Friday, December 28, 2012

Best 5 Short Flash Animation Movies

flash movie
When Flash is popular in the Internet, you can find flash video everywhere such as YouTube,NBC and many other websites. Also, you may have watched many flash short movies which is very funny, following I will introduce 5 best flash animation movies.

Always, Only, Ever
How do you create a believable character from nothing? Barbara Benas’ student film, Always Only Ever, just does an amazing job of that. The story is about that a rough yet emotionally soft cowboy, who is surrounded by a selfish world, is searching for a bit of kindness. The plot just gives us something that it’s almost more human than we are.

Rumble Seat
Rumble Seat is the featuring music video which features a man takes a ride through the afterlife with four rockabilly musicians.You are probably moved by the captures that Easy Rider love for the road and the wild adventures.When Many people talk about death being the final destination, but these guys are true drifters even in death.This video is made by Mike Roberts.

Keith Reynolds Can’t Make It Tonight
Reynolds Can’t Make It Tonight is a simple animated short from student filmmaker, Felix Massie.The story describes Keith—a regular guy with lame job and a crush on the girl in the office.Though it is simple, you can feel it meaningful.

Tim Minchin’s STORM
As a flash film, Tim Minchin’s STORM is dreadfully funny although it is up to 10 min length.The story is about Tim Minchin's poem of an evening dinner conversation about spirituality and the age-old battle between spirituality and science.Due to Minchin’s clever wordplay and acerbic wit,you will find it a lot of fun.

Get Your War On
With the ashes of the 9/11 attacks, Get Your War On began as an online comic strip that soon gained cult status in discussion forums.Mixed of popular politics and comedy delivered in a brash conversational style,the film displays the characters getting caught up in their own words, setting the tone for the rest of the series.From this film, you can get the real feeling as the sharacter.

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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Best of Tech in 2013: What to Expect From Tablets and Smartphones?

So, now we have to wave our hands to say goodbye to 2012.In terms of tech, 2012 is full of surprise with so much great devices, in which the most notable are tablets and smartphones. So, what exactly can we expect from tablets and smartphones for best tech of 2013?

tech in 2013
Cheap but Advance Tablets and Smartphones
The success of Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 no doubt shows that cheap but advance devices are what people really demand and makes it possible to make everyone own a smartphone. Although Apple’s products still rule the market with a higher price, but we can believe Apple will go the trend of cheap and advanced device according the appearing of iPad Mini.

Devices Merging Tablets and Smartphones called phablet
The biggest difference of tablets and smartphones? You can easily think of the question that is tables cannot be used for calling people with a phone card. But things will change. The developer HTC is planning to release the Windows RT tablets which can make phone calls like phone. If this becomes popular, maybe the smartphone will be replaced by the tablet.

Windows 8 Tablets and Smartphones
Nokia recovers its market share with the launching of Windows phone Lumia 920, which without question proves the bright future of windows device. Many famous device producers such as Samsung, HTC, Asus, and others will announce their own windows devices in the first quarter of 2013. It is likely that Windows will be the third wheel in the market.

Retina display iPad mini and iPhone 5S
2012 we ushered in The New iPad, iPad Mini, iPad 4, and what’s in 2013? Rumors say that Apple will bring the Retina display iPad mini in March and iPhone 5S in September. iPad Mini gives people the best small iPad so what will improved with the Retina display iPad mini?Can the iPhone 5S make surprise? Just wait for the last answer.

BlackBerry 10 Devices
RIM is in the same position of the previous Nokia. Nokia restores its market share with Lumia 920 and RIM want to restore its power with the Blackberry 10 devices. It is not fresh news that Blackberry 10 will come up to us, but the phone and the playbook which run the latest blackberry 10 system will be release in 2013. Things go well to RIM with the launch of new system, but whether RIM can hit the market or not is still the doubt.

Google Devices
It is not over that Google Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 are far beyond our expectation. The new system that the device runs also gives us perfect experience. So what’s the next of the nexus and the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean? No statistics. We can just say that we will not disappointed.

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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Top 6 Music Videos on YouTube This Week(From Dec.25))

Gangnam Style Music video on YouTube
So, you have got your Kindle Fire or Nexus 7 or other devices as Christmas gift.And you have spending your time on the most popular YouTube to find your favorite music.If you don't want to search the YouTube trending videos,here is the chart of top videos on YouTube on music.Also, you can free download the video if you like.


Top 1:PSY - GANGNAM STYLE (강남스타일)

Since released in July 2012,Gangnam Style has quickly become the hottest video across the world. The phrase "Gangnam Style" is a Korean neologism that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam District of Seoul.PSY's amusing dance moves in the music video makes people laugh and there are many people imitating the moves of PSY.This music video is the funnest one that you shouldn't miss.

Top 2:Taylor Swift-I Knew You Were Trouble

Taylor Swift is the most popular female singer-songwriter in US at present.You may have listened to her songs.Known for hook-laden, narrative songs,when you get into the music, you will feel that you are in a story.This music video is from her fourth studio album Red and it ranked 2 on YouTube."I Knew You Were Trouble" is very nice, if you like Taylor Swift,this music video will be your like.

Top 3:Rihanna - Diamonds

"Diamonds" is a song by recording artist Rihanna, released as the lead single from her seventh studio album Unapologetic (2012).When you view the video, you will get the different feeling with others.Feturing "dreamy" and "surreal" scenes,the music video depicts Rihanna in four environments that represent the elements of earth, air, water and fire.It really gives us a surprise in imagery.

Top 4:will.i.am - Scream & Shout ft. Britney Spears

Featuing Britney Spears,"Scream& Shout" is a song recorded by American recording artist will.i.am.Using an upbeat dance and electropop track,"Scream &Shout" indeed takes your heart. If you like electropop ,this music video is a very suitable one.

