UPDATED ON: 2024-11-14 I just realized that there is no security tests in browser area, only performance related benchmarks. Today we shall fix that small gap with the help of [BrowserAudit] service. ► BROWSER SCORES BROWSER OK+ WARN! CRIT! SKIP- R3dFox 132 286 145 0 0 Firefox ESR 115.17 289 142 0 0 Supermium 124* 289 142 0 0 Palemon 33.4 302 129 0 0 Seamonkey 2.53.19 295 136 0 0 Mull 132** 359 32 0 40 IceRaven 132** 363 28 0 40 *Supermium v126 is not tested due its instability and slow GUI interactions **Android-based browsers

As a long-term user of Android OS i stacked up the most irksome peculiarities. They have been with us for ages, since version 1.0 to be exact. messed up separation between internal and external storage, which is not clear to a generic windows user, files are hard to find, applications save data randomly either on internal or external storage, logic pattern is definitely broken here incoherent and unclear notification system, with poor organization of priorities absence of transparent file handling, i am talking about file extension-application matching, there is no convenient tools to manage this task And it looks like google will never fix above mentioned facts.

Looking at recent Android version distribution and understanding the fact that Android 8.0 is standing on the brink of survival i decided to look for an alternative future solution. As for 8.0, everything is working fine at the moment, I am just doing some research to test the waters out. [LineageOS 20] is a custom firmware based around Android 13 [last version which allows to run legacy applications]. Operating system has been unofficially backported to the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact in 2023.

First things first. I often need to copy substantial amount of photos from my phone. It can’t be done via Windows GUI without millions of mouse clicks or keystrokes. Here you will find a solution on how to do this in a proper way. The key tool for this will be [ADB] , developer tools for Android. Wishes: command line, batch, no file explorer, no mouse, no clickety-clack. Sicking tired of all of these not-so-precise-instructions i’ve decided to make my own.

UPDATED ON: 2024-09-12 Added some links and fixed typos here and there. VERSION: 1.1a First of all, short congrats regarding happy New Year! It looks like that we made another one. In this long read you will find subjective rant towards to “obsolete” Windows 7 and comparisons with “modern” windows 10/11. This rant is the longest post i ever done on the pages of current website. Degradation of windows operating system is well underway and it looks like process can’t be stopped by any means.

Say you would like to extend life cycle of your hardware power button and want to turn off/restart your device without touching mechanics. Unfortunately most of smartphones don’t offer such functionality out of the box. However there is an easy way to make things rollin'. Problem can be solved by installing [Power Menu] , very small application. It is a simple tool which just works, do expected thing and moreover contains no bloat at all.

UPDATED ON: 2023-04-20 Important update, substantial refactoring, many errors fixed ▒ PREFACE WORDS Following instruction is dedicated to flashing stock Android 8.0 firmware for Russian region, but almost all information can be applied to USA or any other region firmware. So, no restrictions here. Remember that all commands and programs should be executed with admin privileges and your account must have administrator rights! If something goes wrong for some reason be sure to check [TROUBLESHOOTING] section!

I already mentioned desktop version of [UFO: X-COM Defence] . Also there is open-source [Android port] of the game. In today’s post i would like to recommend you an extended modification called [OpenXcom Extended] . Mod offers plenty of improvements over the original version including neat touchscreen controls [!]. Download [OpenXcom Extended] ||| [direct link to v7.8] Download original DOS [game cache] ||| [mega.nz] Extract downloaded archive into SDcard/OpenXcom folder Run game launcher and point it to newly created folder Check the plethora of settings provided by the game Now you can shot alien scum wherever you want!

UPDATED ON: 2023-08-31 Not long ago i’ve already mentioned about privacy-hardened [Mull browser] . Very nice Android browser, but have one serious downside: limited amount of supported addons. Yes, i like desktop convenience on the go! To enable additional addons in mobile Firefox browser you’ll need to sideload custom addon collection tied to mozilla account. It’s astonishing fact how they like to implement overcomplicated stuff! To create your own collection you’ll need Firefox account, but i’ll not bother to spent time on such dumb efforts.

