plug-in
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ChatGPT's new plugins will deliver real-time stats
OpenAI announced that it has begun introducing plugins for ChatGPT. These will enable the chatbot to interact with 3rd-party APIs, pull real-time stats and facts for the first time.
Moog resurrects Moogerfooger effects as a collection of digital plugins
After being discontinued in 2018 Moog is bringing Moogerfooger effects back as a collection of plugins.
Arturia FX Collection 2 packs 22 plugins ‘you’ll actually use’
Arturia's updated FX collection adds seven new plug ins and is a much better bang-for-your-buck.
Browser add-on verifies that sites actually honor their privacy policies
Researchers created a browser plug-in that verifies whether a website is compliant with its own privacy policy.
Livescribe is giving the smartpen another shot
We haven't heard much from Livescribe in the past couple years, but today, the company announced it's back with a next-gen smartpen, improved apps and an Office plug-in. Like past models, the streamlined Aegir smartpen lets you digitize handwritten notes. But this model is sleeker -- about the size of a traditional ballpoint pen -- and powered by new Livescribe+ apps for mobile and desktop. There's also a Microsoft Office plug-in that lets users to print any document with the Livescribe dot pattern. Notes made with an Aegir pen will be synced to the master document when the smartpen is connected to the computer.
California will start charging electric vehicle fees in 2020
While some states are still offering incentives for electric vehicle buyers, California will soon become the biggest state to start charging fees for EV ownership. California is estimated to account for about half of the country's EV sales, so the state is keen on recuperating some of the money it won't be making from gasoline taxes.
Google makes Nik photo-editing tools free to download
When Google snapped up Nik Software, it acquired not just Snapseed, but also the company's photo-editing plug-ins for Photoshop and Apple Aperture. Now, the company is making those plug-ins completely free to download. The Nik Collection, a suite of seven editing tools that used to cost $150, can mimic the look of classic photography, turn images into dramatic black-and-white photos, adjust colors with filters, tweak HDR images and more.
Oracle will soon lay the Java browser plug-in to rest
Now that Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari stopped or will soon stop supporting NPAPI web plug-ins*, Oracle thought it best to accept the Java plug-in's fate and let it go. The company has announced that it will be deprecated in the next version of Java to come out on September 22nd before being removed entirely by another future release. In its whitepaper, the company said that the "rise of web usage on mobile device[s]" led browser makers to ditch plug-ins altogether. Mobile browsers don't support them, so they've become a casualty in Google's/Mozilla's/Microsoft's/Apple's plans to offer the same features across platforms.
Google Drive syncs files directly from Windows Office apps
Google already added tools that help Drive play nice with Office files, and now it's offering easy access from inside Microsoft's apps. With a new plug-in, you can open files for Word, Excel and PowerPoint from Drive. When the time comes, you'll be able to save them in Google's cloud-based repository, too. It seems simple enough to use, and it's sure to come in handy for folks who prefer Google's storage option over Microsoft's, but still use Office to get work done. For now, the add-on works for Office on Windows machines, and there isn't any mention of when or if we can expect the same tool to arrive for the productivity suite for Mac.
Audi says an EV with Tesla-like range is coming in 2017 (update)
An all-electric car is in the works at Audi that will rival Tesla's Model S. The car will borrow technology from Audi's made-to-order R8 e-tron, and Audi says it's shooting for a range of 450 kilometers (280 miles), or, roughly in line with the class-leading Model S.
Mitsubishi cuts price of i-MiEV electric car by $5,000
When Mitsubishi's i-MiEV plug-in first arrived in late 2011, the ES model was priced at a whopping $27,990. After a few fluctuations on the sticker amount, that version of the compact automobile is now rolling out for $22,995 before incentives with "a much more comprehensive standard equipment package." Features on that list include heated front seats, charge port lamp, Chademo DC quick-charging port and battery warming system among several others. After factoring in the federal EV tax credit of $7,500, the i-MiEV will ring up for the low price of $15,495. California residents that can take advantage of the state's additional $2,500 credit are looking at a mere $12,995 before cruising down the highway. No word on when we'll be able to snag the racing model, though.
Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid plug-in model brings 416 guilt-free horsepower
Daily commute got you down? You'll soon be able to do it in a Porsche by the end of the year without burning a drop of gas, thanks to a new plug-in Panamera S E-Hybrid model. The powertrain, which we saw earlier on a concept car, combines a V6 bi-turbo gas engine with a 95 horsepower electric model for 416 total system horsepower. Like recent offerings from Ford and others, the 2014 model adds a much larger 9.4 kWh battery to last year's non-plug-in hybrid, letting you trundle on electrons alone at up to 80MPH for 20 miles or so with with nary a puff of CO2. All that eco-friendly driving will be undone when you decide to open 'er up in combined gas / electric mode, however, as the zippy four-door will hit 0-60MPH in about 5.5 seconds with a decidedly un-green top speed of 165MPH. Still, the company says overall fuel consumption's been reduced over the last model and you'll get other niceties like Porsche's Car Connect smartphone app to view and control different vehicle functions. While Prius drivers won't be able to look down their noses at the model anymore, government incentives will make a decidedly smaller dent in its estimated $99,000 price tag.
Safari blocking outdated Flash plug-ins due to security holes
Adobe recently issued a security update for Flash Player which patches an exploit that gave hackers the ability to take over a vulnerable system. Not leaving things to chance, Apple is now rolling out a hotfix for Safari that blocks outdated versions of the tainted web plug-in. If your system hasn't been patched yet, you may receive a notification when attempting to access Flash-based content. The prompt will then advise that a new software version is available. If you're running OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or higher and Safari is your browser of choice, you may want to nab this update from Adobe. Otherwise the next time you go online, the internet might be a far cry from what you're used to seeing.
Apple blocking older version of Flash Player plug-in on Safari
Apple announced today that they've updated the web plug-in-blocking mechanism in Safari on OS X to disable older versions of the Adobe Flash Player. The move is a way to protect users from a recent vulnerability that took advantage of an older version of the Flash Player plug-in. If you're running one of these older versions, a "Blocked Plug-In" alert may appear on the Safari browser page where the Flash Player is located. Clicking the alert displays the message shown at the top of this post, which enables downloading of an up-to-date version of the plug-in. More details about the update and how to install a newer version of the plug-in are available on the Apple support pages.
AppleScript Productivity > Create OmniFocus Followups from Contacts
As an OmniFocus for Mac user, it's important that I can quickly create tasks at any time, in any app. OmniFocus makes this pretty easy, by providing integration with OS X Mail, a keyboard shortcut for clipping content in apps such as Safari, a system-wide Quick Entry window and a Services menu item. One feature OmniFocus lacks, however, is direct integration with the Contacts app. Suppose I am in Contacts, for example, and I need to schedule a followup phone call or email to one of my clients? Sure, I could bring up the Quick Entry window and enter the task, but I want something a bit more streamlined. I can accomplish just what I need by writing some custom AppleScripts. The following two examples demonstrate how to write AppleScript-based plug-ins for the Contacts app, which add OmniFocus followup options right into the email and phone number popup menus of your contacts. Note: If you have any trouble following along, you can download both of the scripts outlined in this post here. Creating the Email Followup Script Plug-In 1. Quit the Contacts app. 2. Launch AppleScript Editor in /Applications/Utilities and create a new script document. 3. Insert the following code: 4. Save it as a script named Contacts > Email Follow Up with OmniFocus.scpt into the ~/Library/Address Book Plug-Ins folder in your home directory. If this folder doesn't already exist, go ahead and create it. Saving the Script into the Address Book Plug-Ins folder The Address Book Plug-Ins folder in ~/Library Creating an OmniFocus Email Followup Task To give your new plug-in a try, launch the Contacts app and go to a contact. When you hover over the email address field, it becomes highlighted. Click it and choose Follow Up with OmniFocus from the popup menu that appears. The OmniFocus Quick Entry window appears, and it contains an email follow-up task for the contact, including a note with a clickable email link. Creating the Phone Call Followup Script Plug-In The process to create phone call followup plug-in is essentially the same. 1. Quit the Contacts app again. 2. Create another AppleScript Editor document. 3. Insert the following code this time: 4. Save the script as a script named Contacts > Phone Call Follow Up with OmniFocus.scpt into the ~/Library/Address Book Plug-Ins folder in your home directory. Creating an OmniFocus Phone Call Followup Task Launch the Contacts app again. This time, click on a contact's phone number field and choose Follow Up with OmniFocus from the popup menu. Again, OmniFocus' Quick Entry window is displayed. This time, it contains a phone call follow-up task and a note containing the phone number. Voila, you now have quick OmniFocus integration with Contacts, and you can use it anytime you need to schedule a follow-up. Until next time, Happy Scripting!