Top 5:Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven

"Locked Out of Heaven" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars from his second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox,released on October 15, 2012.The concept of the video is about Mars having a good time with his friends doing things like smoking, drinking beer and playing games.The video has a vintage style, and it attract many people's attention.If you like rock,then view this music video.

Top 6:Justin Bieber - Beauty And A Beat ft. Nicki Minaj

"Beauty and a Beat" is a song by Canadian pop recording artist Justin Bieber from his third studio album Believe featuring Trinidian rapper Nicki Minaj, released on June 15, 2012.It is instrumentally complete with a heavy drum machine and "rushing" synthesizers.If you like Justin Bieber,this video may appeal you.

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

How to Make Flash Christmas E-card on iPad?

Christmas flash ecard
Just four days left, before Christmas. So have you got everything prepared, such as letter to Santa, Christmas card to family and friends, Christmas gift and Christmas dinner and more? Maybe you are thinking hard in making special Christmas card, then why not try Flash Christmas E-card? Christmas e-cards can be fascinating because they are able to go with cartoon slideshows, blessing videos or festive music, all kinds of media forms beyond the only text on plain cards. And if you have an iPad, you can do it more easily with two methods. Later are the details.
Method 1:Make Your Christmas greeting E-card Online

There are many websites which offer the service of customizing your personal Christmas e-card. And if you just don’t want to install apps, you can make e-card on the website. You can do the job in these best websites such as 123 Greetings, Cards Direct, American Greetings, Bluemountain, Crosscards, Freeecardsonline and more.

Method 2.Using iPad apps to Customize your Christmas E-card

For making flash cards, developers has provided some Christmas eCard maker for iPad via Apple App Store.Following I will introduce three E-card maker apps.

Ecards - Christmas ecard(Free)
This app allows you to customize and send flash Christmas eCards to your friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, Email and SMS.With a few simple step, you can get your free flash eCard and send your Christmas greetings .

Simple Flash Card Maker
Simple Flash Card Maker lets you easily make your own flash cards including Christamas ecards. Each card can have combinations of text, images, sound or video.And The text can be in any language that you can enter using your keyboard. Images and Video can come direct from your camera, from your albums or from your mac/pc.Sound can be recorded live or imported from your mac/pc using iTunes.With these elements, you can make great ecard for Chritmas.

Christmas E-card Maker($0.99)
With 12 lovely and warm Christmas images, various stamps and frames built in, Christmas E-card Maker let you design your ecard and send them to your soul mate, family member or a friend. Also, you can write greeting text on it.

Christmas e-Cards(Free)
Christmas e-Cards collects unique New Year and Christmas e-cards for you to choose. The feature s about it is all e-card are unique, drawn by hand, no hackneyed photostock images.You can add your greeting and send the ecard directly from your iPhone/iPad/iPod to any number of friends right from your device. Add as much CC just by touching CC-line and chose adresses from your contacts. Every cc-Line has a little "plus" to add contacts.

If you want to make more beautiful flash Christmas Greeting Ecard, you need a flash software on PC .

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Tuesday, December 18, 2012

How to Watch Flash Videos on PS3?

watch flash on PS 3
When speaking of PS 3, the first thing rise in our mind must be playing games. But except that, Sony's PlayStation 3 gaming console is also a full-fledged entertainment hub. You can play CD,DVDs and Blu-Rays with it. In addition to that, there is built-in web browser for going online. If you want to watch the Christmas flash videos at present on your PS 3, you may need to install flash player or use some tools or on PS 3.Following is the details.

Method 1: Install Adobe Flash Player
  • Turn on your PS3.Go to the “Settings” tab in the Cross Media Bar and select “System Update.” 
  • Go to Download and install the latest system update onto your PS3 by clicking the "Download Now" link.
  • Open the PS3 Web browser and navigate to Flash-based website such as YouTube and choose a video. You will be prompted to run the Flash plug-in. Select “Yes” and the video will load.
Method 2: Using PS Video Converter
  • Connect the computer with a USB flash or hard disc or an SD or CF card. 
  • Download and install PS3 video converter since the console can't handle flash video natively.
  • Click "Add" button to select the flash video(flv files) and choose PS3 from the default profile as the Output file or Use the “setting” button to set the formats.Select the folder named VIDEO on the root of the drive as the output.
  • Click "Convert" to create a PS3 compatible video.Then, you can find the video on the XMB.Or press triangle and choose "Display All" to find the video.
Method 3: Using PS3 Media Server
  • Put your flash videos in a folder on your desktop and download PS3 Media Server, which can converts video and sends it to your PS3 over a local network.
  • After the install of the program, turn on your PS3 and select "Search for Media Servers " on the PS3. Once your PS3 has recognized your computer, browse to your file and play it.
Now you can use your PS 3 as the good tool to enjoy Christmas whether online or offline.


PS 3 compatible Video formats: MPEG-1 (MPEG Audio Layer 2), MPEG-2 PS MPEG2 Audio Layer 2, AAC LC, AC3(Dolby Digital), LPCM, MPEG-2 TS (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2), VC-1 (.wmv), AVCHD (.m2ts / .mts), AVI, DivX, VOD, XviD, Motion JPEG (Linear PCM), MP4 Video, MP4 via DivX AVI, MP4 SP, MP4 AVC / MP4 H.264, DVD Video, BD Video format on Blu-ray Disc, BD Video format on DVD-ROM

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Sunday, December 16, 2012

Get Ready to Play Angry Birds Star Wars on Facebook

What is the most popular game on both Android and iOS platform? Believe it or not, the puzzle game Angry Birds is the most probable answer. For more entertainment with the birds, the developer Rovio Entertainment has released the new adventure version Angry Birds Star Wars on November 8. And now it has launched the beta version on Facebook. The beta edition has attracted 22.6 million fans when it comes up on Facebook but in fact Rovio has not announced that.

