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Adobe patches Flash flaw with Acrobat / Reader update
Armageddon averted. Exactly as promised, Adobe has rolled out a fix this week for the zero-day security vulnerability in Flash that had us sweating the world was about to come crashing to an end. It's a somewhat circuitous route to getting your system patched up, however, as you'll need to download an out-of-cycle update for Acrobat and Reader -- the other software affected by this issue. Still, a small price to pay for protecting yourself from the evils of the internets. [Thanks, Paul]
Google patches Flash vulnerability in Chrome, leaves other browsers hanging
Remember that massive security vulnerability that Adobe identified in its Flash Player, Acrobat and Reader software? Well, shockingly enough, it hasn't yet taken over the internet and ground productivity to a halt, but Google's been proactive about it and patched the flaw by itself. Of course, the fix applies only to its own Chrome web browser, Firefoxes and Internet Explorer types will have to wait for Adobe's fix, which is expected any minute now. Still, it's good to know someone's looking out for the security of our data, even if that someone already has access to most of it anyway.
Flash 10.2 hits Android today, Adobe hopes for viewable 720p playback in a matter of weeks
Today, Adobe Flash 10.2 will hit the Android Market for devices running Froyo, Gingerbread and Honeycomb, and by now you're probably familiar with what it brings -- increased performance for dual-core smartphones running Android 2.2 and Android 2.3, and the promise of seriously sped-up Flash content and better battery life for Android 3.0 tablets (not to mention Flash, period). Well, we've already spent a full day with the latest build of Flash 10.2 for Android and quizzed the company thoroughly about the release, and there are a couple surprises in store. First off, you don't absolutely need a dual-core phone to take advantage of Flash 10.2 -- Adobe VP Danny Winokur told us, and we confirmed in testing, that there are slight performance improvements on earlier devices too. With our trusty Droid 2's 1Ghz OMAP3 chip, we saw a slight but noticeable boost in framerate when playing a YouTube trailer at 480p, which admittedly only took that particular video from "unwatchable" to merely "fairly jerky." With the Tegra 2-toting Motorola Xoom, however, 480p videos ran perfectly smooth, even as the tablet had trouble rendering 720p content as anything but a series of images. However, Adobe says even that will change soon, as this beta release doesn't take advantage of full hardware acceleration -- it's actually turned off right now. Though the Tegra 2 is natively decoding video, Adobe told us that hardware rendering and compositing will be added in a subsequent release, and when they are it "will bring 720p playback to a really smooth, enjoyable level." We also noticed that phone temperatures seemed slightly cooler with Flash 10.2, which suggests better battery life. The other work-in-progress is Flash integration into Google's Honeycomb browser, which presently has trouble detecting finger taps when Flash isn't played full screen, but which will -- Adobe hopes -- play exactly the same inside and outside the browser when work on Flash 10.2 is complete. Sounds promising, no? Then why not download it yourself this evening and give it a go?
Adobe Flash Player leaks for Motorola Xoom, we go hands-on (update: more video!)
