Technologies

Verum, Wickr and Threema: next generation secured messengers

Still using WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger? Think Telegram is completely reliable? Or maybe you still can’t give up trying to talk normally in Viber? Then we have a serious conversation with you.

The 21st century has given us access to communication, instant communication with each other, no matter where we are in the world. But at the same time, we all became vulnerable — personal information was in plain sight, it was easy for us, we were simply controlled. Conversations are no longer private. “You have to pay for everything. This is the price of an affordable connection”, someone might say. No, we disagree with this statement. Everyone has the right to the confidentiality and secrecy of their data. We present you the top 5 most secure messengers of the new generation.

Verum

https://apps.apple.com/app/verum-messenger-chat-calls/id1550499454

You don’t even need a SIM card to use Verum messenger. No phone tethering. The app has built-in VPN and end-to-end encryption. When you first get to know the application, you will create an individual key pair and you will have a unique identifier. And the Verum developers have solved our eternal problem — if someone takes a screenshot in the chat, you will immediately find out about it. Checkmate! No more leaked correspondence. You can add up to 10,000 people to a group chat, and the app is translated into 15 languages. No one, except the recipient, can view your correspondence, no matter what it contains — photo, video, audio. And even if you suddenly lose your phone, no one but you will be able to enter the application. To do this, you can set a password for the entrance or require it to be entered after a certain time. And so that you are completely calm about the confidentiality of communication, the Verum developers have provided the ability to automatically delete all correspondence after the time you set. The interface is minimalistic and stylish. Verum is currently only available for download on IOS. It can be purchased from the App Store for $12,99. Yes, it is paid, like some of the ones below, as these are the best messengers in terms of security. But, believe me, those «free» applications that are on your phone also have a price — you pay for them with your personal data.

Wickr

Time-tested anonymous messenger. Even if you have never come across it face to face, you are sure that you have heard this name for sure. As with Verum, you do not need to have a SIM card in order to attach the app. When registering, you create an ID and password. Transferring files to third parties is impossible, as well as a screenshot of the correspondence. If you decide to erase the entire communication history, there is no way to restore it. The developers have equipped the Wickr feature with a temporary image and text that will automatically disappear after the recipient has viewed them. It is very convenient that the messenger can be installed on a PC, as well as by the standard — available for IOS and Android. Wickr is available in a free version (Wickr me) and also in a paid version (Wickr pro / Wickr ent) for corporate communication. Due to this interface, the application is a little more complicated than that of other messengers.

Threema

Application servers are located in Switzerland, which in itself, you must agree, is already a guarantee of quality. Just like the previous applications — Verum and Wickr — Threema does not require you to bind to a phone number. And we like this trend, as it has long since lost its relevance. Something like a place of registration, isn’t it? Instead of a number, you will be given keys — private and public, according to the scheme you are already familiar with. It is also possible to password-protect individual chats. The information is not saved in the application, but on your phone. Messages are deleted immediately after you or your interlocutor read them. Everyone began to discuss Threema after the messenger refused to give out encryption keys to Roskomnadzor. After this incident, the number of users of the application increased significantly. Threema can be downloaded on IOS and Android for about 3$.

Confide

A very interesting, in our opinion, application for safe communication. The peculiarity of this messenger is that messages are displayed closed, in the form of rectangular shapes. In order to read the text, you will need to slide your finger over it. This feature protects you from annoying peeping at the phone screen. Until you make sure that no one is standing behind you, the message will be impossible to read. True, Confide requires binding to your mail. Here, too, it will not be possible to take a screenshot, since you simply cannot then open it or send it to someone. The app is free, but there are paid features.

Signal

To install this application, you will already need your phone number and contact list. Despite this breach of anonymity, the messenger is still pretty safe. Developers used open source encryption, making it available to their own research of various problems that may arise when working on different operating systems. Unlike WhatsApp, Signal will not collect data about your preferences, after which you are usually offered an advertisement for the product you just hinted at in a conversation. Before starting a conversation, you can double-check the security of your conversation thanks to the additional two-way session verification. The developers have also not forgotten about the function of disappearing messages. You can set a password to sign in to Signal, or you can use the face and fingerprint recognition system. The application is free and available for all operating systems.

Technologies

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

Here’s what you need to know about new features and upcoming updates for your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.

iOS 17 updates

Using iOS 17

Getting started with iOS 17

Make sure to check back periodically for more iOS 17 tips and how to use new features as Apple releases more updates.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

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See all photos

Technologies

Get Ready for a Striking Aurora That Could Also Disrupt Radio Communications

Don’t expect the storm to cause a lingering problem, though.

A geomagnetic storm is threatening radio communications Monday night, but that doesn’t mean you should be concerned. In fact, it may be an opportunity to see a colorful aurora in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a geomagnetic storm watch after witnessing a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Saturday. The watch, which was issued over the weekend and will expire after Monday, said the onset of the storm passing over Earth on Sunday night represented a «moderate» threat to communications. As the storm continues to pass through, it could deliver a «strong» threat on Monday night that could cause radio communications to be temporarily disrupted during the worst of it.

Even so, NOAA said, «the general public should not be concerned.»

A coronal mass ejection occurs when magnetic field and plasma mass are violently expelled from the sun’s corona, or the outermost portion of the sun’s atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, the ejection occurs with no real threat to Earth. However, in the event the ejection happens in the planet’s direction, a geomagnetic storm occurs, and the Earth’s magnetic field is temporarily affected.