Angry Birds Star Wars on Facebook
The reason that Rovio brings the beta to Facebook without announcement is most likely he wants to test the brand new Facebook game by a limited number of users to ensure more fans before publicizing it.

Angry Birds Star Wars mixes the gravity defying gameplay of "Angry Birds Space" with the classic level design of previous Angry Birds titles and wraps it all in Jedi robe. You get more joy via the red bird and the amazing bird’s skill.
Angry birds Star Wars
Rovio promises to remove the beta tag from the Facebook version of Angry Birds Star Wars very soon, possible in next week, and the company will add more levels and features as time progresses.

Have you got ready to wasting time for this game on Facebook?

Others news about Rovio
It released a new Angry Birds holiday song and says it will donate the profits from downloads of the song to establish clubs for school children in developing countries.  

Download the Song here

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

How to Add Animated Cover to Your Facebook?

Facebook is no doubt the most popular social network. We write something, share something, upload photos and videos, add friends, create personal pages, play flash games, and more. And as a personal facebook page, choose a beautiful and special Timeline Cover is unarguably the priority. Of course you can upload the photos easily by clicking “add a cover” to choose the photos. But if you want to add animated images like GIF files, you may need to take other method. Following, I would like to introduce the way to add animated photo covers on Facebook.

Step 1.At first you need to upload your GIF photo to your Facebook. Just make a Photo post.Then click the photo in your timeline.Copy the "fbid Number" in the url.

Step 2.Then move the mouse to the cover photo, click Change cover>Choose from photos.

facebook photo cover

Step 3.Choose the animated photo then right click choose Inspect element.Then you will find the below editor. Click the Elements option and find the “class =”vTop pbs prs””, replace the photo_id with the number you have copied.
add cover to facebook

Step 4.Close the editor interface and you can find the animated photo on your Facebook Cover.Save change.

NoteThis operation is finished with Google Chrome.If you use firefox, then you need to download the firebug plug-ins.


Video Guide


You might also like:

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

How to Watch the Voice on Your iPhone Freely

So,the top three contestants on "The Voice" were revealed after the final four singers performed in the semifinals the night before. Want to get the playback of singers’performance on your iPhone ? There are a few ways to stream the most popular show on your iPhone . Of course you can search the web to watch The Voice online.

Suscribe The Voice on NBC on YouTube with iPhone
You can just subscribe The Voice on NBC with your YouTube account.And you can receive the email of the latest update of the show.Then you can conveniently choose the video to play on your iPhone.Or you can directly log in your account and you can find the video on your first interface.

Watch The Voice on Websites on iPhone
Also, if you want to watch the live show, you can just watch the Voice on the NBC or TV wesites. NBC website offers you the full episodes of the previous show and informs the next live show. Meanwhile, you can find the good photos of the show.TV websites offers the full episodes and the clips of The Voice.The sources of TV website includes Netfixm ,Amazon,iTunes and others.It offers the paid and the free online videos.Of course The Voice is free.Besides, you can go to other video websites to watch The Voice like Hulu.If you use this method,then you need to install alternative flash player to play the videos like the iPad.

Watch The Voice in NBC app for iPhone 

The Voice on NBC
If you don’t want to browse the website,then you can install the NBC app. Using this app you can watch all of your favorite NBC shows free on your iPhone .Not only can you view full-length episodes of The Voice,but also you can enjoy the other popular shows including The Office, Revolution, SNL, Days of our Lives and more.You can browse photos, read recaps, play games, watch previews of upcoming episodes, and even interact with other fans.

Download The Voice Video for offline view on iPhone
If you want to enjoy the offline video of The Voice, you need to download the videos.The best way is to download from YouTube use a helpful tool.I recently get a free one from my friend from a Christmas deal.It is very useful to download and convert the YouTube Video free.You can go to this Christmas Deal page for details.

If you are The Voice fan and waiting for the Final Performance, then try these ways with your iPhone.

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Monday, December 10, 2012

Flash Player for Windows 8, a Very Different Mode on Windows

flash on windows 8
When you use windows XP or vista or win 7, you just need to install the adobe flash player in your system to supply IE’s flash support. But if you install the Windows 8, you don’t need to install the flash player because Microsoft basically integrates Flash Player into both in browser IE 10 and Metro style IE 10 just like Google do for Chrome. In this way, the tighter integration through sandboxing of resources and permissions are allowed. Also, Flash Player is updated automatically which can give a much nicer experience for the user.Let's just get a closer look at the flash player on windows 8.
  • Two Models
Since Windows 8 comes in two styles, Flash Player is also embedded in both Metro IE and Desktop IE. IE10 on the desktop provides the same full Flash support as previous versions of IE that relied on the Flash Player plug-in, and continues to support other plug-ins. The Metro style browser continues to provide no support for other separate ActiveX controls or plug-ins which is more suitable for tablet.
  • Compatibility View(CV) list
Any site can play Flash content in IE10 on the Windows desktop, while only sites that are on the Compatibility View (CV) list can play Flash content within Metro style IE, which undoubtedly offers more security for user with IE metro. For Surface RT, there are only CV list sites can play Flash content in either Internet Explorer 10 for the desktop or Internet Explorer 10 in new Windows UI.

Which site is going on the CV list is depend on Microsoft. The list is based on the quality of experience of the site in Internet Explorer 10, with the other factors like performance, responsiveness, touch interaction, security, privacy, and battery life.

If the content is not playing in Metro IE, it is probably that it isn't in the CV list. In this case, you can view your content in IE in Desktop Mode.
  • Security
When Flash player is automatically updated in windows 8, it has ever taken users at risk at the previous updates whether we use Desktop or Metro mode.Although Microsoft released Security Advisory 2755801 to fix the security problem which Adobe Flash Player came across in Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, you need to take care of automatic updates for Flash Player. Or you can do something to protect yourself from Flash attacks in Internet Explorer.

