Why the Brave Browser is my New Favorite

I've been using the Brave Browser for over a month now and I have to say I'm impressed with the speed and performance.

Brave is a Chromium based browser that comes with some cool advanced features. A built-in Adblocker, a Tor browser for extra privacy mode, HTTPS upgrades and other security features, and its own digital currency called Basic Attention Token (BAT).

It's Chrome without the Google.

It was quick and easy to get started and install my favorite Chrome extensions.
Without having to install any adblocker Brave does a good job removing all ads and trackers. The nice start page (image above) shows how many ads and trackers have been blocked and estimated time saved.

 In the address bar the Brave icon shows how many things are being blocked on the page, which can be clicked to configure settings for the page you are on (much like the AdBlocker Chrome extension).
The BAT icon shows a checkmark if the current website or social media page belongs to a verified Brave publisher. Then you can donate some BAT. It's easy to sign up as a publisher to accept BAT donations.

Earning some BAT in Brave

Not that I was getting bored of ads - I decided to enable the built-in ads in the Brave browser to check it out, and to earn some BAT tokens, the new digital currency for supporting creatives on the internet. I actually discovered some really cool stuff from the ads. Some new podcasts and content creators; found out about #IntelGamerDays and actually won some swag from Brave and Intel!

My Brave /Intel Swag Arrives!

And I'm learning a lot about blockchain technology and web 3.0, and the new decentralized apps (dapps) coming out that are worth checking out.
The Brave ads, although they are popups, are fairly un-intrusive, and you can set them to appear from 1-5 times per hour. The system is privacy focused, meaning the algorithm for choosing which ad to display takes place in the browser. So far I've earned over 80 BAT (August earnings), about $12.
40 BAT was from watching some tutorials on Coinbase, and the rest from clicking on something like 250 ads (the counter reset in Sep.).

If you want to check it out Download from Brave.com and I'll get a few tokens!