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Ask Engadget: What browser plug-ins will help with holiday shopping?
The support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments. We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back our "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question is a useful query concerning how to make holiday shopping easier -- and cheaper. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com! What browser plug-ins are best for saving money and checking prices while holiday shopping?
Stitcher browser plugins for Chrome and Firefox now available
Stitcher has lived comfortably on the web since late October, but now the audio streaming experience is expanding its territory with browser plugins. On Chrome, the freshly announced add-on offers quick access to the full-fledged HTML 5 app, while on Firefox it also serves up play and skip buttons to control audio, along with information about what's currently playing. Itching to nab the extension for the web-based Stitcher? Hit the source links below for the downloads.
Browser extension enables SkyDrive attachments within Gmail
Gmail users who envy Outlook's SkyDrive integration will find that the proverbial grass is now a little greener on their side, thanks to fresh features in Attachments.me's Chrome and Firefox browser extensions. With the plugin installed, files residing in Microsoft's cloud service can be attached to emails from within Gmail. Also included in the update is support for user-created rules that can direct attachments to SkyDrive as they flood into inboxes. Can't wait for Gmail to gain similar support with Google Drive, or just prefer Redmond's storage solution? Hit the source link below to infuse Mountain View's web mail with some of Microsoft's storage locker mojo.
Ubisoft UPlay may accidentally contain web plugin exploit, Ezio would not approve (update: fixed)
If you've played Assassin's Creed 2 (or other Ubisoft games), you may have installed more stealthy infiltration than you bargained for. Some snooping by Tavis Ormandy around Ubisoft's UPlay looks to have have discovered that the service's browser plugin, meant to launch locally-stored games from the web, doesn't have a filter for what websites can use it -- in other words, it may well be open season for any maliciously-coded page that wants direct access to the computer. Closing the purported, accidental backdoor exploit is thankfully as easy as disabling the plugin, but it could be another knock against the internet integration from a company that doesn't have a great reputation for online security with its copy protection system. We've reached out to Ubisoft to confirm the flaw and learn what the solution may be, if it's needed. For now, we'd definitely turn that plugin off and continue the adventures of Ezio Auditore da Firenze through a desktop shortcut instead. Update: That was fast. As caught by Geek.com, the 2.0.4 update to UPlay limits the plugin to opening UPlay itself. Unless a would-be hacker can find a way to compromise the system just before you launch into Rayman Origins, it should be safe to play.
Silverlight hits 5.0, Microsoft silent as to its future
Last we heard, there were whispers that Redmond's favorite runtime / framework / Flash-killer was due for a fresh release "soon." Confirming those rumors is version 5.0 of Microsoft's cross-platform Silverlight, now available for download. Headlining the release is hardware decoding of H.264 streams, improved postscript printing and a better graphics stack, replete with support for things in the third dimension. Rumors that Silverlight's own luminance is fading still go unanswered, without confirmation or denial from Microsoft -- but why let uncertainty get you down? Hit the source and turn that frown upside down.
How-to: push Chrome / Firefox links to your Android 2.2 Froyo device (video)
While we absolutely adore our Nexus One -- now that it's got a bellyful of that fabulous frozen yogurt -- one of the most exciting Android additions shown off at Google I/O isn't actually slated for Froyo: the ability to push apps and music over the air from computer to phone. The underlying framework apparently is, though, and thus a bite-sized version of the functionality is already available at Google Code. If you're one of the lucky few running Android 2.2, you can get an extension for Chrome and Firefox web browsers that will let you push URLs, Maps and YouTube video links direct to your device using a Google Account. You can think of it as an early foray into a Continuous Client, perhaps, sharing with yourself before you head to a business meeting. Better yet, share an account with a group of friends and push interesting items to everyone on the go. See how (and see it in action) right after the break.
Steve Jobs hates you, and so does this error page
Love or hate Flash it's safe to say the internet isn't the internet without it -- at least for now. Most mobile platforms don't support the stuff for technical reasons, but few have been more brazen in their intentional lack of support than Steve Jobs. The creators of the SOS Error Page are trying to send a message to Apple and the man himself by... well, we'll just let them explain: If someone visits your site on a Flash enabled device/computer your home page will load fine, as it always does; but if someone visits your site on an iPad or iPhone, instead of the current blank or error page coming up, your site will greet them with this special message page. Daring, controversial, and effective? More like busted, as this doesn't actually detect Safari Mobile. It instead is triggered by any browser that doesn't support Flash. In other words, installing this little redirect on your site is a great way to really piss off anyone on Android (pre 2.2, natch), Windows Mobile, Opera Mobile, Lynx... you get the picture. Steer clear. Update: We got a good news / bad news update from the SOS crew. Good news: the script has been updated to only show up for iPad and iPhone devices. Bad news: they were told that the image they were using had to be "modified slightly," resulting in a new image that shows rather more black box than CEO. If only there were some place that still showed the original image...
Silverlight 3 out of beta, joins forces with your GPU for HD streaming
A day earlier than expected, Microsoft has launched its third edition of Silverlight and its SDK. As Ars Technica notes, some of the bigger improvements on the user side are GPU hardware acceleration and new codec support including H.264, AAC, and MPEG-4. If you're looking to give it a spin, there's a Smooth Streaming demo available that, as the name suggests, does a pretty good job of streaming HD video with little stutter, even when skipping around. If you've got Firefox 2, Internet Explorer 6, Safari 3 or anything fresher, hit up the read link to get the update.[Via Ars Technica]Read - Download PageRead - Smooth Streaming demo
Adobe Flash Player 9 updated
Adobe has posted version 9.0.28.0 of its ubiquitous Flash Player browser plugin. The update includes many fixes and improvements, including Windows Vista support (hey - Adobe even beat the Zune to that!), support for full screen mode in web players and a security update addressing the HTTP Header Injection Vulnerabilities, as described Security Bulletin APSB06-18.A long list of other fixes are included in the Release Notes, which you really should read since Adobe went through all that trouble to type them up.There are two installers - one for Intel-based Macs (Universal Binary) and a leaner one for PPC-based Macs (requires the Mac OS X 10.1 or later). The PPC version supports Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape, AOL, Opera, and Safari browsers, while the Intel version reportedly only supports Firefox, Safari, and Opera.