March 18th may seem like an eternity if you expected your Motorola Xoom to come with Adobe Flash on day one. But you know what? If you put your trust in a mysterious file floating about the internet, there's no need to wait that long. MyDroidWorld obtained possession of a leaked build of Adobe Flash Player for the Xoom, which doesn't need root or even a preliminary update to install -- you just need to check the "Unknown sources" box under Settings > Applications, sideload the file or download it from the Xoom's browser and you're good to go. The best part? Based on our preliminary testing, Flash performs exceedingly well on the Xoom's dual-core Tegra 2 processor. While this early build of Flash was pretty choppy during HD playback, low-res video content rendered at perfectly viewable speeds, and we were able to play games (like Nanaca Crash and Canabalt) so long as they didn't require anything more than single-button control schemes. By contrast, Hulu was a no-go (it's still blocked), and this build has some kinks to work out when it comes to multitasking -- while any single Flash site ran well and we could quickly tab between, the more Flash-heavy tabs we had open, the slower each one ran individually -- which is why the video above starts out so choppy. Adobe's UI also seemed to have some difficulty detecting when we wanted to make a Flash item full-screen. Typically, you double-tap an item to enlarge it, but sometimes that didn't work... but with some Flash content, we found we could long-press on a Flash window to bring up a UI bar that would let us focus on it individually. Before you judge the merits of Flash on tablet, remember that this is a leaked version of a beta release, and if it's this good out of the gate, we're pretty excited about how well it might perform after a few tweaks. Don't miss our video above, and find the file you need to install Flash yourself at our source link. Update: We managed to get Flash to drop one of those context-sensitive buttons during a session of Canabalt and make the window full screen, which not only enlarged the window but also seriously sped up our little runner -- probably by redirecting the tablet's resources to our game. Photographic proof after the break! Update 2: We'll be shooting a second video later in the day to show how the Xoom handles Flash one site at a time. Update 3: There's a brand-new video after the break! As it turns out, you can make certain Flash windows full-screen by long-pressing on them, and we've updated the article to reflect that. Update 4: Adobe's confirmed that we're looking at a leaked build of Flash 10.2, but has also asked us nicely to take our link to the Surprise_flash.apk file down, saying that performance will be further optimized by the time it officially rolls out. Read the company's statement below. The leaked version of Flash Player 10.2 is an earlier build than the one we will make available on Android Market on 3/18. Additional optimization work has been completed since then and we'd like Xoom customers to receive the correct build starting this Fri. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Motorola Xoom update rolling out starting tonight, brings 'required enhancements' for Flash 10.2
In the spirit of issuing software updates with the sole purpose of preparing for more software updates, Motorola says there's about to be some brand new firmware for the Xoom, which will cross the Ts and dot the Is required to install the promised Adobe Flash Player 10.2. The company doesn't say when, exactly, to expect Flash, only that it's "coming soon," but the update will also fix a bug with Daylight Savings Time, which -- given recent history -- should find itself richly welcomed. If you're paying Verizon for 3G bandwidth, you can expect an OTA update in the days to come. [Thanks, Bob, Jake and Oscar]
Adobe releases Wallaby, experimental Flash to HTML 5 conversion tool
Adobe announced the release of Wallaby, an experimental tool designed to convert FLA files to HTML 5. This initial version of Wallaby is meant to convert animated Flash banners to HTML 5-compliant code. This output is optimized for viewing by WebKit-based browsers, including those on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Since it is designed for banners, the first iteration of Wallaby is limited and will not convert ActionScript, movies or sound. The tool converts the Flash file to an HTML File, a CSS file, a JavaScript file and an asset folder that contains SVG and image content. The exported content has been tested on and is compatible with iOS 4.2. If you are not happy with the output, these files can be tweaked with a text or image editor if needed. If you are a Flash developer and want to give Wallaby a try, point your browser to Adobe Labs' website and grab the Wallaby application. It is a 32-bit Adobe Air application and is available for Mac OS X 10.5/10.6 and Windows XP/Vista/7.
Adobe Flash Player 10.3 enters beta before Q2 release on desktop, mobile to follow soon after that
Adobe's Flash Player 10.2 is (somewhat infamously) still absent from mobile devices, but the company is bravely promising that its brand new desktop beta of version 10.3 will be coming to both desktop and mobile devices "soon." Improvements in the latest iteration include some acoustic hocus pocus for better internet telephony, new video analytics APIs, privacy controls integrated into browser settings in Firefox 4 and IE8 (Chrome and Safari to follow), and native control panel integration with both Mac's System Preferences and Windows' Control Panel. Beta testing ends in Q2 2011 for the desktop and a mobile release should follow swiftly thereafter. As to when we'll finally be able to stop discussing which devices have or can run Flash, not even Adobe could provide us with a reliable roadmap for that.
Adobe outs experimental Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tool, calls it Wallaby
Ah, if only we could flip a big happy switch and convert all the web's Flash content into (functional) HTML5 code. It's a dream shared by many and, funnily enough, the company pushing to make it a reality is none other than Adobe itself, the owner and proprietor of Flash. Its Labs research team has just released an experimental new dev tool, dubbed Wallaby, that's targeted at taking Flash-encoded artwork and animations and turning them into a more compatible mix of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Of course, the intent here is not some magnanimous move to free us from the shackles of Flash -- Adobe openly admits that the initial goal for the new tool will be to help convert animated banner ads so that they work on the iOS platform -- but hey, even bad tools can be used for good sometimes, right?
