Networking

Starlink Hurricane Helene Coverage Map Starlink I like SpaceX’s Starlink. Its low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation delivers good speed and low latency to rural users who would otherwise be stuck with DSL or even — seriously — dial-up modem internet connections.  Recently, Starlink made headlines with a seemingly generous offer: “Starlink is now free for […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETAs Florida faces Hurricane Milton right on the heels of Hurricane Helene, communications is one critical area likely to be affected. People in the state may not be able to rely on cellular or Wi-Fi service to call emergency personnel for help or loved ones for comfort. Also: How to use Android’s emergency satellite texting if you lose cell signalTo deal with disruptions to cellular connectivity, iPhone owners can instead turn to satellite connections. Apple offers three features that can help help.1. Emergency SOS via SatelliteWith Emergency SOS via Satellite, iPhone users can send text messages to emergency responders. But rather than travel through a cellular or Wi-Fi network, the messages use satellites to go back and forth. Introduced late last year with iOS 16.1, this feature is available on all iPhone 14, 15, and 16 models. There’s no need for a separate app or software update; Emergency SOS via Satellite works automatically when needed.Also: 5 hurricane-tracking apps I’m using to keep an eye on Hurricane Milton from South FloridaOnce your phone has access to the satellite service, you’ll see a notification badge in the Settings app and an item labeled “Get Help During an Emergency.” You can also check the feature by opening the Settings app and selecting “Emergency SOS.” Swipe to the bottom of the page where you’ll see “Emergency SOS via Satellite” and an option to try the demo (more on that in a minute). More

My Arc browser Work profile is associated with a Space named Work. Jack Wallen/ZDNETArc browser has been my default on MacOS for nearly a year now and I’ve never once regretted the change. Arc includes the best tab management on the market, the most modern UI of any browser, and plenty of other features that help it stand out from the browser pack. I want to focus on one feature in particular — it’s a feature offered by some browsers (such as Firefox) that is often overlooked by users. The feature in question: profiles. What are profiles? Let’s say you use Arc for both personal web surfing and work. You might use the same services — say, Google Workspace — for both home and work but have different Google accounts for each. Instead of logging into your personal Google account for one task, logging out, logging in with your Google work account, and then taking care of another task, you could create separate profiles for Personal and Work. In the Personal profile, log in with your personal Google account; in the Work profile, log in with your work account. Those two profiles will not communicate with one another or exchange data.  Also: Arc browser creator believes it’s time to move on from Chrome – and I agreeWith profiles you can isolate history, logins, cookies, and extensions, essentially giving you multiple instances of the same browser for different purposes. Arc does approach profiles a bit differently than other browsers. Instead of creating multiple profiles and then selecting between them when needed, you associate a profile with a Space. Because of this, you’ll want to make sure to first create a space that will work with the new profile. For example, you could create a Space named Work and then associate it with the new Work profile. This means you work with different profiles from the same window, making it a very efficient experience. More

Deals are subject to sell out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We’re sorry if you’ve missed out on this deal, but don’t fret — we’re constantly finding new chances to save and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com. Also: The best Amazon Prime Day 2024 deals  More

Arc Search offers a minimal interface for maximum efficiency. Jack Wallen/ZDNETI make no bones about shouting to the world that my default browser on MacOS is Arc. It’s superior to Chrome in every way. It has better tab management, a modern UI, built-in AI, and all the features you’ve grown accustomed to using.To date, however, Arc has only been available for MacOS (and Windows, which I do not use). All of that changes soon, with the release of Arc Search for Android. (There’s also an iOS version.)Also: I’m a browser expert and Arc is my default for MacOS. Here are two new reasons whyArc Search? Is it a browser or a search tool?It’s a browser, yes, but its primary interface is a search tool. Here’s what Arc Search does:Searches for you: Tap Browse For Me and Arc Search will search the web, read several pages, and build a tab specific for you.Clears the clutter:  Arc Search auto-archives old tabs and blocks ads, trackers, and banners.Works efficiently: When you open Arc Search, the keyboard opens automatically, so you’re ready to search right away.Removes distractions: Arc Search places Reader Mode front and center.Remains out of the way: Arc Search uses a bare minimum UI, so the browser doesn’t get in the way of what you’re viewing. More

Damage from Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina. Steven Vaughan-Nichols/ZDNETWhen Hurricane Helene announced itself with wind and rain hammering on my house in Asheville, North Carolina, in the early hours of Sept. 27, I turned over and went back to sleep. Then, the crashes awoke me. I could tell my home was OK, but over the storm’s howls, I heard trees falling all around me on my neighbors’ homes. Even so, little did I know just how bad the situation was. Assessing the damages The morning came, and as often happens with severe storms, the sun was shining, and it was a lovely day. Until my partner and I went out, we didn’t know that every other home in our historic neighborhood of Montford had large, old trees down.Also: 5 hurricane-tracking apps I rely on as a Floridian tech pro – and which one is my favoriteOur neighbor had three trees down but, by a miracle, none had done serious damage. Three houses down the other way, it was a different story. There, a huge, century-old tree had crushed part of the front porch and the second floor. The pattern repeated as we walked around our neighborhood. Downed trees and powerlines were everywhere. All the streets were blocked in every direction. You couldn’t walk more than two blocks from our home, never mind drive. However, as we talked to our neighbors, we discovered no one had died or been hurt by the hurricane in our area. We had no idea how lucky we had been. More

Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for WIRED In a surprising announcement, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the web, and Rosemary Leith, co-founder of the World Wide Web Foundation, revealed that the organization is ceasing operations. The decision comes after 16 years of advocating for a safe, trusted, open web. Also: At 35, the web is broken, but […] More

Kerry Wan/ZDNETHave you run into hiccups trying to activate the cellular plan for an Apple Watch with Verizon? If so, you’re not alone. Some Apple Watch owners have reported issues setting up cellular access through the carrier, a problem that seems to be affecting people who bought the watch from a different vendor.Based on complaints from several users shared with AppleInsider, an Apple Watch sold by Verizon will activate correctly. But a watch purchased from another retailer, even Apple, fails to activate. The issue also appears to be more common than might be expected.Also: Preorder the new Apple Watch Series 10 now, here’s how (plus ways to save)”I am unable to connect my brand new Apple Watch 9 to Verizon cellular via the app. I contacted Verizon and they were unable to connect my Watch to the network,” said one person on an Apple discussion forum.”I am now trying to get my BYOD Apple Watch Ultra 2 activated and have not been able to activate the watch on cellular within the Apple Watch app,” said someone on a Verizon community forum. “After logging into my Verizon account when prompted, the page loads for a minute then errors out with the text ‘Something went wrong’ followed by ‘paring of not allowed’ (yes – that is the actual grammatically incorrect error message).” More