It is unarguably that Adobe Flash Player enabled in IE 10 makes the competition of browser under uncertainty. And we just need to wait for the time that whether users can get a better flash experience in windows 8 since windows 8 is not mature.

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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Best 10 Free Christmas Online Flash Games in 2012 for Family Holiday Enjoyment

Christmas Flash game
When Christmas is just around the corner, many people are probably cannot keep their serious mind. It's going fun and there is no dearth of activities that can be cooked up to keep the family busy during Christmas, such as thinking up gift ideas, shopping, reconnecting and bonding with the entire family, and more. And choose a Christmas flash game on iPad or iPhone(learn how to play flash on iPad or iPhone) can be a starting point to get fun together. Following I collect some top online flash games for Christmas.

Build a Snowman
Choose differnt items including hat,face,head,neck,middle,bace,scene and others to create a snowman in person.It is indeed appropriate for family and everyone can make his idea for the snowman.

Christmas free to play
This is the simple Puzzle game which you can get a Christmas tree image.It is very amusing kids game and adult can guide the kids to make the tree.

CHRISTMAS ELF GAME
This game is a action game.And you can act as a celebrity, make snowball , throw it to the people set in the game against you.If you have succeeded in throwing the snowball to the other people and you can get the power.This is the most interesting part and after you get power, you can easily beat the other one.

Christmas Bells
Christmas music is the most important part of the holiday, so do you want to make music with the Christmas bells? And the flash game Christmas Bells just offers the basic 7 notes which carried by different animal.The scene is in the snow which brings the spirit of Christmas.If you love to create the Christmas music, then check out this one.

Christmas Tree Decorations
Decorate the Christmas tree. Drag the decorations to the Christmas tree and place them in the correct positions. You have 2 1/2 minutes to finish decorating the tree and you have to place all the ornaments.

Christmas Tree Lights
In this game, you need to connect the wires and bulbs by turn the direction of wires to light all the Christmas Tree lights.It is a challange to light all the bulbs and just benefit from the power of family.

Christmas Ornaments Swap
Swap two ornaments so that there are three of the same ornaments in a row.

Night of the Snowman
You goal is to shoot the monster snowmen as they pop out from hiding and throw grenades quickly to take out multiple.Use mouse to aim or shoot and spacebar to throw grenades.

Christmas Card Shoot Em Up
You need to shoot all the Christmas card characters with your gun when they come up.

Nick'd
Some thieves have entered your house to still Christmas gifts. You need to hit 25 thieves with Christmas ornaments before they steal everything you have. Avoid hitting Santa that appears from time to time.

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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Best Flash Players for iPad to Enjoy Christmas Flash Videos

Christmas flash videos on iPad
Christmas is drawing near and near and we will celebrate it in three weeks. There are of course many ways to bring Christmas spirit to family, including playing Christmas carols, decorating Christmas Tree, preparing Christmas gifts and more. The best one for the family is probably watching some funny Christmas flash videos together on the mobile device such as the hottest iPad. However, Apple has never supported the Adobe Flash Player plugin or any web browser plugin, so you may need to get flash player for iPad. Just choose one from the following list.

Skyfire Web Browser($4.99)
Specifically designed for users to watch Flash videos,Skyfire acts as a replacement for alternative iPad browsers.You can view flash videos on over 200,000 websites for football, baseball, soccer, basketball, cricket, rugby, hockey, college sports and more.Skyfire can only support flash videos and flash games or applications are not available on it. If you just want general-purposed browsing,Skyfire is a great choice.

iSwifter Games Browser(Free and $4.99 after 7 days))
Almost all Flash content,including Flash videos,Flash websites,Flash applications and Flash games, are supported by iSwifter.And you can unlock Flash content on your iPad to free enjoy them.Also,it builds in a lot of popular online games.This app is free download and used for the first seven days, after which you need to pay a $4.99 in-app purchase to continue using it.

Cloud Browse($2.99)
Cloud Browse is a web browser for both Flash and Java content providing you a full Firefox browsing session on your iPad.By hosting a desktop Firefox session through iPad,you can get a fast flash video experience when browsing the website.The basic download(this versin) gives you 10 minute browser sessions and for playing Flash games, viewing longer videos, or engaging other higher bandwidth content on the web,you need to upgrade to the Unlimited version.

Photon Flash Video Player($4.99)
Photon Flash Video Player is really one of the best web browser considering both the price and performance.Like others,it supports Flash videos,Flash games and apps.The difference is it also allows you the multi-task using multiple tabs, turn on private browsing, share content through Facebook, print using AirPrint, and save your favorite pages as bookmarks.If you like playing flash games on Facebook,this one is absolutly the best one.

Video Converter
Video converter is a very useful tool for watching videos including flash videos.You can watch many kinds of video on your iPad with this program.It can easily produces the compatible videos to your iPad, and it allows you to edit the videos according to your interest.If you just want to enjoy the 3D videos, you can also use it to make 3D movie.If you like to edit the Christmas video to make it more interesting or want to enjoy more videos on your iPad, then you may need to choose this one.

Videosharing Websites app
Differnt from the web browser,some video sharing sites have chosen to offer apps instead. For example, if you want to watch the streaming video at Ustream.com on iPad,you just need to download and install the Ustream app from the App Store.The Same for Netflix, Hulu+, and the like.You just need to search the website's name and then download it.The same goes with the Flash games.

So, take the Best iPad Flash Player to enjoy the Christmas flash videos with your family and friends.

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Monday, December 3, 2012

How to install Adobe Flash player on Nexus 4 and Nexus 10?

It is undoubtedly the time that Google Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 are booming after the release of the first tablet of Google, Nexus 7.The new and latest built-in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean brought the amazing features such as the most notable one Photo Sphere.