VW unveils CrossBlue plug-in SUV with iPad mini headrests and 85MPGe efficiency (eyes-on)
America is the land of the SUV and so it's no surprise that Volkswagen came here to launch its CrossBlue plug-in concept. The SUV features a front-mounted diesel engine paired with an electric motor in a traditional hybrid configuration, plus a second, more powerful electric motor in the rear to drive those wheels in the back. This configuration gives it all wheel drive and also allows the ECU to either send power to or retrieve power from (in the form of regeneration) either motor to recharge the on-board battery pack -- which can also be juiced up by plugging into the wall. The system is said to deliver an estimated 85MPGe efficiency, which is pretty amazing for an SUV, and 14 miles of pure electric driving should you wish. As it's a concept, it's anybody's guess just how it'll actually perform when it goes into production, but we couldn't help but notice something very much available today in the back seats: iPad minis. Yes, one was embedded in each of the headrests, rear-facing for maximum efficiency in keeping the kids busy during a long cruise. Again, this is just a concept, so no guarantees we'll ever see this on the road, but a VW rep commented that they hope to see this in production in a year or two.
A reasonable response to Java security problems (Updated)
Update: According to The Mac Observer, Apple has acted proactively to block the Java browser plug-in on Mac machines with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or higher. If you are running an earlier version of OS X, then you should disable Java as noted below. Update 2: In a remarkably speedy turnaround, Oracle has released a patched Java VM (release 11, listed as b21 internally) that closes this particular hole. Users who need Java installed are urged to update ASAP. You may have to update manually; Mike Rose reports that the auto-update feature on his machine ended up crashing the Java control panel. A Java security flaw has been reported by CERT (the Computer Emergency Readiness Team). TheNextWeb has a good write-up of the background of the exploit's discovery. Here's the bad news: there is no "fix" for the bug yet. Here's the worse news: it is believed that malicious sites on the web are already aware of this security hole, and are trying to exploit it. Is your Mac at risk? Maybe. It is possible that your Mac does not even have Java installed. Apple stopped including Java by default with Lion. However, if you have run into any websites or software that needs Java, it may have prompted you to install it. So what should you do? Well, here are some options: Stop using the Internet and go live in a yurt. Disable Java Uninstall Java Ignore it and hope that everything will be OK. Hopefully you guessed that options 1 & 4 are the "Not Good" options, so that leaves us with two choices: Disable or Uninstall? Here's my suggestion: if you are on Mac OS X 10.7 or 10.8 (Lion or Mountain Lion) have Java installed and you're not just one of those people who goes around installing things willy-nilly, my guess is that you have (or had) some software program that relies on Java. If you uninstall it, something might break and you might not be able to figure out why. However, if you disable Java in whichever browser(s) you use regularly, you can continue to use your web browser without worrying about this exploit. If you find a website that uses Java, you can turn it on, do what you need to do, and then turn it off again. Safari Users: you can easily disable Java by going to Safari's Preferences, then choose the Security tab, and uncheck the appropriate box: Google Chrome users need to go to chrome://plugins Firefox users: Go to the "Tools" menu, then "Add-ons" (or ⌘ + Shift + A) and choose the "Plugins" tab. Then click the 'disable' button next to Java Applet Plug-in. "But I need Java for these sites I use every day!" OK, so that's the reasonable response that I think will work for most people, but if you happen to be one of the people who needs to use Java every day for a specific set of websites all is not lost. In fact, there's a very easy solution called Fluid.app. This one might seem a little nerdy, but once you set it up, it's quite easy. We've mentioned Fluid.app on TUAW in the past and it's one of my favorite tools. With Fluid.app you can make a "standalone" web browser with its own set of preferences, including Java. You can find these settings in your Fluid.app browser under 'Settings': But wait! he said in his best made-for-TV voice There's more! Fluid.app will also let you say exactly which websites (domains, URLs, etc) that you want to use with that browser. Go to the "Whitelist" preferences and enter the domains, like this: Now that the rule that I have will allow me to visit any URL that includes www.google.com. You can add more sites using the + at the bottom of the window. Add all of your known and trusted sites which use Java. If you come across a link to a different site, it will automatically send you over to your regular browser (where you have disabled Java). Using this system you can have the security of having Java disabled, but still have the convenience of being able to use it on sites that you trust.
