flash

Get an 8GB Kingston flash drive for $7.95

The weekend before last, I happened to spy an 8GB SanDisk Cruzer Edge flash drive on sale for just $4.99 at Best Buy. It was sold out online, but the inventory checker showed it to be in stock at my local store. I called first, and, sure enough, they had some. I asked them to hold three, and a couple hours later walked out with three 8GB flash drives for 15 bucks (plus tax). That was a really, really good day.

This deal isn't quite that spectacular, but it's close--and there's no sales tax involved (unless … Read more

HTML5 will kill mobile apps. No, it won't

Did Apple kick the ball into its own goal with its campaign against Flash?

By forcing Web developers, and ultimately Adobe, out of the Flash business, Apple made HTML5 apps better. That's good for Safari users, but it's also good for users on other Web platforms, like Android. If there's a truly good universal platform for online apps, it stands to reason that the smart developer will build apps for it, since this way the app will be available to the largest number of users. Right?

Furthermore, now that Adobe has HTML5 religion, the company is releasing … Read more

USB locket: Geek chic done right

The holidays are fast approaching, and if you're searching for something shiny to give to your tech-loving lady, the USB locket necklace just might be the answer.

Industrial designer Emily Rothschild has given the classic keepsake a high-tech makeover by incorporating a flash drive. Now, instead of being limited to one or two photographs, you can fill up an entire 2GB flash drive with memories that your loved one can carry around her neck. … Read more

Flash not coming to Ice Cream Sandwich--yet

Although Flash has been a staple on Android, don't expect to find it in Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) just yet.

Speaking to Slashgear over the weekend, Google said that Ice Cream Sandwich will not come with Flash preinstalled nor will the platform be available in Android Market. The issue, Google told Slashgear, is that Adobe has yet to update its application to make it function properly on the new operating system.

Currently, Adobe's Flash Player only works with Android versions 2.2 to 3.2, according to its Android Market listing.

That should change soon, though. … Read more

Google HTML converter becomes Flash Pro plug-in

Google has released a plug-in that lets Flash Pro users convert Flash's SWF files into HTML code directly from the Adobe Systems developer tool.

The plug-in links to the Swiffy service Google operates to convert Flash to Web standards including HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics), and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Those Web standards let people see the content in a browser without relying on Adobe's Flash Player plug-in.

"The extension enables you to convert your animation to HTML5 with one click," said Esteban de la Canal, a Google programmer, in a blog post … Read more

Steve Jobs prevails over Adobe's Flash

week in review Steve Jobs apparently was right about Adobe Systems' Flash.

The company this week announced it is abandoning its work on a mobile version of the Flash Player and will now concentrate its mobile software development efforts on HTML5. The move breaks with what had been Adobe's defiant embrace of its venerable Flash technology, a symbol of its strength on desktop PCs, in the face of the surging adoption of a wide variety of powerful mobile devices, from the iPad to countless smartphones.

But the cancellation wasn't a complete surprise. Flash has plenty of opponents, and … Read more

Friday Poll: Will you miss mobile Flash?

Adobe's announcement this week that it's pulling support for Flash on mobile browsers landed with a distinct thunk. It seemed to validate Steve Jobs' refusal to allow Flash on iOS devices.

There will be one last hurrah with the release of Flash Player 11.1 for Android and BlackBerry PlayBook. After that, Adobe will focus on HTML5 for its mobile development efforts.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1566: It's not so hard to say goodbye to Flash...on Mobile (Podcast)

Adobe puts their support behind HTML 5 and ends further development of Flash on mobile browsers. Somewhere Steve Jobs is smiling. Warner Bros. takes down files they never even saw, which makes us feel great about the future of the Stop Piracy Online Act. Plus, a Rotisserie Meatball Passes Between Earth and Moon, and Siri tries to help us get a gift for mom on Christmas.

Memory maker Virident raises $20 million

Virident, a Milpitas, Calif.-based company creating flash-based solid-state drives (SSDs), has raised $20 million in its third round of funding and landed Cisco and Intel as new investors. Virident has raised $50 million to date.

The five-year-old company says today's funding will fuel the creation of a new memory solution called FlashMax that it claims will run databases ten times faster than older drives.

Virident hopes to create partnerships with large data centers, businesses such as systems integrators and consulting firms, and potential investors. Besides Cisco and Intel, the company also has an unnamed investor who is a &… Read more

Adobe axes Flash for TVs too

Adobe Systems' announcement today that it would abandon its work on the mobile version of its Flash Player also applies to consumer devices such as TVs.

Adobe will no longer focus on porting the Flash plug-in into Web browsers on consumer electronics devices and instead encouraged developers to build native apps for those devices, the company confirmed in a statement today to GigaOm.

"Adobe will continue to support existing licensees who are planning on supporting Flash Player for web browsing on digital home devices and are using the Flash Player Porting Kit to do so," Adobe said. "… Read more