Xtreamer Prodigy features AirPlay support, USB 3, and a GUI that will delight fans of Flash (and fans of GUIs)
Looks like the folks at Xtreamer have a few tricks up their sleeves! Following hot on the heels of the company's Ultra HTPC comes Xtreamer Prodigy, a Realtek 1185-based media player and streamer that sports USB 3.0 connectivity, 256MB RAM, 512MB NAND flash, HDMI, an integral IR remote control, a multi-card reader and a 3.5-inch HDD bay. But the real fun here (or so we've heard) is the Adobe Flash GUI, as well as support for such services as Apple AirPlay, Mediafly, Google Talk, Last FM, Pandora, Facebook, and more. The rumored price is €119, which will have to suffice until we find something more concrete (which should be about five days from now). Get a closer look below. %Gallery-117529%
Motorola Xoom will ship without Flash support on February 24th, expects it in 'Spring 2011' (updated)
Verizon's webpage dedicated to the Xoom has just gone up and one of our eagle-eyed readers has already spotted a disquieting bit of small print: "Adobe Flash expected Spring 2011." You don't sit around expecting what you already have, so that leads us to conclude that the Xoom, the mighty iPad-slaying, Honeycomb-bringing, world-changing tablet... won't have Flash at launch. The version of Adobe's rich media player it's waiting for is most probably 10.2 for mobile devices, scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks, which should mean first-day buyers this Thursday will get a limited-time premium feature on their tablets: no Flash ads. [Thanks, Chris] Update: Motorola has confirmed this, in a very roundabout fashion. The company's statement in full: "Motorola XOOM will include full support for Adobe® Flash® Player® for accessing the rich video and animations of the web, to be available after launch."
Adobe says Flash 10.2 coming to handsets soon, offers roundabout confirmation of Honeycomb for smartphones
Google's been notoriously tight-lipped about when Honeycomb will come to cellular handsets, but we may have gotten our answer at a recent Adobe event, as the company's Anup Murarka tells us Flash 10.2 will be coming to both tablets and smartphones "in the next few weeks." Come again? You see, Adobe Flash 10.2 uses fewer CPU cycles to play back web video, likely providing better battery life in Android devices (and BlackBerry tablets), but Adobe told us it can't support the function in earlier versions of the Android OS -- Google had to specifically add new capabilities in Honeycomb to let Flash 10.2 take full advantage of hardware. In short, if Flash 10.2 requires Android 3.0 and Flash 10.2 is headed to phones soon, the transitive property of equality suggests that Android 3.0 will soon appear on smartphones as well. Our algebra teacher would be so proud. In related news, both Flash and Adobe AIR seem to be doing quite well in the mobile arena thus far, as Adobe reports that that AIR is presently in over 84 million smartphones and tablets -- with over 200 million such devices ready for the cross-platform apps by the end of the year -- and Flash has shipped on 20 million devices across 35 different models (twelve percent of all smartphones, says Adobe) with 50 new Flash-ready tablets scheduled to appear in 2011. PR after the break.
