It appears that ditching Adobe System' Flash Player wasn't as easy as Microsoft thought earlier this year.

Because screenshots from WinUnleaked show the browser plug-in working even in the Metro version of IE10 where Microsoft had earlier said plug-ins would be barred.

Microsoft and Adobe declined to comment for this story. But a source familiar with the plans said IE10 will build in a version of Flash Player optimized for Windows 8 matters such as touch-screen interfaces, power consumption, and security.

The reason, the source said: browsers just aren't ready yet to ditch Flash, so Microsoft will give it a more graceful exit while Web developers figure out Web standards that can replace it.

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Flash is widely used for streaming video, casual games, and interactive sites, but Web standards such as HTML5, CSS3, a... [Read more]

Build your MIB agency with the resources you collect by completing missions.

The summer movie season is officially under way, and that can only mean one thing: movie tie-in season is also under way.

Exhibit A (or should I say Exhibit K): "Men in Black 3," which opens in theaters Friday, just got the app treatment. Gameloft's Men in Black 3 is available now for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.

Obviously any game based on the MIB franchise is going to involve a lot of running and gunning, right? Wrong. Men in Black 3 combines resource management with turn-based combat. And there's way more depth and replay value here than you'd expect from a movie tie-in.

As the new agent on the block, it's your job to manage the MIB agency. You'll train agents, develop weapons and gadgets, expand the agency with new rooms, and fight aliens on the streets of New York -- in both 2012 and 1969. (Hope that's not a spoiler; anyone who's seen the movie trailer knows the plot involves time travel.)

When it comes to anti-malware and security software for OS X, while tools like ClamXav and the recently released Sophos home edition for OS X are popular free options, another package that has fallen off the radar has been the relatively lightweight iAntivirus utility.

iAntivirus was originally developed by PC Tools in 2008 as a free Mac-specific antivirus tool, but the project did not last long and the latest version (1.36) was released in 2009 with no further updates. This has resulted in iAntivirus losing its relevance as a valid anti-malware tool for OS X users, and PC Tools has dropped support for it.

However, recent malware scares for OS X such as the Flashback "drive-by download," DNSChanger Trojan, and MacDefender scams have renewed interest in malware scanning utilities for OS X. In light of this, the Symantec company (makers of Norton AntiVirus for Mac) have taken up the iAntivirus reins and revived the name for its offering of a basic and free anti-malware utility for OS X users.

iAntivirus' interface is basic and to the point.

Even though the software does not have advanced features such as background scanning or on-access scanning that are available in its larger Norton AntiVirus util... [Read more]

Like to pick your browser? Beware, because new mobile devices threaten to stifle the competitive vigor of the market for Web browsers on PCs.

On personal computers running Windows, Macs, and Linux, you can pick from a variety of browsers, finding the best combination of user interface, performance, expansion, customization, and other attributes.

There are real differences between browsers, and the shifting share of browser usage shows that millions of people aren't content with whatever came with their computers. IE6 security flaws getting you down? Firefox to the rescue! Firefox seeming bloated? Chrome to the rescue! Chrome invading your privacy? Try Opera!

But on a host of devices ranging from today's iPhones to tomorrow's Windows RT tablets, though, things are very different. The idea that the browser is a feature of the operating system -- an idea Microsoft floated to defend against an antitrust attack in the 1990s regarding the link between Internet Explorer and Windows -- has boomeranged back.

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Webmaker is Mozilla's plan to bring DIY gusto to the Web this summer.

Mozilla whisked the covers off Webmaker today, a new development initiative intended to encourage Web-based development across the globe.

The company stated that Webmaker's goal is to, "move people from using the Web to making the Web," in a blog post. Mozilla is encouraging people to participate in a series of coding events it's calling the Summer Code Party, and has partnered with some notable organizations and individuals to further its agenda, including author Cory Doctorow, OKGO musician Damian Kulash, Tumblr, Creative Commons, the London Zoo, and the San Francisco Public Library.

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... [Read more]