Tag Archives: ads

29 Apr 2016

I bought a software today…

I never buy software. Not sure why is that, probably I just don't see a point in doing that. To me, most of the software seems ridiculously overpriced.

  • Paying 30 euros for a copy of WinRar? Are you kidding me?
  • Paying 70 euros for latest Need for Speed racing simulator I'm not even sure I'll like? I'm not a hardcore gamer, I'm just looking for a good fun for a rainy evening.

And subscription-based software is even worse:

Do I look like a f*ing Rockefeller to you?

Hello Adguard!

Imagine my surprise when yesterday I noticed that my beloved Adguard actually has very reasonable prices. And they are offering 40% discount for all licences until May 4th, 2016. Lifetime license for less than a cup of Chai Latte in Starbucks? I'll take that, thank you very much!

license purchased

Well, it's actually half-true. If you just open their main page in the browser and go to "Purchase", you'll probably see that a lifetime license costs $14.97. Not exactly a cup of Chai Latte.

Hacking Adguard pricing

To get those extra nice prices, you'll need to perform a little trick. Open the mobile version of the same page in your browser: m.adguard.com. Now go to purchase. And now switch to prices in Russian roubles. 179RUB for a lifetime license! bigsmile

According to Paypal, I just got my lifetime license for:

Payment: 179.40 RUB
Payment sent to: pr@adguard.com
From amount: $2.94 USD

Cheers!

Summary

If you're interested in a decent adblocker for Android device, I recommend that you give Adguard a chance. No root required! They also have adblockers for Windows and Mac but I haven't tested those.

Full disclosure: the link above is my affiliate link with Adguard. If 4 people will follow this link, install and use Adguard for 30 minutes, I will get a free 1-year license. In that case, I will donate this license to LCF-AT to help with ad-filtering issues.

If you hate affiliate links of any kind, please feel free to visit using a direct link: adguard.com - it's well worth it.

Have fun blocking the ads! smile

31 Aug 2015

Let’s say something good about Google Chrome

In my previous post I criticized Google's decision to disable NPAPI plugin technology. I still think it was a bad decision. But today let's talk about a change that should be an improvement for virtually all users.

Chrome will begin pausing many Flash ads by default to improve performance for users. This change is scheduled to start rolling out on September 1, 2015.

Source: https://plus.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/2PmwKinJ7nj

Say what? Is Google going against ads? cool Well, not really. HTML5 ads are apparently OK. But those obnoxious Flash-based ads will become click-to-play.

The setting in question is located in Settings->Advanced->Content Settings->Plugins:
chrome_plugin_settings
It has been present in Chrome for several months already. So, I'm guessing that Google will be only pushing out some configuration change, or change the default value for new installations. Who knows, as Google is not giving us any details at this point..

Google's ad detection algorithm might need some improvements and there might be some other side-effects but overall I think it's a great change! Good job Google, you made my day better! smile

11 Feb 2015

I need adblocker for my.. TV!

I really, truly, absolutely hate ads on webpages. Any device I have has some sort of adblocking solution installed. As it turns out, some marketing "geniuses" are going to take these annoyances to the next level. Let's see how..

Ads on your Smart TV.

Oh, this is real! smile

As reported by CNET, GigaOM and several other news websites, Samsung SmartTVs suddenly started interrupting your TV experience and showing ads.

Every movie I play, 20-30 minutes in it plays the Pepsi ad, no audio but crisp clear ad. It has happened on 6 movies today,.

Pepsi, of all things!

Luckily, the problem was limited to Australia, and is already "resolved". smile But don't you worry, they will try again for sure!

Just a reminder, same Samsung SmartTVs did similar stunt a year ago.
samsung

Back then, it was possible to get rid of ads by opting-out of some obscure Yahoo crap:

To opt-out of Yahoo Broadcast Interactivity, Exit Smart Hub first, press Menu on your Samsung Remote and scroll to Smart Hub > Terms & Policy > Yahoo Privacy Policy. Scroll to “I disagree with the Yahoo Privacy Notice.” and you can toggle the option on to opt-out.

And Panasonic did the same thing 2 years ago..
panasonic
In that case, you could opt out of it by going to Menu > Setup > Display customization > Viera Connect Banner > Off.

Ads when making phone call

As reported by The Register, some companies would like you to listen to advertisements when you are making a phone call. And you can even "express product interest by pressing an action key"!

Right. While you're at it, don't forget add 10$/month fee for ad-free calling.

Luckily for us, this "product" hasn't been deployed on any mobile network so far. At least, not on the networks I know.

Conclusion

Welcome to the new world! You're paying us good money, but we'll still try make more money off of you..