[Download] Adobe Flash Player 10.3 Beta

Flash-logo

Adobe has just released the Adobe Flash Player 10.3 Beta with the addition of few features that have been sought for long time by users. Flash 10.3 beta is coming with settings related to changing your privacy, flash storage etc. The new version also brings the native integration of Flash native control panel with that of Mac’s System Preferences and Control Panel in Windows 7. Until now users had no option to delete their flash storage (also known as flash cookies) data using their browser. They had to either visit Adobe online Settings Manager or use some third party software.

Adobe Flash Website Privacy Settings Panel

But starting from Flash Player 10.3, users can access the Flash local storage within their web browser (It’ll be first available for Firefox 4 users followed by IE8 and finally to Safari and Chrome users).

Adobe Flash Local Storage Settings

Another new feature that is bundled with Flash Player 10.3 is the introduction of Native Control Panel for Windows, Mac and Linux. You can find the Flash Player settings right from the Control Panel in Windows 7 or System Preferences in Mac OS X (search for “flash” for the settings) :

 

Flash Player control panel

Other improvements include auto-update notification for Mac OS, “Acoustic Echo Cancellation” for developers to improve communication in Flash Player.

I can’t see all the new features listed in the release notes being implemented in most of the browsers as now. But we can expect Adobe to roll out them very soon. If you are using Flash Player 10.2 or earlier versions, you can now download the Adobe Flash Player 10.3 beta from the following direct links:

Direct Download Links:

Active-x for Internet Explorer in Windows (3 MB)

Plug-in for other browsers (2.9 MB)

Plug-in for Mac OS X (6.1 MB)

Plug-in for Linux (5.3 MB)

 

You might also want to learn how to install these beta versions of Adobe Flash Player in Google Chrome by reading: Make Google Chrome to Use Flash Player 10.2 (works well for 10.3 as well).

Why Do Adobe Reader Need So Many Updates? – An Open Question To Adobe

Adobe-Reader-Updater

I am writing this post as an open question to Adobe. Well my questions is “Why do Adobe Reader need so many updates?”.

Today morning, I was in a hurry to book an online ticket. So, I just started my computer in a hurry. Well I expected it to start quickly, but the first Window I saw is what the image above. I thought of canceling  the update and click cancel. But by mistake, I clicked Install and there it goes. After the updation process, it restarted my PC. Quite a frustration for me in such a hurry.

I would not have freaked out so much if it was once a lifetime update but it is not. If I remember correctly, I had updated my Adobe Reader few weeks back.

I can understand why something like adobe flash player might need a few updates, but what I cannot understand is why would a PDF file reader need so many? Do the way of reading simple PDF files gets changed so many times? And why would a PDF reader update need a system restart? Well if my OS is updating then it is quite normal, but a restart for my reader update?

Well I am not the only one asking this question, I am sure that most of the users feel the same and I myself have seen such questions in many computer forums.

adobe-logo

I think we need some kind of real good explanation from Adobe regarding the frequent updates. They should be reminded that there are other good PDF readers around for free.

This is just a plain simple question from an end user of Adobe Reader, unaware of the internal functionality of the product. Hope Adobe can keep up to bring light to us.

[Download] Adobe Flash Player 10.2 With Hardware Acceleration

Adobe Flash Logo

Adobe has released the final version of Adobe Flash Player 10.2, which has been in beta since December last year. Adobe Flash Player 10.2 for Windows, Mac, and Linux has some new cool features and many feature enhancements. The new release is 34 times more efficient than its predecessor.

New features in Flash Player 10.2 include:

  • Stage Video hardware acceleration
  • IE 9 hardware accelerated rendering support
  • Native custom mouse cursors
  • Support for full screen mode with multiple monitors
  • Sub-pixel text rendering

The ones that standout among the rest are the “Stage Video” hardware acceleration and the support for full screen mode while using multiple monitors. The Stage Video hardware acceleration speeds up the video delivery process while watching videos on webpages. According to Adobe, Stage Video hardware acceleration can play most online HD videos with just 1-15% of CPU usage on a MAC or Windows PC. Adobe has also recommended users to watch a suggested 1080p HD video to experience the new video performance enhancements after installing the new 10.2 version of Flash. Flash Player 10.2 allows you to work on your primary computer while watching content in full-screen mode in the secondary monitor.

Download Adobe Flash Player 10.2:

Download the Adobe Flash Player 10.2 from the below direct download links for your MAC, Windows or Linux computer. It’s highly recommended that you uninstall the previous version of the Adobe Flash Player before going ahead with installing 10.2.

Windows (2.7 MB – Windows 7 / Vista / XP / 2008 / 2003)

Mac (5.5 MB – Mac OS X 10.4 – 10.6) Update: Link expired

Linux (4.74 MB )

If you are on Google Chrome, read our guide on how to force Chrome to use Flash Player 10.2 (based on 10.2 beta version, but still works!)

[Download] Adobe Reader X Offline Installer

Adobe Reader X

PDF file format is fast becoming ubiquitous now and so is the Adobe Reader, the ultimate PDF document reader. Adobe has recently released Adobe Reader X, the tenth version (why roman number?) of their popular PDF reading software. The latest version of the Adobe Reader is touted as a more secure version of the software. There are host of new features added to the new version of the reader. Some of the prominent new features include sticky notes, highlighter tools for sharing ideas and comments on the documents. Add in addition, Adobe has now made it easier to view other types of content like drawings, email messages, spread sheets, video etc. And when it comes to security, Adobe Reader X comes with protected mode (ensures safer viewing of PDF files) enabled by default.  So the users no longer need to worry about the document security.

Adobe Reader X (version 10.0) is now available for download in a total of 13 languages for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android platforms.

Download:

# Online Installer [Using Adobe Download Manager]

# Offline Installers: [US- English]

Windows [35.08 MB]

Mac [68.96 MB]