Proxy
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Puffco's Proxy packs the power of Peak Pro into a palm-sized pipe
PuffCo has once again refined its vaporizing system — further shrinking the heating element and doing away with the water chamber entirely — into a one-handed vape experience, the Proxy.
Teen claims you can get free T-Mobile data through a proxy
One teen may have just achieved the dream of every cost-conscious wireless user: free, no-strings-attached mobile data. High school student Jacob Ajit claims to have discovered a trick that gets you all the T-Mobile data you want by using a proxy server. Reportedly, T-Mobile doesn't block sites with "/speedtest" in the address when you've run out of data on prepaid service. If you use the proxy to make it look like every site link has that text, you can surf to your heart's content at no charge beyond what it cost to get the SIM. Before you ask: sorry, folks, Ajit's proxy is down.
Netflix steps up proxy blocking to celebrate Oscars weekend
What else gets you in the inclusionary spirit of the Oscars like your favorite streaming service blocking you from accessing it? That's the reality many woke to this weekend when Netflix stepped up its efforts to block those using VPNs and other region unlocks from viewing shows and movies.
Netflix is blocking Australian users who access US content
Last week, Netflix said it would be bringing down the hammer on people who use VPNs (or other similar means) to access geo-restricted content. And, by the looks of it, the streaming titan isn't wasting any time. According to uFlix, a paid service that lets anyone in Australia change their IP address and DNS settings for entertainment purposes, Netflix has started blocking users from viewing its US-only videos. "You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again," Netflix reportedly told some Australian customers.
Netflix is cracking down on proxy users
The practice of using VPNs to spoof one's location to the Netflix servers has long allowed those outside the US to watch American content that was not available locally. But in the wake of the launch of Netflix Everywhere, the company's new global service initiative, that practice is kaput. Netflix announced on Thursday that it is cracking down on users that use VPNs to get around the company's geographic content restrictions.
Meerkat is silently fixing a flaw that lets anyone hijack livestreams
Livestreaming apps aren't new, but few have enjoyed as much notoriety in such a short time as Meerkat. Twitter users have adopted it in droves and the social network even went as far as limiting the app's access to its social graph last week for violating its policies. But as Meerkat continues to enjoy its time in the spotlight, a pretty serious flaw has emerged. One that lets users hijack any stream while it's in progress. Update: About 24 hours later, Meerkat says it's fixed! Thanks for reading, and hey, drop us a line sometime.
UK ISPs start restricting sites that help bypass The Pirate Bay blocks
The never-ending game of whack-a-mole between file-sharing advocates, internet service providers (ISPs) and copyright holders continues. The Pirate Bay (TPB) has become a tricky site for torrenters to access, and it's given birth to numerous proxy sites that circumvent the blocks set up by individual ISPs. Copyright holders cottoned on pretty quickly and have been asking ISPs to block the proxy sites that are still giving torrenters access to illegal downloads. So what's happening now? Well, some dedicated users have set up sites that keep an up-to-date list of the best TPB proxy databases. It's all rather convoluted, but now, according to TorrentFreak, British ISPs are cracking down on those sites too.
Netflix clamps down on attempts to dodge its regional restrictions (updated)
Netflix can only stream the videos that studios make available in a given country, which has led to a booming business in workarounds (such as proxies and virtual private networks) that let you see the company's catalogs in other nations. Heck, one New Zealand internet provider practically built a service around it. However, you might not get to count on that unofficial solution for much longer. VPN operators claim to TorrentFreak that Netflix recently started blocking some users who use these technological loopholes to watch videos that would normally be verboten. The effort isn't widespread and mostly appears to focus on connections with many simultaneous Netflix sign-ins (that is, they're obviously being used for circumvention), but it's a surprise to viewers who were used to having unfettered access.
College kids gave Siri new powers and now you can too
We already know Apple is working on improving Siri, but gosh dangit, the folks in Cupertino just aren't moving as fast as some would like. That's why a quartet of freshmen at the University of Pennsylvania decided to try making Siri do more on their own... at a hackathon, no less. They wound up taking third prize for the hack -- called GoogolPlex -- and after some fine-tuning, Alex Sands, Ajay Patel, Ben Hsu and Gagan Gupta are ready to help you make your virtual assistant do more. The setup process is trivial: you just have to change your WiFi connection's proxy settings (seriously, it'll take five seconds). Once that's done though, you can invoke Siri and ask GoogolPlex to play tunes in Spotify, crank up the heat on your Nest thermostat or even start your Tesla.
