{"id":6674,"date":"2024-03-26T15:39:37","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T15:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/?p=6674"},"modified":"2024-03-26T15:39:37","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T15:39:37","slug":"3-26-2024-is-bitwarden-worth-paying-for-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/2024\/03\/26\/3-26-2024-is-bitwarden-worth-paying-for-2\/","title":{"rendered":"3\/26\/2024: Is Bitwarden worth paying for?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Why I’m paying for Bitwarden now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The case for emergency earbuds, an unusual online calculator, and an even cheaper MacBook<\/h3>\n\n\n
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Jared Newman<\/div>
|<\/div>
March 26, 2024<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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When I started managing my passwords through Bitwarden a few years ago, I had no intention of ever paying for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitwarden’s generous free tier was the entire reason I switched from LastPass<\/a> back in early 2021. At the time, LastPass was preparing to cut off free password sync<\/a> across phones and computers, making it worthless to me. By comparison, Bitwarden syncs all your passwords across an unlimited number of devices at no charge, and I saw no need to pay extra for its premium features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But three years later, that’s exactly what I’m doing. It’s not because Bitwarden has cut back on free features\u2014the free tier remains as robust as ever\u2014but because of external factors that finally made a subscription seem worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Read the full column<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Paid subscribers get an exclusive feature column in every newsletter\u2014including this one on my experience with Bitwarden Premium. Sign up for a free trial to read it along with every past issue<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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Need to know<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

DOJ sues Apple:<\/strong> The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple<\/a>, accusing it of monopolizing the premium smartphone market and inflating prices for customers. The complaint covers Apple’s lock-in tactics with iMessage and the Apple Watch, its obstacles for cloud gaming services, and the fact that you can’t buy e-books through Amazon’s Kindle app, among other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of this will mean much for you anytime soon, as the lawsuit will take years to play out. But in the meantime I did enjoy Sarah Jeong’s analysis on how the DOJ complaint is “pure nerd rage<\/a>,” aimed at the hypernerds like me who get worked up about lock-in and open ecosystems to begin with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chrome’s security upgrade:<\/strong> Google has overhauled the way it blocks unsafe websites in Chrome<\/a> via its Safe Browsing system. Instead of downloading a list of unsafe sites periodically, the browser now checks the sites you visit in real-time, using partner servers that prevent Google from collecting that data. Google says the average malicious site is online for no longer than 10 minutes, rendering the old system inadequate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of note: While many other browsers also rely on Google’s Safe Browsing system to block malicious sites\u2014including Safari, Firefox, and Brave\u2014the real-time protection is exclusive to Chrome for now, and Google says it will only open it to outside developers “for non-commercial use cases.” I wonder if we’re about to see a rift in how browsers protect their users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tip of the moment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Put cheap earbuds in your bag:<\/strong> A couple years ago, I wrote about my experience with an $18 pair of noise-cancelling wireless earbuds<\/a>. While I seldom use them over my AirPods Pro (even with an Android phone), I always throw them in my bag before long trips, figuring a spare pair could come in handy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m glad I did, because last week I lost my AirPods and had no way of recovering them. It’s a long story, but in the end those spare earbuds became my only way to play music and videos on my phone without bothering anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon is awash in wireless earbuds that cost less than $25<\/a>. Consider picking a pair\u2014ideally one with solid user reviews or from an accessory brand you recognize\u2014and returning them if they’re terrible, or otherwise stashing them in your travel bag for emergencies. You never know when you might need them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now try this<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Calculator plus notepad:<\/strong> Numbr<\/a> is a free web app for performing mathematical calculations inside of a text editor. You can define variables with an equal sign, modify the numbers without redoing the entire calculation, and add useful written context, like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dinner = $8 salad + 2x $18 pasta + $12 dessert + 20% tip<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For each line, you’ll see the calculation in the right-hand margin, and you can type Alt+Enter to quickly copy the result to a new line. Currency conversion is supported as well. Numbr is inspired by a Mac and iOS app called Soulver<\/a>, but is free and works in any browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enjoy suggestions like these? Here’s nearly every app I’ve ever recommended in this newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annotate your Google Docs:<\/strong> Following up on last week’s Google Docs guest post<\/a>, the Android app<\/a> now supports handwritten notes and freeform highlights over any text document. Just tap the pencil icon with the little squiggle next to it, then use your finger or a stylus (if your device includes one) to write. The bottom toolbar lets you switch colors and brush types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s unclear when annotation support will expand beyond Android, if ever, but once you’ve added some handwriting, it should appear in Google Docs on any device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Around the web<\/h2>\n\n\n\n