Google touts improved Flash Player security in Chrome for Mac, says it's safer than ever
Needless to say, Adobe hasn't had the best of times when it comes to the overall reliability of its Flash Player on Apple-made devices -- so much so that Steve Jobs took it upon himself to write some thoughts about it a couple of years ago. Thanks to Google, though, Adobe can proudly say it's famed Flash Player is now more secure than it's ever been -- well, at least on Chrome. According to Google, both companies have been working closely since 2010 to find ways to improve the security aspects of the famed plug-in, noting that some of the most recent enhancements can now be found in the latest Stable release of the browser -- in which a novel plug-in architecture is used, allowing Flash to run "inside a sandbox that's as strong as Chrome's native sandbox." The Flash plug-in improvements within Chrome aren't just for Mac users, however, as Google has said Adobe's Player is now fully sandboxed on Windows, Linux and, of course, its own Chrome OS as well.
Kimera Systems wants your smartphone to think for you
When Google took the wraps off Now we all got a pretty excited about the potential of the preemptive virtual assistant. Kimera Systems wants to build a similar system, but one that will make Mountain View's tool look about as advanced as a Commodore 64. The founder of the company, Mounir Shita, envisions a network of connected devices that use so-called smart software agents to track your friends, suggest food at a restaurant and even find someone to paint your house. That explanation is a bit simplistic, but it gets to the heart of what the Artificial General Intelligence network is theoretically capable of. In this world (as you'll see in the video after the break) you don't check Yelp or text your friend to ask if they're running late. Instead, your phone would recognize that you'd walked into a particular restaurant, analyze the menu and suggest a meal based on your tastes. Meanwhile, your friend has just reached the bus stop, but it's running a little behind. Her phone knows she's supposed to meet you so it sends an alert to let you know of the delay. With some spare time on your hands, your phone would suggest making a new social connection or walking to a nearby store to pick up that book sitting in your wishlist. It's creepy, ambitious and perhaps a bit unsettling that we'd be letting our phones run our lives. Kimera is trying to raise money to build a plug-in for Android and an SDK to start testing its vision. You check out the promotional video after the break and, if you're so inclined, pledge some cash to the cause at the source.
Smart unveils third-gen Fortwo Electric Drive EV, we take it for quiet and speedy spin (video)
Now that Smart's second-gen Fortwo Electric Drive EV has gotten its year of time on the roads, the company is ready to announce its successor. For 2013, the car has received some mild tweaks to its design, but the real news is about what's hiding inside this rear-wheel driven EV. For the first time, you'll have to option of owning one outright, rather than being limited to a four-year lease at $599 per month. It's thanks in part to an improved battery, which is now rated for an average lifespan of 10 years. The car has also received a massive power upgrade to 47 horsepower (up from 27 previously), along with an extra boost if you floor the pedal -- this courtesy of a beefier engine and drive-train that gives it about 50-percent more power. Put it this way, this EV will get you from 0-60 in about 11.5 seconds, with top speed of 78MPH. Sadly, there's no concrete word on what kind of range to expect, but it should be well more than the 87 miles of its predecessor. Beyond that, Smart's added in GSM connectivity, allowing you the abilities to pre-start the car and keep track of its vitals remotely, among other features. A quick drive around Brooklyn also confirmed how peppy and smooth the car was in use, however, not exactly on-par with our experience in Audi's A3 e-tron -- but it is considerably less. As our friends at Autoblog detail, the base model coupe is set to sell for a $25,000 MSRP plus fees, along with your choice of two chargers, which can cost up to $2,200 with installation. Here's the good news, the car itself actually works out to just $17,500 thanks to a federal tax credit. All in all, this currently makes the cheapest full-on EV you'll be able to get your mitts on. If you'd prefer to spice it up a bit, Smart will also offer a spruced up cabriolet variant for an extra $3K. Check out our chat with Smart about the car and the press release after the break for all the details.