Nexus device
But just like Nexus 7, you cannot play flash videos on Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 owing to Adobe Flash‘s incompatible with Jelly Bean. Things get more depressing as the videos of many popular websites are almost flash videos including YouTube. Fortunately, Android development community have provided the method of Abode flash player download for Nexus 4 and Nexus 7.Following is the details of the method.

Note: Before you install the flash player, make sure that you have install a file manager app like the free File Expert.
  • Click here to download the Flash Player 11.1 APK for Nexus 4 and Nexus 10.Take care that download the APK in your computer. If you downloaded directly on Nexus 4, it will be in the folder called ‘downloads’ on SD card.
  • Copy the APK to your device.
  • Go to Setting>Application, tap on “unknown resources”. Tap on ok if warning screen appears.
  • Locate the APK, while a popup open up, tap on “open app manager”. Then select install button and follow onscreen instructions to install it.
When you successfully installed the Abode flash player, reboot the device. Then you can stream any online video, audio or view multimedia seamlessly on your device through Flash Player. Of course, considering playing flash videos on Nexus 4 or Nexus 10,you can also install the flash video player app which can support FLV playback. 

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Top 10 Amazing Apps for Android Tablets


With all the things you have to do at home and at the office, why not use your Android mobile device to help you get through the day? Here are 10 apps from Google Play that will help make life a little easier, from morning to night.



Apps to Get Your Day Started

App: Weatherwise
Price: Free
Why You Need It: The first thing you want to do in the morning is check the weather so you know how to dress for the day. Weatherwise is a fantastic app that brings your weather forecast to life with animated personas and moving landscapes. You can view the current and five-day forecast with the built-in geolocator, save up to five locations, get details by hour and change all visuals and animations through the in-app store.

App: Google Currents
Price: Free
Why You Need It:If you want to read the news while you’re eating breakfast, Google Currents is the app for you. It’s more than the news. It’s your news, pulling stories from only sources you are interested in. Plus, these beautiful magazine-like editions are easy to read and look great on a large tablet screen.

Apps for 9 to 5

App: Cisco WebEX Meetings
Price: Free
Why You Need It:For those lucky enough to work from home, the Cisco WebEX Meetings app easily connects you to important meetings so you can join a web conference right from your tablet. It’s the perfect home office application. It works with Cisco WebEx Meeting Center and Cisco WebEx Meetings to deliver mobile web conferencing, audio and high-quality video.

App: Evernote
Price: Free
Why You Need It: Evernote is another much loved application that “turns your Android™ device into an extension of your brain.” It helps you stay organized with notes, lists, photos and more. Increasing productivity is one of the better ways to get more out of your week, so this app is a must-have.

Apps for After Work

App: Basketball Dood
Price: Free
Why You Need It: If you coach your kid’s little league basketball team, then you’ll definitely want to use the Basketball Dood app. It’s a moving playbook that lets you use an S Pen™ on a Galaxy 10.1 to draw out a play and then save the image, or animate it to show how the players move. If you’re not into basketball, the developer, mola, has a similar app for many other sports.

App: First Aid
Price: Free
Why You Need It:When someone trips and skins a knee during practice, you’ll be able to save the day in a jiffy with your First Aid app from the American Red Cross. The app is easy to navigate and includes tons of pictures and videos that you can view on your large tablet screen.

Apps for Your Child Genius

App: Tracing ABC Free
Price: Free
Why You Need It:Pass the tablet to the kids so they can learn to read and write with the Tracing ABC Free app. It’s perfect for kids 2–5 who are just learning to trace letters, numbers and shapes. With the natural writing features of the S Pen, your kids will be sure to excel.

App: Drawing Pad
Price: $1.99
Why You Need It:Art is one of the most important areas of child development. Help foster and encourage your child’s creativity with the Drawing Pad app. They can create their own art using photo-realistic crayons, markers, paint brushes, colored pencils, stickers, roller pens and more.

Games for You and the Kids

App: Where’s My Perry
Price: $0.99
Why You Need It:Everyone deserves some play time. Today’s best mobile games are great for you and for your kids. The Where’s My Perry app is a challenging physics-based puzzler where you need to use water in all its different forms — ice, steam and liquid — to solve the puzzle. You’ll be an instant expert with the extra precision you get from the S Pen.

App: Trace me! (My Love Jenny)
Price: Free
Why You Need It:Unlike most jump-and-avoid-the-obstacles games, the Trace me! (My Love Jenny) app allows you to draw your own track towards the goal. In this case, the goal is to get to Jenny, your soul mate. You draw paths and platforms with the S Pen as you collect what Jenny asks for, such as diamonds and shoes. But getting to Jenny isn’t as easy as it sounds — standing between you and Jenny is a host of obstacles, including buzzsaws, scissors and falling rocks.

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Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ Coming out: Big-screen Tablet Priced at $269

During the meeting in San Francisco, two brand-new Barnes & Noble tablets are unveiled. Christened the Nook HD and Nook HD+, the tablets will go head-to-head with Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire HD 7 and $299 Kindle Fire HD 8.9 this fall. The Nook HD is a 7-inch tablet priced at $199 for 8GB and $229 for 16GB. The 9-inch Nook HD+ will retail at $269 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB.


Keep reading for the details of how they compare with the Kindle Fire HD. The tablets are available for preorder now from Barnes & Noble's Web site and will begin shipping around late October. The tablets are just the latest arrivals in what is shaping up to be a very crowded season.

Design
One detail Barnes & Noble stressed during our meeting is how light each tablet is. The 7-inch Nook HD weighs only 0.69 pound, making it one of the lightest (if not the lightest) tablets around. The Nook HD+, with its 9-inch screen, hits 1.13 pounds. By comparison, the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD weighs 0.88 pound and the 2012 iPad comes in at a comparatively hefty 1.48 pounds. However, at 1.25 pounds, the upcoming 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD is a lot closer in weight.