It looks like that i found replacement for [Fenec F-Droid] browser, for real. I’m not completely satisfied with not fully removed telemetry, shady stubs and other fishy things presented by Fennec. That is why i begin to investigate the problem and discovered [Mull browser] . Main features of it: DOESN’T DIAL BACK NEITHER TO GOOGLE NOR TO MOZILLA [and that’s a complete steal] based around hardened version of user.js [main FireFox configuration file] frequently updated [keeps up with original Firefox releases] mascot of Mull is rather awful [but who cares?

Without further ado, straight to the facts: last version with sane amount of system services, which can’t be turned off absence of [neural networks API] , which is used for telemetry, collection/profiling user data with subsequent uploading collected information to third-parties [for the first time technology was introduced in Android 8.1] full support of any modern browser [even Android 6.0 can handle this] ability to load legacy Android 2.x applications without any issues [Android 14 is already blocking such apps] I care about older stuff simply because of code quality.

UPDATED ON: 2023-04-07 No chitter here, just plain breakdown of the most important stuff. ► WINDOWS 7 FIREWALL▼ [Outpost Firewall Pro] ◄ very advanced and lightweight firewall with host-based intrusion-prevention and anti-leak systems. Review is [here] . BROWSERS▼ [IceWeasel] ◄ my personal choice to surf web [mozilla crap ripped off] [LibreWolf] ◄ debloated in terms of privacy Firefox with pre-installed uBlock Origin [PaleMoon] ◄ the most mozilla-independent fork of Firefox [but slowly degrading] [Tor Browser] ◄ handy to overcome geo restrictions and other artificial limitations of obsolescent governments Warning: some telemetry is present!

UPDATED ON: 2023-02-20 Quick note of imaginary small-sized phone for a computer geek. Chance of real life appearance is pretty close to zero, especially considering current drumb trends and marketers domination over common sense. PART HARDWARE CPU Octa-core 1nm or better RAM 8Gb RAM or better STORAGE 256Gb UFS 3.1 + SD card up to 2Tb DISPLAY 4.4" 1920x1200 OLED CAMERA 1" sensor 40Mp or better, no h/w denoiser/enhancer AUDIO 24bit/384kHz, 3.

UPDATED ON: 2023-04-18 To keep battery of newly acquired devices safe do the following: 3-4 100% charges to warm up new battery after that do not charge battery above 78-80% do not discharge below 14-15% lower minimimum 20-25% upper maximum 78-80% at least twice a year do a 100% charge keep spare batteries in the fridge at 30% charge state. Storage temperature around +5 Celsius. All you need is one simple tool: [Battery Charge Limit] .

Just for your information: new versions of KeepassXC can be installed on Windows 7 via legacy installer. You can download it [HERE] . Look for Legacy section (64-bit, Windows 7/8/8.1) and you are good to go. PS On Android i’m using [KeepassDX] . Imagery by spacedrone808 @Adobe Imagery by spacedrone808 @Freepik

UPDATED ON: 2023-03-31 To speed up map rendering a bit turn on [OpenGL] acceleration in software settings. In version 4.3 new OpenGL renderer was transferred from hidden settings to generic ones. Now option can be found here: ≡ Settings ► OsmAnd settings ► Map rendering engine ► Version 2 (OpenGL) It looks like that as of version 4.3.12 all compatibility and performance issues were solved. So, i advice you to install 4.

Considering the fact that world is going completly mad the most important features for smartphone will be reability, long running time and neat network reception. In such scenario [Sonim XP8] is a perfect phone because it has interchangable battery, strong millitary protection and it is almost indestructible. Device is based around [Android 8.1] , so telemetry is minimal, but nerual networks is already there [in their rudimentary state]. So rooting phone and installing [neat ip-tables firewall] and [root-based hosts adblocker] will solve problem like there was no any.