In most cases, geomagnetic storms cause little to no disruption on Earth, with radio communications and satellites affected most often. In extreme cases, a geomagnetic storm can cause significant and potentially life-threatening power outages — a prospect that, luckily, the planet hasn’t faced.

Switching poles

Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch, with the north pole and south pole swapping positions. During those cycles, the sun’s activity ramps up as it gets closer to pole-switching time. The height of its activity is called solar maximum, and scientists believe we either may be entering the solar maximum or may be already in it.

During periods of heightened solar activity, sunspots increase on the sun and there’s an increase in coronal mass ejections, among other phenomena. According to NOAA, solar maximum could extend into October of this year before the sun’s activity calms and it works towards its less-active phase, solar minimum.

Even when geomagnetic storms hit Earth and disrupt communications, the effects are usually short-lived. Those most affected, including power grid operators and pilots and air traffic controllers communicating over long distances, have fail-safe technologies and backup communications to ensure operational continuity.

But geomagnetic storms aren’t only about radios. In most cases, they also present unique opportunities to see auroras in the night sky. When the storms hit, the plasma they carry creates a jaw-dropping aurora, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors. Those auroras can be especially pronounced during the most intense phases of the storm, making for nice stargazing.

If you’re interested in seeing the aurora, you’ll need to be ready. The NOAA said the «brunt of the storm has passed» and even if it lingers into Tuesday, there won’t be much to see after Monday night.

Technologies

Last Total Solar Eclipse for 20 Years Is Coming: How to See and Photograph It

It’s your last chance until 2044.

Get your eclipse glasses ready, Skygazers: the Great American Eclipse is on its way. On April 8, there’ll be a total eclipse over North America, the last one until 2044.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and turning an otherwise sunny day to darkness for a short period of time. Depending on the angle at which you’re viewing the eclipse, you may see the sun completely shrouded by the moon (called totality) or some variation of it. The more off-angle you are and the further you are from the path of the eclipse, the less likely you’ll be to see the totality.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. The Great American Eclipse will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and then traverse the US in a northeasterly direction from Texas to Maine, and on into easternmost Canada. If you want a good look at it, but don’t live in the path of totality, you shouldn’t wait much longer to book accommodation and travel to a spot on the path.

Or how about booking a seat in the sky? Delta Airlines made headlines for offering a flight that allows you to see the entire path of totality. Its first eclipse flight, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit sold out quickly. But as of Monday, Delta has added a second flight from Dallas to Detroit, which also covers the path of totality. The airline also has five flights that will offer prime eclipse viewing.

Not everyone can get on one of those elusive eclipse-viewing flights. Here’s a look at other options to nab a chance to see this rare sight and what to know about it.

Total solar eclipse path

The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. The eclipse will then make its way over San Antonio at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on April 8 and move through Texas, over the southeastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas by 2:50 p.m. ET.

By 3 p.m. ET, the eclipse will be over southern Illinois, and just 5 minutes later, will be traveling over Indianapolis. Folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 p.m. ET, and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York, by 3:20 p.m. ET. Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will be seen over northern New York state, then over Vermont. By 3:35 p.m. ET, the eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the Eastern coast of North America.

Best places to watch the Great American Eclipse

When evaluating the best places to watch this year’s total eclipse, you’ll first want to determine where you’ll have the best angle to see the totality. The farther off-angle you are — in other words, the farther north or south of the eclipse’s path — the less of an impact you can expect.

Therefore, if you want to have the best chance of experiencing the eclipse, you’ll want to be in its path. As of this writing, most of the cities in the eclipse’s path have some hotel availability, but recent reports have suggested that rooms are booking up. And as more rooms are booked, prices are going up.

So if you want to be in the eclipse’s path, and need a hotel to do it, move fast. And Delta’s eclipse-viewing flight from Dallas to Detroit has just four seats left at the time of publication.

Eclipse eye safety and photography

As with any solar eclipse, it’s critical you keep eye safety in mind.

During the eclipse, and especially during the periods before and after totality, don’t look directly at the sun without special eye protection. Also, be sure not to look at the sun through a camera (including the camera on your phone), binoculars, a telescope or any other viewing device. This could cause serious eye injury. Sunglasses aren’t enough to protect your eyes from damage.

If you want to view the eclipse, you’ll instead need solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Anything that doesn’t meet that standard or greater won’t be dark enough to protect your eyes. Want to get them for free? If you’ve got a Warby Parker eyeglasses store nearby, the company is giving away free, ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores from April 1 until the eclipse, while supplies last.

If you don’t have eclipse viewing glasses handy, you can instead use indirect methods for viewing the eclipse, like a pinhole projector.

Read more: A Photographer’s Adventure With the Eclipse

In the event you want to take pictures of the eclipse, attach a certified solar filter to your camera. Doing so will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while you view the eclipse through your lens.

There’s also a new app to help you both protect your eyes and take better photos of the eclipse on your phone. Solar Snap, designed by a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event. After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately take better shots of the eclipse.

2024 eclipse compared to 2017

The last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017, and many Americans had a great view. Although there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 total solar eclipse and the one coming April 8, there are a handful of differences. Mainly, the 2024 eclipse is going to cover more land and last longer.

The 2017 eclipse started over the northwest US and moved southeast. Additionally, that eclipse’s path was up to 71 miles wide, compared with a maximum width of 122 miles for this year’s eclipse. Perhaps most importantly, the moon completely covered the sun for just 2 minutes, 40 seconds in 2017. This year, maximum totality will last for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.