Google announces uProxy: internet censorship avoidance in a browser extension
At its Ideas Summit in New York, Google revealed Uproxy: a service that aims to change the way people around the globe use the internet. A browser extension for Chrome and Firefox, uProxy can bypass restrictive firewalls that hinder users from accessing vital (and trivial) information online by creating peer-to-peer connections. If someone from a country with limited internet access installs uProxy, they can get a friend from the US to authorize them to surf the open web using their connection. The service has yet to launch, but its creators -- the University of Washington and Brave New Software -- have opened a restricted beta for select, technically adept users to make it as "secure, private, and robust" as possible. If you know anyone who could benefit from uProxy, especially in times of need, direct them to the source link below for the sign-up page.
Another stealth tethering app will probably be pulled off the App Store any second... (Updated)
Update: It's been yanked. These things tend not to survive long in the wild, but it's your $2, have fun: audio capture iPhone app DiscoRecorder apparently has a secret, and it's an Easter egg proxy server. If you follow a rather rococo set of network config steps (detailed by 9to5Mac), make a recording, and rename it "PearSauce269.aac" (really? OK, sure, why not) then voila! Free tethering, regardless of your iPhone data plan (but that will still use up your data allocation). [Update: Note that this will only work from your Mac, not your iPad, as it requires you to create an ad-hoc network to start with. If you went ahead and spent $2 thinking this would tether your iPad, sorry about that.] Given that the discovery of this feature was coincidentally and/or conveniently timed for a Friday evening, when the App Store minders have presumably fixie-biked off into the Cupertino sunset, there's at least some chance the app will still be on the store in the morning -- but needless to say this is not a good long-term plan for tethering. [hat tip Giz]
Onavo Extend stretches your data plan, now with CDMA/LTE support
What's Onavo Extend you ask? It's a free app that lets you save money on your data plan by compressing unencrypted data between your device and the web. The result is that you consume up to five times less data -- convenient when you're on a tiered / capped data plan, when you're roaming abroad or when you're on a slower 2G network. In addition, the app keeps track of how much data (and money) you save and which apps use that data. This works by setting up a local proxy server (and changing your APN), then connecting to the company's back end which accesses the internet on your behalf. Onavo Extend -- which was released for iOS last year and was launched on Android (Ice Cream Sandwich) at Mobile World Congress -- is gaining CDMA/LTE support today for the new iPad and the iPhone 4S on Verizon and Sprint. We first experienced the app at the Google booth in Barcelona and we've been using it on and off since. We've tested it on several devices, including a Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ and an unlocked iPhone 4S on T-Mobile's network (EDGE only) and it works pretty much as advertised. Want to find out more? Hit the break for a demo video along with the obligatory PR.
New TERA IP blocking policy contradicts previous En Masse tweets [Updated]
Yesterday we reported on En Masse Entertainment's policy when it comes to IP blocking and region-locks for its upcoming TERA MMORPG. While the company's decision to keep users from Asia, Africa, Russia, and the Middle East off its American servers isn't particularly unusual, it is curious in the wake of several previous statements to the contrary. It turns out that En Masse said it wouldn't engage in foreign IP blocking four separate times via its TERA Twitter account before reversing course with its support post over the weekend. Is the new policy going to prevent you from playing TERA? Tell us what you think! [Thanks to Stilllove for the tip.] [Update: En Masse has responded with an official explanation of the changes. We've included the full statement behind the break.]
En Masse outlines policy for TERA IP blocking [Updated]
Lawsuits notwithstanding, TERA's North American debut is but a few short months away, and En Masse Entertainment probably has plenty of things on its pre-launch to-do list. One of those things is publicizing its policy on region-based IP blocking, and the firm did just that via a recent update to its support website. The firm will block IP addresses based on region, and Asia, Africa, Russia, and the Middle East are currently included on the company's block list. "While we appreciate that there are players in these regions who would enjoy playing on En Masse servers, it's unfortunate that the vast majority of internet traffic we see from these regions is from cyber-criminals relating to account theft, gold-farming and other hacking behavior," the company says. En Masse will not initially block proxies, but "a proxy or server host will be blocked if it becomes a popular tool for criminal behavior," according to the release. [Thanks to Stilllove for the tip!] [Update: En Masse has responded with an official explanation of the changes. We've included the full statement behind the break.]
