Relys

Hey guys. Just thought I'd pop in here to mention an alternative to installing Cyanogenmod or blocking all internet activity with a firewall.

I found XPrivacy while looking for interesting xposed modules to install. It's like Privacy Guard but better:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/mod-xprivacy-...

All you need to do is root your phone and install the xposed framework on your existing ROM. :)

With the Vuze torrent client right click on the file, select "Set Priority" and select "Numeric...".

Next, right click on the file, select "Media Server" and select "Copy Stream URL to Clipboard".

Now open VLC Media Player, select "Media", select "Open Network Stream", paste in the URL and click "Play".

The cool thing about Vuze is that you can use a SOCKS5 proxy and/or restrict traffic to a virtual NIC if you have a VPN. This way even if you turn your VPN off (to play games etc.) you won't be exposed to the swarm.

If you use XBMC you can install the XBMCTorrent add-on which has an interface similar to Popcorn Time. http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=174736

XBMC is cool because you can use the Android app Yatse to control XBMC. If you have two boxes running XBMC (i.e. in your living room and bedroom) you can use Yatse to resume playback on the other box with the push of a button!

Unfortunately, XBMCTorrent and Popcorn Time don't support SOCKS5 proxies or restricting traffic on specific NICs. Therefore you'll want to set up an internet kill switch on your box as a fail safe.

I did a bit of research on tablets and hybrids recently since my fiance needed a new machine. I ended up buying her a Sony Xperia Tablet Z (Andriod) since there really wasn't any good Windows hybrids on the market except for the Surface Pro. However, the battery life for the first generation was terrible and Surface RT isn't a smart investment because of the OS [place bet]dead in the next few years cough[/end bet].

However, I personally want a compact machine with the full Windows 8 experience so I've been waiting for the Surface Pro 2.

If this thing has an all day battery life it will be an instant sale for me.