The Fire HD's 5.4-inch spread is a bit too wide for a 7-inch-screen tablet and I felt the Nexus 7, at 4.7 inches, had a much more ideal width and felt more comfortable to hold as a result. The Nook HD is, thankfully, not as wide as the Fire HD, but at 5 inches wide it's not as narrow as the Nexus 7. Still, the Nook HD felt extremely light in my hands and its width wasn't a problem during my demo time.

Specs and more
Tablet screens are the most important and likely one of the more expensive components of a tablet. Barnes & Noble obviously realizes this and did not skimp. Each Nook HD tablet sports high resolutions with a high pixel-per-in (ppi) count. The Nook HD's 1,440x900-pixel resolution with its 243 ppi is the highest yet of any 7-inch tablet screen, higher than even the Kindle Fire HD's 1,280x800-pixel resolution. The 9-inch Nook HD+ houses a 1,920x1280 display and sports a 256ppi; slightly better than the Kindle Fire HD 8.9's 1,920x1,200 screen and 254ppi. The Nook's IPS display uses a bonding process similar to the one used in the Kindle Fire HD's screen and will purportedly decrease glare and allow for wider viewing angles. From my brief inspection, the Nook HD's viewing angle did at least seem on a par with the Fire HD's.

A new OS brings new features
The Nook HD's operating system uses Ice Cream Sandwich as its base, with a custom-designed skin that feels like an evolution of the original Nook Tablet's OS. The home screen shows Library, Apps, Web, and Shop options near the bottom with a search bar underneath. The top portion of the screen is taken up by app shortcuts. Also, if the opt-out-of-ads debacle for the Fire HD turned you off, you'll be pleased to know that Barnes & Noble has no such ads on its tablets.

The Nook app store is still heavily curated and won't offer the breadth of content found in the Google Play store, but according to Barnes & Noble offers a lot more apps than it did last year.

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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Top 5 Best Apps for the New iPhone 5 Running iOS 6


Excited Apple fans have been downloading the new version of the iOS operating system and standing in line to snag the iPhone 5. But once you get that spiffy new software or shiny new device home, you’ll need apps to put on it. Developers are still scrambling to optimize a lot of the best the platform has to offer for iOS 6 and the iPhone 5, but a few great apps already have new aspect ratios to fit the iPhone’s bigger screen and to take advantage of all the new features.


We’ve compiled a list of optimized new apps that you’ll want to either grab or update as soon as you can to get the most out of iOS 6 and the iPhone 5. Some take advantage of the new capabilities of your new device and software, and others will shore up holes in your iPhone’s features now that Apple has changed some things around.

Quick, get YouTube back

Up first is a fairly simple app you might have taken for granted in the past: YouTube. Apple no longer makes YouTube a default app in iOS 6. It makes sense, since YouTube is owned by Google. So the familiar video app is no longer added to your home screen when you fire up your iPhone out of the box, and you’ll have to grab it on your own.

Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to fix. YouTube is free in the iTunes App Store, so you can snag it and start streaming video content right away. As for video sharing, the option to send to YouTube is still available, if slightly hidden. Look for the old YouTube TV icon when you pull up your sharing options to locate it.

Optimized Facebook

One of the big new features of iOS 6 is that Facebook is built into the operating system at a much deeper level than it ever has been before – much the way that Twitter integration was added to the software with iOS 5. But while you’ll have more access to Facebook sharing than you’ve had in the past, you’ll still need the Facebook app to access the social network’s many features.

Fortunately, Facebook is among the apps that has already seen optimization for both iOS 6 and iPhone 5. The developers at the social network have adjusted the app to take advantage of the iPhone 5’s larger screen, and the app is now better at displaying images and brings you notification updates much more quickly. Visually, you’ll have a better experience with Facebook than you’ve had in the past, and the app should take advantage of the iPhone 5’s better processing speed and faster 4G LTE connection capabilities, too.

iPhoto, iMovie and Garage Band

Apple’s awesome flagship apps, iPhoto, iMovie and Garage Band, were rolled out last year to show off the power of the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S, but they’ve all been optimized to take advantage of the new iPhone 5. First up, all of them are ready for the 4-inch screen the iPhone 5 brings to the table, meaning when you use iPhoto to alter images, iMovie to string video clips together, or Garage Band to arrange different tracks into a song, you’ll have the full visual area with which to work. That should mean more detail and should make it easier to achieve what you want.

The apps each have a few different capabilities to go with their updates as well. For iPhoto, the iPhone 5 provides a brand-new, amped-up camera to work with, and Apple has responded by making the app capable of handling 36.5-megapixel images – the ones the iPhone 5 is capable of producing. The app also has a laundry list of new features and fixes to go with its first big update.

For iMovie, the additions are smaller, with a few new features thrown in. In terms of leveraging new hardware and software, the most notable addition is probably the capability of shipping 1080p HD video off to YouTube, CNN iReport, Vimeo and Facebook. Couple that with the 4G capabilities of the iPhone 5 and you’ll be able to upload more videos of higher quality to the Internet, and thus create cooler stuff.

Finally, GarageBand adds a few new features, and one specifically compatible with iOS 6: the ability to create custom ringtones. Using the music-editing software, you can actually make your own ringtones and notification alert sounds from the ground up, customizing them perfectly to you by actually editing the song you want to hear.

Gaming to go: Order & Chaos Online and Horn

Just about all the internal hardware of the iPhone 5 has been upgraded and improved, and that improves the display and graphical capabilities of the device, as well as its processing speed. All that translates to a better gaming experience, with slicker visuals and faster competition. Apple demoed Electronic Arts’ Real Racing 3 when it announced the iPhone 5, which will undoubtedly be both beautiful and great for online gaming. But since it’s not out yet, maybe try a little sword and sorcery instead with Gameloft’s Order & Chaos Online.

