Flash

Adobe announced a preview version of a new application dubbed Adobe Edge meant for creating dynamic Web content using HTML5 and related open Web standards.

"This is a motion and interactive tool for designers who want to build interactive Web content using Web standards," said Adobe Group Product Manager Devin Fernandez.

"More workloads that were previously reserved for Flash are now being done with Web standards," Fernandez admitted. "We see that as a huge opportunity for the company, to help people take advantage of HTML5."

New updates have been released by Adobe to patch Reader PDF and Flash animation applications. The patches fix the flaws widely used by hackers to penetrate and take control of end user machines.

In the latest patch Adobe fixes a serious bug in Flash that allows attackers to remotely execute malicious code on machines that run the software, and there are reports it's being actively exploited, Adobe said.

Adobe is developing a patch to its Flash media player to address a critical vulnerability exploited in targeted attacks to install malware on users’ PCs. According to a blog post written by an independent security researcher Mila Parkour the attacks are launched using emails that attach a Microsoft Word document that contains a booby-trapped Flash file.

Clicking on the document causes Windows-based machines to install a backdoor known as Zolpiq, separate researchers from antivirus provider Kaspersky said.

iPad users will soon be able to seamlessly watch pages on the Internet that have Flash content as SkyFire is coming for the Cupertino tablet device soon with the Flash support. SkyFire for the iPad features the integration with Facebook, Twitter, Google Reader and the Like button as well as Fireplace pop-up that reports latest updates from Facebook.

On Thursday the shares of Adobe Systems Inc jumped sharply on new speculations that the company might be purchased by Microsoft Corp. The news was reported by the New York Times who said that Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer had met secretly with Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen at Adobe's San Francisco offices "recently."

The two companies discussed the dominance of Apple in mobile phones market and considered several scenarios to withstand that and Microsoft’s acquisition of Adobe was at the agenda among the options.

Dell at last released its first US smartphone marking its entrance into the overcrowded market. The company on Tuesday unveiled its 3.5 inch device that runs Android OS and will cost $100 on AT&T network.

The device dubbed as the Aero will be sold for $99.99 with a 2-year contract from AT&T, or $299.99 without the contract, as announced by Round Rock, Texas-based Dell.

Unlike Google that likes to speak of web standards like HTML5 and soon after that it launches Chrome-based "operating system" that embraces a native code plug-in, Mozilla is determined not to bundle Firefox with Adobe Flash or with a plug-in that runs native code inside the browser. This view was expressed by Mozilla VP of products Jay Sullivan.

Having tried different tactics to persuade Apple that its software is worth using on mobile platforms as well Adobe decided to practice a new approach. The Flash maker launched a new ad campaign called “We love Apple” where Adobe lists all the things it has in common with the Cupertino. The ad ends with scolding Apple for blocking technological freedom of choice. The campaign includes online and print ads.

Adobe is giving up any further efforts to please Apple so that it would allow its Flash application run on the iPhone devices. Now the company shifts its focus to more open and friendly Google Android OS. While Flash is used on 98% of Internet connected PCs and the vast majority of online videos are encoded using the technology Apple has invariably been opposing the use of the technology on its smartphones.

Apple has released the list of the websites that are compatible with its coming computer tablet iPad. On its website Apple created a page that lists those web portals that are already “iPad ready”. The page lists the high profile sites that employ HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript to function better on the new device. None of the websites have Flash. Users who will load these pages from their iPad device will be automatically directed to special versions.

Native applications won’t be allowed for Windows Phone 7 Series as it was confirmed by Microsoft officials on Monday. Todd Brix, Senior Director for Mobile Platform Services Product Management, said that only applications on the Silverlight runtime environment or games in the XNA Game Studio runtime will be allowed.

He confirmed that Windows Phone 7 runs only interpreted or managed code through the two runtime environments provided by Silverlight and XNA.