Stop opportunistic thieves with the Master Lock Personal Safe

NEWS – Do you ever place your phone, keys, or wallet on the table in the coffee shop or library?  Do you ever get distracted while reading or people watching?  If you do both simultaneously, you could find someone has snatched your personal items before you even notice.  With the Master Lock Personal Safe, you can secure your items to the table so they can’t be palmed quickly as someone walks by.

The Personal Safe is water-resistant, and the interior is lined in shock-absorbing foam, The case has an earbud or charging cable access port so you can listen to music or a charge device while it’s stored in the safe.  It’s locked closed with a 4-digit code you set yourself; it can be reset as often as you like.  The exterior measures 2.25″ x 9.5″ x 4.75″; the interior is 1.25″ x 8.13″ x 3.5″.  The included 19.7″ security cable stores around the safe until needed; you just wrap it around a table leg or the like to tether it in place.  

In addition to phones and wallets, the Personal Safe is big enough to hold a passport or even some medication bottles.  The safe is available in white, blue, gunmetal gray, or pink.  Prices start at $18.38 at Amazon.

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Stop opportunistic thieves with the Master Lock Personal Safe originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 2, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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Cheap webcam privacy cover review

REVIEW – By now, everyone reading this post probably has a piece of opaque tape over the webcam on their laptop. We’ve seen the horror stories, TV shows, and news articles about cameras being hacked, as well as the famous picture of Mark Zuckerberg with tape over his laptop’s webcam. Now, rather than this ugly solution, there are these thin, sliding webcam shutters. I bought a random set on Amazon for under $10. It was listed as a 3 pack but actually came with 5 in the poly bag.

I installed one on my personal MacBook Pro (which has a black bezel), and can’t even see it unless I get the light just right. I know it’s there, though, because if I launch any app that accesses the camera, like FaceTime, the camera light turns on, but the image is totally black. A quick swipe of a finger and there is my smiling face. (Quick, slide it back!) I showed it to my Lovely Bride, and she wanted one for her MacBook Air. Since it has a silver metal bezel, it’s better to see, so that’s what’s in the picture.

If you’re concerned about your privacy, this doesn’t guarantee against hacking or surreptitious recording, but it does guard against images of your person or surroundings being recorded without your knowledge.

What I like

  • Quickly and easily closes off the webcam
  • Neat looking, no gummy tape

What needs to be improved

  • Doesn’t close off mic
  • Will slide open when in a bag
  • Not for phones or tablets, since it moves easily

Price: $7.35
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was purchased with my own funds.

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Cheap webcam privacy cover review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 28, 2018 at 11:00 am.

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Yubico’s YubiKey Now Comes to iOS with LastPass Support

One of my favorite hardware security key vendors that I’ve reviewed here on The Gadgeteer is introducing a new Mobile SDK for iOS for developers. It allows any iOS mobile app to add support for hardware-based two-factor authentication (2FA) using YubiKey OTP over NFC. The awesome password manager software LastPass has released the latest version of its password management app with fully integrated support for the YubiKey NEO over NFC on iOS. For current LastPass users, the iOS application will receive an automatic update (version 4.2.7) via the App Store. You can find more information on Yubico.com.

The post Yubico’s YubiKey Now Comes to iOS with LastPass Support appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

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Yubico’s YubiKey Now Comes to iOS with LastPass Support originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 27, 2018 at 1:00 pm.

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This biometric safe will make you feel like James Bond

Remember the touch pads and retinal scanners featured in James Bond films and other thrilling movies? Now you can purchase a gadget that fits into your favorite on-screen storylines.

The Barska AX11224 Biometric Home Safe doesn’t require keys you might misplace, nor does it use lock combinations.

Instead, this product stores up to 30 fingerprints in a central database. If it doesn’t recognize a person’s prints, the safe stays closed. Fingerprint scans happen in only two and a half seconds, letting you get your goods without delay.

Options that prevent lockouts

Perhaps you’re somewhat hesitant about using high-tech safes and worry malfunctions could prevent accessing the contents. Fortunately, this safe runs on AA batteries. The low-power operation makes a set of batteries last for a year, or 10,000 scans.

If the batteries run out, you can still use the keys that come with the safe. Insert them into the hidden keyhole and get inside. Barska sells battery backup packs, too. Prefer not using keys in any case? Purchase at least one of the spare power sources when buying the safe.

Keep a variety of items inside

Maybe you’ve never felt the need to own a safe. If you think carefully, though, it’s easy to come up with relevant things to stash inside. Guns, important documents and collectible coins or other items are common possessions most people would put inside.

A door-open alarm on this model gives an audible cue that might warrant investigation. Among the other benefits of the safe is the fact you can put it into a silent mode to avoid disturbing others.

What are the potential downsides?

It’s a good idea to learn about the pros and cons of this safe before purchasing it. By reading a detailed review of the product, you’ll realize things you might not otherwise know before using the safe once it arrives at your home.

For example, the safe’s door doesn’t open 180 degrees, which could make it difficult to get some items out.

Also, people weighed in on the product’s Amazon page to say that the safe sometimes opens in response to fingerprints not registered in the safe’s system or with the imprint of someone’s knuckles. That could be dangerous, especially if a child gets inside.

On the other end of the spectrum, individuals say when they have difficulty getting the safe to function properly, Barska’s customer service representatives are not sufficiently responsive.

Keep in mind, this is not a fireproof safe. If that’s a problem, buy one at a higher price point that does protect from flames.

Should you buy one?

Made from solid steel and featuring pry-proof deadbolts, this is a sturdy safe. Stay aware of the potential shortcomings when deciding what to store in it and whether to purchase one, though. If you are interested, they are currently priced at $175.91 on Amazon.

Images via Barska

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This biometric safe will make you feel like James Bond originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 10, 2018 at 3:22 pm.

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1.1.1.1 – DNS for faster, more private browsing

You can think of DNS (domain name system) as the directory of the internet. It’s the thing that connects the name of a website (google.com) to its IP address (8.8.8.8). With every action that requires internet access, the first thing that needs to happen is your device looking up the address of a domain. And that’s potentially a big problem, according to Cloudflare.

Many of the default DNS services on your devices are slow and can keep logs of every site you’ve visited, even if that site is encrypted. Cloudflare is trying to change all of that with the introduction of 1.1.1.1,  which promises faster domain resolution and more privacy than default DNS.

I’ve been using it for the past few days on my home WIFI router and on my mobile devices and it does seem to access websites a bit faster. I’m already running a VPN on those devices to mask my IP address, but this new DNS is another step toward more privacy online. The setup couldn’t be easier and can be done on any device or internet router, so why not check out their site and give it a shot?

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1.1.1.1 – DNS for faster, more private browsing originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 4, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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