Spire installer brings Siri to any jailbroken iOS 5 device, legally -- proxy still required
A few months of work by iOS hackers Grant Paul (aka chpwn), Steven Troughton-Smith and Ryan Petrich has culminated in the release of Spire, a new installer that will easily set up Siri on your jailbroken iOS 5 device. While Apple has kept its little helper exclusively constrained to the iPhone 4S, it now runs on iPads, iPhone 4, iPod touches and the iPhone 3GS, and while that's been done before they claim the other new trick is that it's legal, avoiding the copyright infringement inherent in previous hacks. When installed it will initiate a 100MB download of Siri directly from Apple so watch your bandwidth limits, and also be prepared to set up your own proxy server with donated info from an iPhone 4S to hold the line between Apple's backend and yourself. It's available on Cydia now so if you've been waiting for a way to get this feature for yourself it's not far away, however Troughton-Smith tells 9to5 Mac that the next major step may not come until the iPhone 4S is jailbroken and they can avoid the proxy server issues altogether.
Too lazy to grab your TV remote? Use Siri instead
Siri hasn't been caught cooking dinner yet, but hackers worldwide have boldly taken Apple's personal assistant to a whole new level by incorporating its functionality with a plethora of different devices. We've seen Siri use custom commands, change the temperature in your house, and even allow select car owners to utilize their automobile's Bluetooth integration. Nifty, no doubt, but this assistant's evolution towards greater heights isn't over yet. Vimeo user toddtreece has whipped up a slick demo of the iPhone 4S' right hand gal (or guy) taking command of his television set. From changing channels to turning off devices, with the help of a proxy and a few parts, you can get your own home setup running on voice activation. Feeling a bit guilty for your sudden interest in slothfulness? Fret not -- Siri's apparently quite good at calling you out. Have a look just after the break. [Thanks, Jesse]
Researchers put smartphones on a power diet, drastically improve battery life
Nokia's Asha handsets already use browser compression to reduce data costs and power consumption for customers in the developing world, but the company's Finnish neighbours over at Aalto University have taken a totally different approach. By using a network proxy to squash traffic into bursts rather than a constant bit rate, and by forcing a smartphone's modem into idle mode between each burst, the researchers claim they can cut 3G power consumption by 74 percent. Now, we're fortunate enough to be surrounded by power outlets over here, but even we could use some of that.
SiriProxy enables voice control of third-party apps (video)
If you'll rewind your mind in time to earlier this week, you might remember a clever proxy server from @plamoni that enabled Siri's control of a thermostat through spoken commands. Now, the same bit of engineering has been exploited to enable voice control of third-party applications. In this example, FastPdfKit Reader is manipulated by various commands with SiriProxy acting in the middle. A plugin is used to add new commands to the ones recognized by Siri, and finally, the proxy then sends the final commands to the app. Those hoping to get hacking will find a complete list of instructions from the source link below. For everyone else, you'll find the true magic after the break.
Developer creates proxy server for Siri, controls thermostat with his voice (video)
Now that Siri's protocol has been freshly dissected and laid bare for the world to behold, hackers have been busy finding ways to move Apple's personal assistant beyond the realm of the iPhone 4S. That task may be getting easier, however, now that a developer has created his very own third-party proxy server, designed specifically for Siri. The dev, known by his Twitter handle @plamoni, demonstrated his brainchild in a recent video clip, using a plug-in to control a WiFi thermostat with only voice commands. As @plamoni explains, the hack won't require users to jailbreak their iPhone 4S, but it won't let them port Siri over to earlier iPhones or iPod Touch models, either -- not yet, at least. The idea, according to the developer, is to make it easier for other hackers to experiment with and build upon Siri's functionality. Head past the break to see the demo video for yourself, or if you're up for it, grab the source code and instructions on how to create your own server, at the source link below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
How-to: use Google Music from anywhere (yes, outside of the United States)
Now that Google Music has finally clawed its way out of the realm of beta-ware, anybody in the US can sign up to play without an invitation. Of course, that leaves many folks out of the equation, so we thought it a good time to point out at least one other route to let you get involved in the service, no matter where you live. See, the rub seems to be that Google checks your IP address on your first attempt to log in, and accept its terms of use -- only the first time, and yeah, you're definitely going to be ignoring that doc by following this guide. So, in essence all we need to do is find a way to gently tiptoe past that gatekeeper and we're home free. Keep in mind that while you can upload your music, buying new tracks isn't going to happen until it rolls out in your neck of the woods in a more official way -- but hey, most of a good thing is still a good thing. There are various means to get this done, and we've found a pretty straightforward route, and if you're up to it click on through to the guide.
