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      RIP, ICQ: Why all instant messaging disappears (in the end)

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      akinbostanci/Getty Images Many people were surprised to hear recently that ICQ — the once-popular instant messaging (IM) client — will shut down on June 26. I suspect more people were surprised to hear that ICQ (supposedly short for “I Seek You”) was still around. Back in 1996, though, ICQ was the IM client. Launched by Mirabilis, […] More

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      How Samsung and Arm are navigating the coming 6G data deluge

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      SEAN GLADWELL/Getty Images Although we’re still in the 5G era, Samsung is already looking ahead to try and solve the problems that could make a 6G rollout far more difficult. Samsung Research, the research and development arm of the Korean tech giant, has partnered with Arm to develop technologies that would address parallel packet processing […] More

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      Beyond Google: 5 Chrome extensions that give you search superpowers

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      Jack Wallen/ZDNETMost people believe Google is enough — type your search string into the address bar, hit enter, and comb through the results. What if I told you that there were better ways to search using Google Chrome? With the help of a few simple extensions, you can extend and simplify the search process right from your browser.Also: 5 ways to declutter your Chrome browser – and take back control of your tab lifeFor those who’ve never installed an extension in Chrome, it’s simple:Go to the extensions page in the Chrome Web Store.Click Install.When prompted, click Add Extension.Before I continue, a word of warning: While searching for these extensions, I found several add-ons in the Chrome Web Store that were not verified by Google. Because some extensions require access to your Google account to function, I won’t recommend any option that has not been verified. You do not want your account information compromised! Therefore, even if an extension looks like it’s exactly what you’re looking for, if it’s not verified, featured, or doesn’t have a decent amount of positive reviews, avoid it.Similarly, if you filter extensions by either “Featured extensions” or “Established publishers,” you can trust that any extension listed is Verified.With that in mind, here are a few extensions I’ve found and used that can enhance your search experience.1. Search YouTubeSure, you can add YouTube as a site search in Chrome’s settings, but a handy extension called Search YouTube makes this a bit easier. Once installed, the Search YouTube extension adds a right-click menu entry so all you have to do is highlight a string of text on a webpage, right-click your mouse (or double-finger-tap your trackpad), and select Search YouTube for “X” (where X is your search string).Also: How to download YouTube videos for free, plus two other methodsYou can also pin the YouTube icon to your toolbar extension section. Click that icon to go directly to YouTube. This featured extension doesn’t offer much more than that, but if you search YouTube often, it comes in handy.You can install this free extension from the Chrome Web Store. More

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      Microsoft Edge update patches two security flaws and adds a handy speed test tool

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      Jack Wallen/ZDNETMicrosoft has released the latest version of its Chromium-based Edge web browser that could entice users to migrate away from Chome.First off, there aren’t a lot of new features to be found in the latest stable version of Edge (124.0.2478.80). There are, however, two security vulnerabilities patched in this latest version, which are CVE-2024-4331 and CVE-2024-4368, both of which allowed a remote attacker to exploit heap corruption with a malicious HTML page. These two vulnerabilities were marked High, which means it’s important that you update to the latest version to patch these flaws. Also: Arc browser is now available for Windows and it’s so much better than ChromeThe big-ticket item for this new update to Microsoft Edge is a “built-in” speed test tool. I place built-in between quotes because the feature is really just a quick link to the Bing speed test page. Even so, for those who regularly depend on a speed test for troubleshooting network issues, it’s handy to have quick access to such a tool.Speaking of which, accessing the speed test tool isn’t exactly user-friendly. To do so, click + on the right sidebar and type tools in the search field. From the pop-up, click “Tools” (with the toolbox icon) and you’ll see the speed test tool at the top of the sidebar. Click “Start” and a new tab will open to Bing and automatically run the latency, download, and upload speed tests. More

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      How we test VPNs in 2024

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      Virtual private networks (VPNs) are services that you can use to hide your online activity and obscure your digital footprint to prevent advertisers — and others — from tracking you. VPNs are also useful in bypassing firewalls, accessing content restricted to specific locations, and masking what websites you visit, and when. VPNs have become so popular that the digital marketplace is full of them. All VPN providers are competing for your attention and money (as the majority of VPNs are offered on a subscription basis), and it can be difficult to cut through the noise and find good, reputable VPN services suitable for your needs. This is where ZDNET comes in. Our experts provide hands-on reviews of the top VPNs on the market today, backed by extensive testing and research. This is how we test VPN software to make the right recommendations for you based on your needs. How ZDNET tests VPNs in 2024 Charlie Osborne/ZDNETNowadays, VPNs offer such an extensive list of features that choosing the right VPN can be a daunting and confusing experience. As the majority of reputable VPN services must be paid for, it is essential that you are able to either test out or pick the right VPN from the start. This becomes critical if you need extensive security, if you live somewhere known for censorship, or if you are in a country that frowns upon VPN usage — or bans it entirely outside of state-controlled solutions.This is why ZDNET has developed a comprehensive testing structure that accounts for all of the major features VPN users want today: speed, stability, security, server availability, and flexible plans. We also want to see clear and transparent privacy policies, external security audits, warrant canaries, and a dedication to resolving security issues and vulnerabilities as they are reported.We also consider a VPN’s other selling points, such as whether additional services are on the table — including cloud storage, password managers, and data breach scanners — and just how well these VPNs perform in typical home environments. A thorough ZDNET review of a VPN takes time, and includes multiple tests to ensure reliability, strong connectivity, and reasonable speeds. This independent process is necessary if we are going to give you authentic and genuine assessments of a VPN’s strengths, weaknesses, and how they perform over an extended period of time so that you can make an informed decision before taking the plunge. ZDNET VPN experts include David Gerwirtz, an expert in DIY IT and hardware, a US policy advisor, and a computer scientist. Together with Charlie Osborne, a cybersecurity journalist, and other ZDNET authors, we combine decades of experience using, testing, researching, and reviewing VPN software. We have run hundreds of speed tests on numerous VPNs throughout the years — including over a dozen VPNs more recently — and we have also conducted in-depth research on each VPN, including soliciting customer feedback and speaking to other experts. If a VPN is going to meet our standards as a top recommendation, it must perform well in numerous criteria. See below for the most significant criteria we test for, and how. How we test VPN speeds More