Flash

Save and convert YouTube videos with Free YouTube Downloader

We love YouTube downloaders because they make it so easy to grab and save video from YouTube's inexhaustible, ever-expanding supply. Whatever you like, if it's on video, it's probably on YouTube in one form or another. HOW's Free YouTube Downloader is one of the easiest tools for that job we've found. It not only downloads videos from YouTube but also converts them and files from your hard drive into formats you can play on your iPad, iPhone, and similar devices. It offers several quality levels, including HD quality, and plays your converted file when the … Read more

Get a Canon multifunction printer and 4GB flash drive for $29.98

Quick housekeeping note: The deals I share are in stock and available at the time I post them. Unfortunately, the especially awesome ones tend to sell out quickly, sometimes very soon after my post goes live.

Many a frustrated reader will call the company (or one of its stores, if applicable) in hopes of getting that price, only to be told there's "no such deal and there never was," or, "We don't know where CNET got that information."

Most of the deals I find are available exclusively online, though there are exceptions (like the … Read more

Hands-on: AirStash drive solves smartphone, tablet storage problems

Suppose you're taking a long trip and want to stock your smartphone or tablet with a bunch of movies.

Just one problem: there's no room at the inn. A Kindle Fire, for example, famously has only 8GB of storage, with no option for expansion. Same goes for any iDevice you own: once it's full, it's full.

Maxell's AirStash offers storage salvation. It's a USB flash drive that also happens to be wireless, meaning it can store files and stream media to a variety of mobile devices. It's an effective solution, though not an … Read more

Adobe patches critical security bugs in Flash, Reader, Acrobat

Those of you running Adobe Flash, Reader, and/or Acrobat are advised to download the latest updates. Adobe yesterday rolled out new and critical security fixes for all three products.

The update for Flash patches a vulnerability that could cause the software to crash and allow someone to remotely take control of an infected computer.

This hole has already been exploited through limited attacks, Adobe said. Deployed through a malicious Word document, this exploit attacks the ActiveX version of Flash Player installed as a plug-in on Internet Explorer for Windows.

Windows and Macintosh users can update Flash through the Adobe Flash Player Download Center. … Read more

Google offers bigger bucks in Chrome bug hunt

Google's program to pay outsiders who find Chrome security vulnerabilities is working well enough that the company has concluded it's time to add new financial rewards.

"Recently, we've seen a significant drop-off in externally reported Chromium security issues," Chrome programmer Chris Evans said in a blog post yesterday. "This signals to us that bugs are becoming harder to find, as the efforts of the wider community have made Chromium significantly stronger."

Thus, Google added a new $1,000 bonus on top of the regular incentive in three circumstances. The bonus applies if a … Read more

Converting vids for online posting is totally easy with Free Video to Flash Converter

DVDVideoSoft's Free Video to Flash Converter has one purpose, two file types, four quality levels, and many uses. Its single mission is to convert various video files into one of two file types for posting online. It converts most common video formats into Flash (FLV) and Shockwave Flash (SWF) files you can post on your Web site or blog. When it's done, it plays a preview of your converted video in your browser. For SWF files, Free Video to Flash Converter also generates all the HTML code and documents you need, too.

Free Video to Flash Converter has … Read more

Optimize and address Flash performance in OS X

Adobe's Flash player provides access to a great deal of online content, including that from popular sites like YouTube; however, there may be times when visiting sites that use the plug-in results in choppy performance or an inability to connect to the media being presented, which may happen on all installed and updated Web browsers. If this happens on your system, you have several options to optimize the plug-in's performance and get the sites working again.

Update Flash First if you are having troubles with Flash, then be sure to fully update to the latest version. This will … Read more

Chrome improves Flash sandboxing for Windows: 20 percent fewer crashes

Google has improved Flash sandboxing in the latest version of its Chrome browser for Windows, boosting its security and reducing crashes by as much as 20 percent.

The change also means Windows 8 users will be able to use all of a Web site's Flash features in the mode formerly known as Metro.

By sandboxing Flash, a plug-in can crash without taking down the rest of the browser. Sandboxing was introduced in early versions of Chrome to prevent rogue tabs from causing such total browser crashes, and as an anti-malware measure.

Google ported Flash off the aging NPAPI architecture … Read more

Paparazzo Light brings old-school flash to iPhone

Vintage footage of Hollywood stars shows photographers snapping photos with their big, old-school flashes mounted on large film cameras. Now you can outfit your iPhone with a bit of that retro glamour.

The Paparazzo Light looks like a mini version of those shiny flash attachments. The heart of it is a 300-lumen LED that can be dialed up or down from full brightness to zero. It has both photo and video modes to supply the right amount of light for the occasion.

The battery-powered add-on won't suck down your iPhone's juice. A Kickstarter pledge of $45 will get you either a black or white version. If you want to look more authentic, then spring for the $55 chrome version.… Read more