Just plain numbers if somebody care about. WINDOWS MARKETSHARE [STATCOUNTER] Windows 7 dropped below 10% barrier. ANDROID MARKETSHARE [APPBRAIN] Android 8 holds up around 8% of the market. Btw, Android 6 is fully usable till today [2022/11/23]. FIREFOX DISTRIBUTION [FIREFOX] Imagery by spacedrone808 @Adobe Imagery by spacedrone808 @Freepik

Stop using mainstream operating systems like Windows 11/10/8.1, modern Linux, like Ubuntu or modern MacOS versions. On mobile Android 14/13/12/11/10/9/8.1 are prohibited because they use neural networks to profile your device and dial back to “home” to dump your personal data and preferences. iOS from very beginning was very phony platform. My personal choices are Windows 7 for desktop and Android 8.0 for mobile. These two cover my digital needs fully, no restrictions whatsoever.

Super quick breakdown of the most essential security applications for Android OS. [ADAWAY] ► Effective hosts adblocker [AFWALL+] ► Root-based firewall based on Linux ip-tables [EXODUS] ► Check your applications for telemetry trackers and secure your privacy [YET ANOTHER CALL BLOCKER] ► quality open-source call blocker Forked mod for Russia region . Imagery by spacedrone808 @Adobe Imagery by spacedrone808 @Freepik

Just a quick note to share high-quality Android audio player with all of you. Software is developed for hi-res hardware digital audio players like FiiO, Shanling, iBasso. The most important feature is bit-perfect OS independent decoding and audio processing. Speaking about bright sides of application: precise audio reproduction, loads of professional tools. However, there is one notable downside: user interface and ergonomics are very confusing to say the least.

Simple repost of an excellent YT review on my current trusty websurfer ► [Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact] smartphone. Imagery by spacedrone808 @Adobe Imagery by spacedrone808 @Freepik

UPDATED ON: 2023-02-06 v1.0b: please [contact me] if you find errors or inaccuracies. In this guide i will quickly show my system configuration tweaked for privacy. I’m using essential stuff like 3G/4G/WiFi & BT. Additional pleasantries are blocked. █ ANDROID 8: OS WITH MINIMAL TELEMETRY Operating System: Android 8.0 [Android 8.1 ain’t good, coz it brought support of neural networks to do effective data mining] Security patch: 1st September 2018 FW Version: 47.

UPDATED ON: 2023-02-20 I recommend to replace Fennec F-Droid with [Mull Browser] due to the fact that is COMPLETELY free from telemetry. In contrast to Fennec Mull browser do not trigger any mozilla or google connections, so take a note. And for God’s sake do not use plain Firefox, it is almost like chrome now! As my main web surfer IceCat begin to showing it’s age and don’t have any new versions apart from “super-new” 68.

UPDATE 2021-10-11: Added Excellent [APKGrabber] ▓ ALTERNATIVE FIRMWARE As for firmware, I recommend to use [LineAgeOS] if your device is supported. Neat FW with minimal tracking and no bloat from big corps. If there is no native LineAgeOS support check [XDA forum threads] for unofficial ports by community enthusiasts. If your device is not supported in both cases I do not recommend to update stock firmware to prevent bloat’n’telemetry installation.

UPDATED ON: 2024-10-23

List will be updated in the future.
Most of the applications can be found on [F-Droid market] and work on Android 8.0.
Permissions checker: [Exodus] .

Of course you run into situations when you would like to copy “non-standard” files to your Android smartphone and dumb MTP protocol showed up window like this one: And this torture repeated after every new file type copied. Such imbecility can be removed by following command in admin console: regsvr32 /u wpdshext.dll That’s all, limitation is gone. Another hint, which potentially can help to overcome weird design of MTP protocol.