Gameloft is currently working to make all its games compatible with the iPhone 5’s new aspect ratio, and it has a few games on the docket that are already ready to go. The World of Warcraft-style massively multiplayer online game stands out because it’ll take advantage not only of the new display and faster processing speeds, but also of the iPhone 5’s better network capabilities. A 4G LTE connection and an enhanced Wi-Fi radio means that you’ll get a faster, better experience when you play online – and that’s what Order & Chaos is all about.

Phosphor Games’ recently released Horn is also ready for the iPhone 5 era, with the new aspect ratio already built into the game. Horn is absolutely gorgeous already, and pushes the capabilities of Apple’s iOS devices, so players who enter its fantasy world from the latest iPhone will get the best experience with the sharpest, smoothest graphics yet available for the game. There are a bunch of other fixes that have been introduced in the game’s latest update as well, and it’s currently on sale for about half the usual price.

Snap some photos, shoot some video

The iPhone 5 includes a better camera than any iOS device has yet offered, and iOS 6 adds in new capabilities to Apple’s Photo Stream software, which allows users to share images with friends and family without having to share them with everyone on the Internet. You’re going to want to shoot a lot of photos with all the new capabilities of your device.

Unfortunately, while the iPhone’s built-in camera app isn’t bad, it’s certainly not as robust as a lot of the great camera apps in the App Store. Among the best is Camera Awesome, which packs a ton of additional features and filters for your iOS camera. The app hasn’t yet been optimized for the iPhone 5’s screen or for iOS 6, but it still gives you a whole lot of additional options for creating images like effects and filters, editing, and a video camera feature that actually starts recording before you hit the “record” button, so you never miss the action you’re attempting to capture. Until another camera app gets a big iOS 6 update, Camera Awesome is among your best bets.

The iPhone 5 and iOS 6 pack a ton more new features, however, so it’s worth it to explore both your device’s new capabilities and the apps that might compliment them. We’ve listed just a few of the basics here, but as more apps get optimized for Apple’s new hardware and software, the capabilities of iOS devices are going to continue to open up wide.

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Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" Embarks on Samsung Galaxy Nexus

After months of waiting, Verizon owners of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus are finally getting a taste of Android 4.1 (AKA Jelly Bean), as the carrier has announced an over-the-air system software update is rolling out now to the smartphone, bringing an array of new treats with it.



The 146.6 MB update will be a vast improvement over the phone's current Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) interface, with new features including the intuitive voice search service Google Now, bringing Android users a more developed Google rendition of Apple's voice control system, Siri.

Galaxy Nexus owners can get the upgrade by going to Settings > About Phone > System Updates and checking for a new update, though be sure the handset has at least 75 percent battery charge before beginning the process.

More Treats from Jelly Bean

So what are the highlights of Google's latest operating system? The Internet giant packs the smart in smartphone with a string of perceptive features, such as a new keyboard that guesses the next word the user means to type, as well as an improved voice dictation service that is better at recognizing speech.

Expanded notifications that can reveal additional information or links to respond to calls, text messages and calendar notifications makes the interface user friendly, while an advanced Face Unlock requires a "Liveness check" where users simply blink to access their phone.

Verizon is a little late to the party, as the GSM version of Sammy's Galaxy Nexus received an update to Android 4.1 soon after Google announced the new system three months ago. Sprint recently upgraded its iteration of the smartphone to Jelly Bean, leaving Verizon customers with Ice Cream Sandwich, until now.

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Wednesday, September 19, 2012

New YouTube App for iPhone Right Before the Release of iOS 6


Google decided to not wait until the release of iOS 6 to introduce a stand-alone YouTube app for the iPhone. It's available now.



When the first iPhone was introduced, Apple and Google were united in competition with Microsoft. That's why some of the standard features of the iOS were tied to Google services.

Five years later, these two are bitter rivals, with Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS battling for the top spot in the smartphone, and Microsoft trailing well behind. Apple is now pulling the ties to it's chief rival's services out of its operating system.

As a result, iOS 6 won't come with the YouTube app that has been bundled with its device since iOS 1. This means that Google had to release its own, which it has now done.

There is at least one advantage to this: the stand-alone app can display more videos because it supports in-video ads. Also, Google will be able to update this software at any time, not just when new versions of the iOS are released.

This app is free and can be found in the iTunes App Store. It currently fully supports only the iPhone. iPad users will have to wait for full support.

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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note X Forecast: 6.3-inch Display Screen


The Galaxy Note 2 has been just announced and it's yet to hit stores anywhere in the world, so it's definitely too early to think about next year’s Samsung tablet, a future Galaxy Note 3 that the Android maker will surely unveil at some point in the future.


But Concept Phones has an interesting Galaxy Note X mockup – an even bigger phablet, when it comes to screen size – which may as well be a rumor starting point for future Galaxy Note versions.

Created by Erica Yusim, the Galaxy Note X does share several design elements with the current Galaxy Note 2, but sports a much bigger edge-to-edge 6.3-inch display. In addition to images, we also have a list of potential specs and features for such a device – although, again, it’s way too early in the game to dream about the Galaxy Note X.

Here's what Yusim proposes when designing the Galaxy Note 2:

• 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display with 1080 x 1920 Full HD resolution

• Size: 161.9 x 84.9 x 8.9

• Weight: 220g

• 2.0GHz quad core Cortex-A15 processor

• 3GB of RAM

• 32/64/128GB memory

• 16-meagpixel camera with Auto Focus, LED Flash and BSI

• 3-megapixel front-facing camera with BSI, Best Photo, Best Faces, Low light shot

• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Wi-Fhi Direct

• Bluetooth 5.0

• USB 3.0 Host

• mHL

• NFC

• A-GPS, Glonass support

• 4,000mAh battery

• Android 5.0

Sure, everything looks great and all on paper, but one does have to wonder when we'll stop asking for more when it comes to smartphone screen size or internal components. Would such a device get made in the following year, especially considering that at 6.3 inches the Galaxy Note X would compete directly with 7-inch budget tablets? Considering those internal components, the Galaxy Note X would hardly qualify as a budget device.