Adobe's Packager to be updated for iPad support
Adobe is reportedly working to update its Packager for iPhone and will launch it in a new version of the popular Adobe Creative Suite bundle. Packager for iPhone is a utility included in Adobe Flash Professional CS5 and the Adobe AIR SDK that lets developers export their Flash-based applications to the iOS platform. The updated version of Packager for iPhone is rumored to include improved support for the iPad as well as new Android devices. The tool will also improve touch support by including additional gestures such as pinch to zoom. Adobe's Packager for iPhone was bundled into Creative Suite 5, but its development was abandoned when Apple banned the use of third-party development tools before the launch of iOS 4. When Apple reversed this decision several months later, Adobe kicked up the pace of development to improve this application for their Flash developers. According to AppleInsider, Adobe will release this updated tool in an interim version of Adobe Creative Suite that will land before Version 6.0. The version has been referred to internally as Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Digital Publishing. Screenshots of Adobe Flash Professional CS 5.5 have been spotted, and the application is reportedly under beta testing. Information on a potential launch date is still unknown. [Via AppleInsider and 9to5Mac]
Kongregate app pulled from Android Marketplace, CEO hopes it's just a misunderstanding
We've heard of apps getting 187'd from the iTunes App Store ad nauseum, but Google's Android Marketplace? That's pretty novel. In what is probably the most high profile bait-and-switch since the mobile platform's launch, Kongregate found its eponymous software pulled on the very same day it came out. As CEO Jim Greer tells Joystiq, the app was pulled due to the "claim you can't use their app store to distribute another app store." Which is all well and good until you realize that what Kongregate the app does is simply serve as a portal for Kongregrate the mobile site -- Greer says it's the same experience as visiting m.kongregate.com to play its free Flash games -- with the option for offline mode. "It's all essentially cached content delivered in a browser," he said, "which to me is just bizarre that that would be considered an 'app store,'" he said. The Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement says, "you may not use the Market to distribute or make available any Product whose primary purpose is to facilitate the distribution of Products outside of the Market," with Product defined broadly as "Software, content and digital materials created for Devices in accordance with the Android SDK and distributed via the Market." When we talked to Google, the company pointed out the same clause and said, "Applications in violation of our policies (like Kongregate) are removed from Android Market." Greer adds that a number of people in Google had seen it previously and liked the app (not the ones who ultimately pulled it), and he hopes this is all some grand misunderstanding. We'll see, but in the meantime, the app is still available for side loading care of Kongregate's website. Nothing like a backup plan, eh?
Skyfire for iPad hands-on (video)
What's better than using Skyfire on a 3.5-inch screen? Using it on a 9.7-inch one, of course! After tinkering with the new iPad browser, we've noticed that it has the same feel as its iOS brother and Android cousin, with a modified look to it. Features like private browsing, mobile or desktop view and bookmarks remain present -- and rest assured, the ability to watch Flash videos is still as easy as tapping a button. What's perhaps the most salient addition in this rendition is the social network integration. When the app is opened, you'll notice right away that it's got eight buttons along the bottom, four of which are Facebook related. These buttons, referred to as "quick view" by the peeps at Skyfire, give you, well, a quick view of the button you've tapped. For example, when the Facebook button is pushed, you're presented with a trimmed down the mobile version of the social network. The same goes with Twitter and Google Reader. The app also features Fireplace, which allows you to view specifically the links your Facebook friends have shared, and 'Popular', which shows all the related links your friends have shared based on what website the browser parked on, and of course a dedicated 'Like' button. The Share function lends you an easy way to share links via various popular networks. As for the browsing experience itself, the devs at Skyfire did a great job ironing out the kinks that we stumbled upon in the iPhone version. Pages render nicely and quickly, pinch-to-zoom works as well as it does on Safari, scrolling is buttery smooth and Flash videos play noticeably quicker in comparison to what we experienced on the iPhone. The app is sadly not available in the App Store just yet, but hang tight, it's been submitted for approval and should hit virtual shelves soon. Update: Video's now after the break! Update 2: We just got word that it's been approved by Apple. It'll be available tonight at around 8PM EST and cost $4.99.
Advent Vega's Flash Player yanked due to missing Adobe certification
The Advent Vega was never the most polished Android tablet in the world -- after all, we had to rely on a custom ROM just to get native Android Market access -- but a reasonable price tag and NVIDIA's Tegra 2 has still made it hard to resist. For those who've managed to snag one already, you may have noticed that the Flash playback isn't exactly... awesome. That's probably because the version loaded onto already-shipped versions isn't certified by Adobe, and in order to fend off future complaints, the company's yanking Flash Player entirely from newly-shipping models for the time being. The certification process is apparently underway, and the outfit expects Vega tablets shipped "in the early part of 2011" to have a green-lit build pre-installed; as for everyone else, they'll be provided a gratis update as soon as it can be pushed out onto the interwebs. Head on past the break for the full statement.
Flash working poorly on your Google Cr-48? Adobe's working on it
Yep, that Flash error up there is one of many we got today on our Cr-48s. On top of that, as you may have read in our in-depth preview, we've been experiencing incredibly sluggish Flash performance, including choppy playback of YouTube and Hulu videos. It's certainly not a good situation, but Adobe's aware of it and promising that hope is on the way. Adobe's Senior Director of Engineer Paul Betlem has put up a post regarding the matter on the company's very own Flash Player blog, and says that " In terms of Chrome notebooks specifically... video performance in particular is the primary area for improvement." He also goes on to promise that the updates will be seamless as the Flash plug-ins are integrated directly into the self-updating operating system. That sure sounds good to us, but in the meantime, we'll be waiting for these Flash errors and stuttering 480p videos to disappear -- or, you know, for HTML 5 to take over.
