fit, but is quite tight. The opposite side has a few sleeves, good for passports or Moleskines and a couple of silos for more bulky pens and such. This whole pocket is padded and large headphones, cycling shoes, or water bottles will fit in here with ease.
On the outside, there is an 8” x 8” double-zipper pocket that has inner organization. There are a few pen loops, a zipped net pocket that will hold keys, mints, earbuds, etc.
The cover for this is loop material so you can stick anything to it with hook-sided velcro like a concealed carry holster, ID badge, or similar.
On the outside of that are two mirror-image pockets that zip across the top and most of the way down the side in a butterfly-wing manner. (Note the locking zipper heads on the 8″ x 8″ pocket above.) The left pocket has soft, no scratch padding for glasses, phone or anything else you don’t want to get damaged. (My iPhone 8 Plus fits easily, even with its ShiftCam lens case.)
The right-hand pocket has 2 slots sized for phone-shaped battery packs as well as a key clip.
On the left side, there is a very tight pocket on the side near where the strap snaps in. It’s too small and tight for a Moleskine or a passport, but a knife, bike tool, or pocket tool fits fine. Opposite that is a mesh pocket that looks like it’s built for a water bottle, but none of mine could fit, it’s so tight. A 10-ounce disposable plastic bottle fits, but it’s tight.
The motto for Cannae from the hang tag is “Battle Ready Professional Gear.” They take their name from the village where Hannibal Barca and the Carthaginian army severely trounced the far larger Roman army. The takeaway from this is a combination of Preparation, Intelligence, Strength, and Bravery.
It’s a pretty stealthy bag. There are no reflective materials on the black version I was sent. The single black molded logo centered below the grab handle is all that identifies it from the outside. There is another logo under the strap that doesn’t show when being worn.
Some of the pockets are tight for devices or items that you may use every day. If you carry a bare laptop or iPad, you’ll be fine with the sleeve, but if you’ve got a case on it, you’ll most likely not be able to fit it in. While the materials and workmanship are topnotch, be aware that it’s not a huge bag, and may not have a specific pocket for what you may think it needs. But if your stuff fits, it’ll be protected and near to hand for whatever you face.
Price: MSRP $85.00
Where to buy: Cannae web store and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Cannae Gear.
Filed in categories: Reviews
Tagged: Bags
Cannae Optio Sling bag review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 2, 2019 at 8:00 am.
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REVIEW – Tom Bihn bags are awesome. They ooze quality, made in USA, and are really durable. How durable? Read about the time I got hit by a car. I was excited to get the chance to review something bigger, without getting hit by a car.
The Road Buddy is a 60 liter-sized duffle bag that looks as good as it works.
A very nice shoulder strap comes with the bag. The pad feels grippy and durable, and the strap itself feels very similar to seatbelt material.
I found this collection of cord and plastic. What is it? They’re zipper pulls! Very easy to assemble.
Here’s a shot of the duffle with the shoulder strap removed.
There are loops on the bottom (and sides) for external lash straps. Two straps come with the duffel. Strap on a camera tripod, blanket, sleeping pad, you name it!
The main handle is also nicely detailed. Two metal snaps keep the two halves together, and the thickly-padded wrap keeps its shape even when released.
The end pockets are slightly different from each other. They both have single zippered pouches but one end is made of mesh.
Another slight difference is found on the inside. Both are roomy but one has an attachment for a Tom Bihn key strap. One is included.
The main compartment is roomy. I was able to pack 34 t-shirts without difficulty. Under the flap is yet another mesh pocket.
On the ends of the interior compartment are two divided pouches on each side for a total of four.
If you want the best, look no further. Just be prepared to pay for quality.
Price: $200
Where to buy: Tom Bihn.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Tom Bihn.
Filed in categories: Reviews
Tagged: Bags
Tom Bihn Road Buddy 60L duffel bag review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 1, 2019 at 12:00 pm.
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