You may also want to know how to download YouTube video to Galaxy Note.

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Thursday, September 13, 2012

More than iPhone 5: iPod Nano 7 & iPod Touch 5


Apple holds a big deal in Yerba Buena Theater: the official release of new generation iPhone 5, along with the new iPod Nano 7 as well as iPod Touch 5 music players.
 


The latest iPod Nano seems a little bit longer than the previous edition, with 2.5-inch screen, 5.4mm in thickness, 38% thinner than Nano 6. Multi-touch feature is supported, home button is included, 7 colors for options, and supports Bluetooth technology.

The newest iPod Touch 5 is with 6.1mm thickness, 88g weight, which is said to be the lightest and thinnest Touch product. New iPod Touch 5 adopts A5 dual-core processor, and the CPU performance is 2X faster than the previous generation. It is equipped with 5-million-pixel camera supporting auto focus and facial recognition function. HD Facetime and Bluetooth 4.0 technology are covered. Battery endurance ability is boosted as well: up to 40-hour music playing and 8-hour video playing. Siri is supported by the brand-new iPod Touch. There are 5 colors for users' preference: white, black, blue, yellow and red.

The price of these new products will be as follows: $49 for iPod Shuffle, $149 for iPod Nano, $199 for iPod Touch 5 16GB, and $299 for iPod Touch 5 32GB.

Apple claims that up to 350 million iPod music players have been sold so far, and up to 26 million music files are included in iTunes. The new version iTunes will be available in October.

 
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

T-Mobile Introduces Samsung Galaxy Relay 4G on September 19


More details emerged today about T-Mobile's Samsung Galaxy Relay 4G Android 4.0 slider phone, specifically that the Relay will be available on September 19 for $149.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate card, and with a new two-year service agreement.



The successor to the Galaxy S Blaze 4G will feature Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 4-inch super AMOLED display, a 5-megapixel camera, and a 1.3-megapixel front-camera. It runs off a 1.5-GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It has 8GB of onboard storage, and takes up to 32GB in external memory.

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HTC WP8 Smartphones: HTC 8X, HTC 8S, HTC 8V


Without doubt, 2012 is the year for Windows Phone 8. Right after a series of new WP8 smartphones released by Samsung and Nokia, as one of the WP8 terminal manufacturers, HTC has to take actions now. According to relevant news, three new phone models running on WP8 system will be launched by HTC on September 19, 2012. The three handsets HTC is going to release are the long-rumored Zenith, Accord and Rio. Based on the naming rule of HTC One series, they will be named as HTC 8X, HTC 8S and HTC 8V.
 

Zenith, Accord and Rio are positioned as high, medium and low level respectively. HTC Zenith is equipped with 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 dual-core processor, 4.7-inch 720p touch screen (Super LCD2), 8-million-pixel camera and HSPA+ with up to 42Mbps downstream speed support. HTC Accord adopts 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 dual-core processor, 4.3-inch 720p screen, 8-million-pixel camera and supports NFC function. When being compared with the other two phone models, HTC Rio focuses on low-end market, employing 4-inch WVGA touch screen, providing 5-million-pixel camera and is with 512MB RAM.

 
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Monday, September 10, 2012

VEVO New iPad App Includes Personalized Playlists, Social Sharing & Continuous Playback


Earlier this year, VEVO unveiled a huge new redesign, adding continusous playback and social features designed to get more people engaged when watching its music videos. And while it made that experience available on its website and on its Xbox Live app, there was one device clearly missing — the iPad. Well, it just released an updated version of its iPad app, making a lot of the same features available, as well as a few more that have not yet made it to other platforms.


The first thing that you’ll notice when you open the app is a rotating carousel of featured artists that, when clicked, brings you directly to videos by those artists.

The iPad app, like other apps from VEVO, is focused on increasing viewership time. As a result, it defaults to a continuous playlist of videos. Once one is finished, users will automatically start watching another. After an initial pre-roll ad, the app inserts additional ads after every three or four music videos, according to Cerda.

The iPad app also pulls in a lot of social features that came online with the spring relaunch of the website. That includes Facebook Connect and Open Graph integration — letting users import their “likes” and get personalized playlists based on those artists. They’ll also be able to see what music videos their friends on the social network are watching, and share out what they’re watching with others. Users can also import their iTunes libraries to get playlists based on the music that they already own.

But a lot of what makes the new iPad app cool is stuff that wasn’t in the homepage redesign. One area of improvement was adding the ability to add and customize playlists, which was a bit constrained in the initial release. VEVO has also done a good job of building out artist profiles, which show biographical information on the musicians that viewers want to watch, while also providing a list of videos, tweets, and tour dates. The app also collapses a lot of the menu options that appear on the website into a more manageable navigation flow. The biggest feature, though, might be AirPlay integration, which allows users to instantly stream continuous playlists of music videos to their TVs through Apple TV.

A lot of the new iPad-specific features — like the condensed menu, artist profiles, and better playlist management — will eventually make their way back to other VEVO products, like the homepage or mobile web site.

VEVO product is mostly be divided into front-end and back-end teams, with one in charge of user experience and the other making sure the plumbing works. But product work is still split between developers in New York, and those who recently joined or agreed to ship themselves out to the West Coast. In fact, the teams have a dedicated video hangout setup so that its developers can ask or answer questions of each other from across the country.

While the iPad app is one recent innovation for VEVO, it’s not the only one. The company is looking for new ways to reach consumers wherever they are — whether that means making embedding videos available in users’ Twitter streams (which is available now) or streaming directly within Facebook wall posts (which could be coming soon). Look for more updates as time goes on!

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