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    Is Perplexity’s Sonar really more ‘factual’ than its AI rivals? See for yourself

    Olemedia/Getty Images AI search engine Perplexity says its latest release goes above and beyond for user satisfaction — especially compared to OpenAI’s GPT-4o. On Tuesday, Perplexity announced a new version of Sonar, its proprietary model. Based on Meta’s open-source Llama 3.3 70B, the updated Sonar “is optimized for answer quality and user experience,” the company […] More

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    5 reasons why Zen is my new favorite browser (RIP, Opera)

    ZDNETA few years ago, when Opera first released the Workspaces feature, I was certain no other browser would top it. I was right for a long time. Eventually, however, other web browsers caught on and started to realize how important good tab management was — Chrome has yet to pick up on this.Prior to using Opera, I was a big fan of Firefox. Sadly, Mozilla has failed to understand how truly good tab management can be. Because Firefox is open-source, other developers can snag the source, build their own take on the browser, and distribute it.Also: Firefox is finally adding vertical tabs – why it’s a game-changing updateAnd that’s how Zen Browser came into being.I started testing Zen Browser a few months ago, calling it the customizable Firefox I’ve been waiting for. During those first few weeks, I used Zen Browser sporadically, always coming back to Opera. But then something funny happened on the way to the forum, and I found myself wanting to use Zen Browser more and more.Then, last week, I made it my default on both Linux and MacOS.Here’s why.1. Open sourceI’m not a purist, so you’ll find no opposition to closed-source software from me. I use Slack, Spotify, and other applications that are not open, and I don’t feel guilty about that. However, when there’s an open-source alternative that’s as good as its closed-source relative, I will always opt for the open-source app. Zen Browser is open by design (it has to be because it’s a fork of another open-source application — Firefox). Also: My 5 favorite web browsers – and what each is ideal forYou can view and download Zen Browser’s source from its official GitHub page. Opera has always been and always will be closed-source, and that’s perfectly fine. But since Zen Browser includes all of the features I enjoy in Opera, the choice (for me) is obvious. More

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    10 common dangers VPNs won’t protect you from online – and how to avoid them

    Yuliya Taba/Getty Images VPNs are a hot topic among ZDNET readers. Many of you use VPNs to protect your communications, protect your privacy or location, or to location-shift your apparent physical address (which may or may not violate various sites’ terms of service). Also: Is a VPN-ready router the ultimate Wi-Fi upgrade? I tested one […] More