flash

Adobe decided to kill off support for its Flash Player on Android a while back. Unfortunately, that didn't mean all Web sites you visit would start using HTML5 instead of Flash (though it would have been nice). So what can you do if some of the Web sites you want to look at are using Flash and your new Android device doesn't have support for it?

Fortunately, the last version of Adobe Flash Player that landed on the Google Play Store will work with your Jelly Bean device. However, since it's no longer available through the Play … Read more

I know a lot of people don't care for rebates, but if you shift your perception a bit, they can seem like icing on the cake.

For example, Newegg has the Patriot PSF32GAUSB 32GB USB flash drive for $18.99 shipped. Right from the get-go, that's a great deal.

And here's the icing: a $10 mail-in rebate (PDF) brings your total cost down to $8.99, which is an unheard-of price for a 32GB drive. Heck, even a 16GB drive is a find at that price.

That rebate comes in the form of an American Express prepaid … Read more

Adobe's free Flash Player plug-in enables cool stuff in your Web browser and portable devices. It plays Shockwave Flash (SWF) files from YouTube and similar sites, streaming 3D video and animation, online games, and embedded Web applications. It also allows some Web sites to store and run data on your PC to collect usage statistics, much like cookies do. The latest version, Adobe Flash Player 11, automatically disables local storage of data in Web browsers that support private browsing. If your browser doesn't allow this option, you can typically access Flash Player's settings through the browser's … Read more

Sneaking under the radar, Sprint is offering a ZTE handset, known as the Sprint Flash, for $129.99 after users sign a two-year carrier agreement and send in a rebate.

The 4G LTE device ships natively with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and sports a 4.5-inch HD touch screen.

Under its hood is a 1,780mAh battery, which roughly translates to 8 hours of reported talk time. It's also equipped with NFC.

Perhaps most notable, however, is the Flash's 12-megapixel camera, which features single-motion panoramic shooting as well.… Read more

Improved to give the best the Internet has to offer, Adobe Flash Player 11 shows a quantum leap in performance over previous versions. It has a number of new features designed to take full advantage of the newer 64-bit browsers and operating systems available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. This makes it a more effective tool for Web developers and anyone who enjoys media-rich applications or sites like YouTube. However, with the improvement come a few headaches that users of certain browsers may encounter.

If you use Google Chrome, there is no need to download Adobe Flash Player 11, … Read more

The typical media player can't handle Flash videos, so a variety of specialized players have sprung up for this purpose. Flash Player Pro is one such program, promising to both manage your library of Flash videos and allow you to download new ones. We tried out the trial version of the program, which is limited to 15 days of use and has a few other limitations. It worked well enough, but strange error messages caused us to waste time troubleshooting problems that didn't actually exist.

The program's interface is dated and not particularly attractive, but it's … Read more

While there are numerous apps that help you edit, organize, and share your digital images, many of them cost a lot and are geared toward users with experience in image editing. Picasa is an app from Google that offers only the basics and it won't cost you a dime.

The app's gray interface is on the plain side, but all of the options are easily accessible and even less experienced users should be able to jump right in. If you do run into difficulties, you can visit the Help center to view tutorials from the publisher and from … Read more

Most people know about the lack of support for Flash on the iPad and iPhone, but Flash is alive and well on Mac OS X with the Adobe Flash Player for Mac. As the app name suggests, this is a player for Flash 11 videos for Mac OS X 10.6 and higher. Adobe Flash Player for Mac is a browser plug-in and allows viewing of Web sites with Flash videos embedded in them to appear on the Mac OS. You won't find Adobe Flash Player for Mac on the App Store (thanks to the dispute between the two … Read more

If you stick with your software's default settings, you're letting the programs' vendors determine how much security is right for your system. Those vendors have their best interests in mind, not yours.

As I pointed out in last week's post titled "Ten simple, common-sense security tips," PC security doesn't have to be complicated. However, not all important PC security measures are easy to implement. Follow these less-than-intuitive steps to block Flash cookies, lock down your browser, and test your Facebook profile's privacy.

Note that not everyone needs the level of protection offered by … Read more