Eliana Willis

Jack Wallen/ZDNETWhen I first started using MacOS, my default browser was Safari. This continued for a long time, mostly because all other browsers couldn’t match Safari’s battery optimizations. But there were things about Safari that weren’t quite what I preferred in a browser, especially in the realm of security. Like most everything Apple creates, you’re stuck with the company way. In other words, Safari didn’t put the security of the browser in the hands of the user. Also: 5 alternative browsers that might just replace Safari on your MacThat’s why, when I first heard about the Orion browser, I had to give it a try. What is the Orion browser? The Orion browser is a web browser built on the WebKit rendering engine. For those who don’t know, a rendering engine is what makes it possible for an app to present web pages to the user. Also: I speed-tested 11 browsers – and the fastest might surprise youNow, before we go too far, know that Chrome on iOS does use the WebKit rendering engine (Chrome on all other devices — including MacOS — uses Blink). Other than that, it’s all Safari. What Orion does (besides using WebKit) is present itself very much like Safari. The first time I opened Orion, I thought I’d mistakenly opened Safari. What makes Orion special? There are several features that help make Orion stand out. First and foremost is security. One thing that really had me nodding my head was the fact that Orion sends zero telemetry. Private information is protected and is never leaked… anywhere. Next, it comes with vertical, tree-style tabs, which I find far more efficient to use than traditional horizontal tabs. Not only are your tabs easier to see, they’re easier to organize. As a bonus, there are also tab groups. The only thing missing here is a Workspaces-like feature. Also: My 5 favorite web browsers – and what each is ideal forAnother really cool aspect of Orion is that it supports both Chrome and Firefox extensions. There are some extensions that are available for one but not the other. This ensures you don’t have to miss out on either. Then there’s the built-in ad and tracker blocking, which is enabled by default, as well as: SpeedEasy on system resourcesAcross-device syncReader modeAutoplay video blockingKeychain for passwordsPicture in PictureLow power modeAllow copy and paste (on sites that don’t usually allow)Also: 5 Firefox-based, privacy-first web browsers that improve on the originalThe last feature I’ll mention is called Focus Mode. With Focus Mode, if you hit the key combination (⇧⌘F), all distractions are removed from the window. I love this feature because it shoos away every element from the web browser, so you can focus on the content at hand. I’ve used Focus Mode quite a bit during my testing because I find it helps me focus on what I’m looking at. The temptation to look at something else is removed (until I hit the same keyboard shortcut) and I can enjoy a clean window with nothing but content. More

Rodica Cojocaru/Getty Images Nearly every part of modern life depends on our connection to the internet. When my provider experiences an outage, everything grinds to a halt — working remotely via VPN, streaming music on Spotify, and even using smart home devices. It’s a stark reminder of how much we rely on the invisible network […] More

ZDNETIt’s time once again to update your iPhones, iPads, Macs, and even your Vision Pro headsets, as Apple has just released a patch to address a serious bug that the company claims is currently being exploited by hackers to gain access to devices.iOS 18.3.2 (along with iPadOS 18.3.2, MacOS Sequoia 15.3.2, VisionOS 2.3.2, and Safari 18.3.1 for Macs running Ventura and Sonoma) includes a supplementary patch for a bug that Apple previously addressed in iOS 17.2. This update fixes a sandbox vulnerability in WebKit. Also: No Metallica tickets? How to see the band’s Apple Vision Pro concert – for freeThe sandbox is a security mechanism that isolates web pages from the rest of the system, preventing websites from accessing or interfering with other system components. Since this sandbox bug allowed “maliciously crafted web content to break out of the Web Content sandbox,” and WebKit is the engine that powers the Safari browser along with all other third-party browsers running on iOS and iPadOS, it’s a bug that affects every iPhone and iPad user, along with a big chunk of Mac users.Apple further states it is “aware of a report indicating that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals.” It is important to note that this exploitation was only possible for those running versions of iOS prior to iOS 17.2.You can install the update on the iPhone or iPad in four steps:Go to the Settings app on your device.Tap on General, then select Software Update.The screen will display the currently installed version of iOS and any available updates.If an update is available, tap Install Now. Alternatively, you can wait for it to be downloaded and applied automatically to your device. There are also reports that this update, like previous ones, re-enables Apple Intelligence. After applying the update, the introductory Apple Intelligence splash screen is displayed, and the only option available to users is to tap on Continue. If, like me, you’ve found that this update significantly impacts your battery life and decided to turn it off, you’ll need to do that again.You can find the setting to do this by tapping on Settings and then Apple Intelligence & Siri. More

Linux foundation and OpenInfra/ZDNETTo strengthen the open-source community, the Linux Foundation and the Open Infrastructure Foundation (OpenInfra) have announced plans for OpenInfra to join the Linux Foundation as a member foundation. This decision follows unanimous approval from both organizations’ boards and aims to unite their vibrant global ecosystems to provide trusted open-source solutions.Also: Gartner identifies top trends in data and analytics for 2025 – and AI takes the leadThe Linux Foundation was formed when the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) merged with the Free Standards Group in 2007. Back then, its focus was to standardize desktop and enterprise Linux. Today, it oversees more than 900 open-source projects. In OpenInfra’s case, it started as the OpenStack Foundation in 2012. Its mission was to oversee the OpenStack infrastructure-as-a-service open-source cloud. In 2020, the foundation changed its name to OpenInfra and expanded beyond OpenStack to include: Airship, lifecycle management for clouds; Kata Containers, lightweight virtual machines; and StarlingX, a cloud-based edge-computing platform. Also: What happened at the Homebrew Computer Club 50 years ago: Apple was born, and a revolution beganThe two foundations already collaborate closely through the Open Infrastructure Blueprint, which integrates key projects, including Linux, OpenStack, and Kubernetes. This partnership supports critical workloads for hundreds of organizations worldwide, creating opportunities for these technologies to grow together and outpace proprietary tools in evolving infrastructure environments. By joining forces, the organizations will accelerate data center modernization through collaboration with projects such as Kubernetes and PyTorch. In other words, this merger is a natural move. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Motorola’s Moto G Power is currently on sale for $300. This device boasts multi-day battery life, a 6.8-inch Full HD+ screen, and decent performance for a mid-range phone. However, its similarities to the base Moto G may not be enough to convince people to pay an extra $100. more buying choices […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Lenovo’s 10th-Gen Yoga Slim 9i retails for $1,760. It’s a lightweight laptop with a striking design and an even more striking 4K OLED touchscreen. However, some will find its lack of ports limiting and the webcam low-quality. more buying choices One of the things I appreciate about Lenovo is its willingness […] More

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images Enter Vision Pro?  Metallica, one of the biggest-selling rock groups of all time, has announced a new immersive concert experience coming to the Apple Vision Pro — and you can preview it for free without owning a headset. The film, simply titled Metallica, will be released this Friday, […] More

Cesar Cadenas/ZDNETI’ve never really been an Apple guy. Most of the tech I have owned has either been Windows- or Android-related. I’ve never had an iPhone, and outside of a few instances, I never used a Mac for an extended period of time. However, writing for ZDNET has given me opportunities to try out hardware I may never have touched. And after trying out Apple’s new M4 Max Mac Studio More