plugs

Do you need to uninstall Java to be safe from its vulnerabilities?

Lately Java has been getting a bit of bad press, thanks to several consecutive security holes that have been exploited by malware developers. One notable occurrence was the Flashback malware threat that affected a number of OS X users, which (though due in part to Apple's negligence about Java upkeep) was rooted in the Java runtime. More recently, Java 7 has seen a new zero-day vulnerability that has been circulating in exploit kits.

In response to these threats, many in the tech community have recommended that people uninstall Java altogether. However, this can be impractical for some, as many … Read more

Phantom fighter: MeterPlug reports electric use in dollars

It's cold. I'm sitting here with a heating pad on my desk chair. I use it all the time, but I have no idea what its real impact on my electric bill is. The same goes for my LED Christmas tree and the glowing smartphone charger I leave plugged in all the time. The big mystery around the cost of electrical appliances could soon be cleared up if a little device called MeterPlug hits its fundraising goal on Indiegogo.

MeterPlug plugs into an outlet. You then plug your appliance directly into the MeterPlug. The gadget reports energy usage over Bluetooth to an app that translates the draw into actual dollars. You can manually enter your local electricity prices or use the app's average for your country.… Read more

Perian lays most file formats under QuickTime 9 or earlier

Perian is a software app that makes viewing your media files easier. Basically, Perian enables QuickTime application support for a wide variety of media files. Perian is available from several sources, but not the App Store when we looked. It installs easily as long as you have no software already installed that can conflict with Perian.

Perian supports a variety of file types for both video and audio files. All the standard file formats are supported, but there's a ton of less-commonly found file formats supported by Perian, too. Perian works without you realizing it is there. When QuickTime … Read more

Enable click-to-play for Chrome plug-ins

Isn't it annoying when you load a Web page and audio starts playing without warning? Usually it's a background music track or an advertisement video, but it always seems to happen at the worst time: when your volume is the loudest. Maybe you just finished watching a movie on Netflix with a lot of whispering and suddenly your ears are being assaulted by loud noises.

Instead of policing your volume levels before each Web browsing session, why not just disable those plug-ins from loading content unless you say it's OK? Here's how to disable plug-ins from … Read more

Flash videos on the Mac, albeit with a few hiccups

Most people know about the lack of support for Flash on the iPad and iPhone, but Flash is alive and well on Mac OS X with the Adobe Flash Player for Mac. As the app name suggests, this is a player for Flash 11 videos for Mac OS X 10.6 and higher. Adobe Flash Player for Mac is a browser plug-in and allows viewing of Web sites with Flash videos embedded in them to appear on the Mac OS. You won't find Adobe Flash Player for Mac on the App Store (thanks to the dispute between the two … Read more

Top car technologies that will save you gas now. CNET On Cars, Episode 4

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Sure, you can save a ton of money on gas by purchasing an electric car or plug-in hybrid, but that's a bit of a lifestyle makeover. If you want to pare back the outrageous cost of fuel and still have gas pump convenience, we've got the Top 5 technologies to look for in showrooms now.

The Paris auto show just wrapped up as we published this episode, so we take a look at the cars -- and one non-car -- that … Read more

To Facebook, a shared link is as good as a Like

Like it or not, Web pages can count your Facebook shares as a "Like."

A Facebook Like multiplier bug going around highlighted a feature of the social network that may seem unfair to some: If you send a Web site's link to a friend via a Facebook message or if you post it to your Facebook wall, that Web page's Like counter ticks upward.

First noticed by The Wall Street Journal, the feature may rankle some users who don't want to be a part of an overinflated count for some Web site tracking its visitors, … Read more

Apple's new iPhone plug shows up in photos, again

More images of Apple's next iPhone dock connector have cropped up ahead of next week's event, which is widely expected to bring the unveiling of a new iPhone.

French blog Nowhereelse posts images from an anonymous tipster claiming to be in possession of the final cable. The images match up with a leak from last month, depicting the smaller plug, which would replace Apple's long-surviving 30-pin proprietary plug.

Rumors that Apple aimed to shrink down the plug first cropped up last October and gained steam with a high-profile report in February. The reasoning has been that Apple … Read more

Fix your music library with TuneUp, your music companion

If you've ever had to transfer your iTunes library to a new computer, you know it can be quite a painful process. These days, Apple has made it easier than ever before to transfer your music library from one computer to another, but some years ago, it was not easy. I tried to move my entire iTunes library to my new computer via the external hard drive and failed miserably. After some consolidating of files, clicking through the hidden folders, importing/exporting the xml file, a good portion of my music library turned into gibberish. See below and you … Read more

Facebook launches Recommendations Bar

Facebook today launched the Recommendations Bar. The new social plug-in is supposed to help you find new articles by tapping in to what your Facebook friends Like and Share on the same Web site you're currently on.

Though it may not be clear from the screenshot on the right, the Recommendations Bar resides at the bottom right of your browser window. Much like Facebook Chat, it appears as a pop-up, but you can minimize it. It features a Like button for the Web page as well as article recommendations.

Here's how it works. As you're trying to … Read more