Adobe is testing optimized Flash Player beta for the MacBook Air
Today Engadget sat down with Adobe's Shantanu Narayen and asked him what the MacBook Air's increased battery life -- sans Flash installed -- meant for the future of Flash in the wake of HTML5. Narayen kinda dodged the question with this stay-on-message answer: "When we have access to hardware acceleration, we've proven that Flash has equal or better performance on every platform," but then went on to say that Adobe is currently testing a beta version of Flash specifically designed for the MacBook Air. When Apple introduced the new MacBook Air, news quickly spread when it was discovered the company had left Adobe's Flash Player off the system. You could still run Flash content on the Air just fine -- you just had to download the plugin and install it yourself. Apple said they left Flash Player off the Air so users would be sure to download the latest version. After the new MacBook Airs dropped, however, Ars Technica ran some tests and discovered that having Flash on the MacBook Air could reduce its battery run time by as much as a third. This led me to speculate that the real reason Apple left Flash off the Air is so it could advertise higher real-world wireless usage battery numbers. Shortly after that, Adobe's CTO said the reduced battery time would be the same if the Air was running web pages with HTML5 video. With today's acknowledgment from Narayen, it's nice to see that Adobe is still trying to make Flash Player a contender. It still seems like Flash has its work cut out for it, given that virtually every major tech company has decided to throw their support behind HTML5.
Adobe CEO: Flash battery life depends on hardware acceleration, MacBook Air update in testing right now
Getting a little more oomph out of your MacBook Air after giving Flash the boot? Adobe's Shantanu Narayen stopped just short of saying that's Apple's fault for not handing Adobe a device ahead of time. We asked the CEO what the greater battery life sans flash in Apple's new laptop meant for the platform (vis-a-vis HTML5) just a few minutes ago. He said it's really all about optimizing for silicon: "When we have access to hardware acceleration, we've proven that Flash has equal or better performance on every platform." You wouldn't be blamed for thinking that sentence a cop-out, but that's actually not the case -- the chief executive says they've presently got a Macbook Air in the labs and have an optimized beta of Flash for the device in testing even as we speak.
iPad may soon run Android via OpeniBoot
Not entirely psyched about your iPad because of its lack of Adobe Flash support, or unhappy with the iOS operating system itself? How about installing Android on it instead? OpeniBoot, an open source implementation of iBoot for Apple iOS devices, is on a mission to bring the Android OS to the iPad and iPhone 4. While previous versions of OpeniBoot have appeared for the first-gen iPhone and iPhone 3G, this is the first we've seen of the implementation for more modern iOS devices. For jailbroken (obviously) iOS devices, the use of OpeniBoot allows the booting of unsigned code such as Linux, and thus Android, on Apple devices. One of the reasons I have always used Apple computers is because the systems work fine for my needs as-is, but if you are an adventurous soul who can back their way out of a technological jam, this could be kind of a cool experiment. [via macgasm and The Next Web]
Skyfire browser earns $1 million in first weekend
Apparently there is a market for Flash on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, judging by the success that the third party browser Skyfire (US$2.99) had in its first weekend in the App Store. The Skyfire browser enables Flash video playback by converting Flash content to HTML5, which is playable on the iPhone. Using adaptive streaming technology, users can view full Flash pages on their phones, and have up to eight different browser windows open at the same time. While it sold so quickly at first that they couldn't keep their servers running smoothly, Skyfire ended up selling more than 300,000 copies of the browser in the first weekend alone, grossing over a million dollars. After Apple takes their cut of the sales, that leaves them with somewhere in the neighborhood of $630,000, quickly quieting those who asked how they would make any money with the new browser. With HTML5 here to stay (for a while, at least) and Flash currently a non-player in the iPhone market, it looks like the Skyfire browser found a rather large piece of its target market during the first weekend alone. After all the animosity between Adobe and Apple, though, it's hard to think that even a number like this will help them find common ground. You can watch a video of Skyfire in action after the break.
