Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft has just announced that it will be providing security patches for the Windows 8 IE10-specific version of Flash, despite the software giant initially suggesting it wouldn’t. The patch will be available “shortly,” and hints at a return to the update cycles of old. More significantly, as ZDNet points out, unless Microsoft coordinates these releases with Adobe, there could be a constant cycle of IE10 being vulnerable in the future. On a positive note, the fix should be released before Windows 8 goes prime time, but for those who jumped on board early, you might want to keep one eye locked on the update page, and get it when it lands.

Filed under: Software

Microsoft confirms Flash vulnerability fix for Internet Explorer 10 coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those 7mm-thick hard drives you’ve seen in some Ultrabooks are already looking a tad on the chunky side. Western Digital has started producing sample versions of a hybrid hard drive (you’re not yet looking at it here) that measures just 5mm (0.2in) tall, even as it crams in both flash and a 500GB main disk. If you think the slimmer drive is just the ticket for a best-of-all-worlds laptop that’s both fast and capacious, you’re not alone: Acer and ASUS have mentioned their collaboration in the same breath, which may be a strong clue as to where future Aspires and Zenbooks are going. The remaining question is when they arrive. Sampling isn’t the same as mass production, which could leave us with months to go before the 5mm drive lands in future extra-skinny PCs.

Continue reading Western Digital builds 5mm-thick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early

Filed under: Laptops, Storage

Western Digital builds 5mm-thick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Holy Grail of Linux gaming has been an Unreal Engine 3 port. Getting one for the OS would unlock a world of games that has been the province of, well, just about any other mainstream platform. Thanks to Google preserving Flash on Linux through Chrome, that dream is alive in at least a rudimentary form. Experimenters at the Phoronix forums have found that Chrome 21 has support for the Stage 3D hardware acceleration needed to drive Epic Games’ Flash conversion of UE3. Tell Chrome to enable support as well as ignore a graphics chip blacklist, and suddenly you’re running Epic Citadel from your Linux install. When we say “running,” however, we’re taking a slight amount of poetic license. Performance isn’t that hot, and certain configurations might not show the medieval architecture in all its glory. We’ve confirmed with Epic that it works, but it’s still firm on the stance that there’s no plans for official UE3 support on Linux “at this time.” It’s still promising enough that maybe, just maybe, gamers can embrace an open-source platform without having to give up the games they love.

Filed under: Gaming, Software

Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 now working on Linux through Google Chrome, more or less originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 01:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you’re like us and really want to know what’s going on, then you’ve come to the right place. This past week, Clove teased the October arrival of the black Samsung Galaxy S III and a security vulnerability was uncovered for Android’s pattern unlock feature. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the “best of the rest” for this week of August 13th, 2012.

Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of August 13th, 2012

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Software

Mobile Miscellany: week of August 13th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week marks a significant change for Android users. Last November Adobe announced that it would stop the development of Flash for mobile devices. As of yesterday, Adobe disabled new installs of Flash on Android devices. Things aren’t looking good for Flash as a whole with support for Android over, iOS having never embraced Flash, and Microsoft offering only limited Flash support for Windows 8.

If Steve Jobs were still alive, he would probably be happy at this development. Jobs was adamantly against Flash instead pushing HTML 5 as a more open platform for powering mobile content, and more. HTML 5 can also support content on the desktop and other platforms making it a cross-platform option.

Adobe tried to move forward with the Open Screen Project as a way to get Flash on more platforms, but that plan was not successful. With no more support for Android, Flash now lacks access to roughly 85% of the smartphone market. Combine that with the fact that iOS holds a huge chunk of the remaining market, and it’s clear Adobe has thrown in the towel.

Adobe will continue to support Flash on PCs where it has become very common and ubiquitous. The company says it will focus on gaming and premium video. I have to wonder how much longer Flash on computers can hold out before it succumbs to HTML 5.

[via The Verge]

Adobe says no more Flash on Android is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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