If free Android phones on every US carrier weren't enough to entice you into a Best Buy Mobile store this month, maybe a deeply discounted Droid Pro will be. Motorola's Android 2.2 handset, which launched at $179.99 with the usual two-year Verizon tie-in, is now available for purchase for exactly $130 less at Best Buy's mobile outlets -- both the online and brick-and-mortar varieties will let you walk away with one for $49.99 and a 24-month commitment. We don't know where all these crazy deals are coming from, but we ain't complaining.
Two acquisitions in as many days? Say it ain't so! Prior to even unboxing Phonetic Arts, Google has now snapped up Seattle-based Widevine. Truth be told, you're probably taking advantage of the company's technology without even being aware of it -- it's used in over 250 million web connected HDTVs and streamers around the globe, and it's primarily designed to thwart piracy attempts while enabling consumers to enjoy content on a wider array of devices. As these things tend to do, neither outfit is talking prices, but it's fairly obvious why El Goog would want a firm like this in its portfolio. Moreover, it's borderline comical that Viacom's pushing an appeal in order to pit Google as an anti-studio, pro-piracy monster while it's spending hard-earned cash on a DRM layer. At any rate, Google's not getting into specific plans just yet, only stating its intentions to maintain Widevine's agreements, provide support for existing and future clients as well as "building upon [the technology] to enhance both Widevine's products and its own."
Razorfish is a little marketing company that has done some impressive things on Microsoft's Surface, things you may or may not have seen because that particular brand of pedestal hasn't exactly become a threat to the global dumbtable market. One of Razorfish's cool things is a so-called Surface Physics Illustrator called DaVinci, which lets a user doodle on the screen and turn those doodles into balls, boxes, levers, and fulcrums. Now that code has effectively ported that code over to Kinect, as you can see in the video below, letting you do the same sort of things but with thine own two hands floating in mid-air. You can cause shapes to levitate, create gravity between them, make things orbit, even enable magnetism that alternately pulls and hurls your little doodles across the screen. The company is said to be continuing to refine the experience and maybe, if you all ask nice, they'll even release the app when they're through so you can try it for yourself.
Despite the legal hoopla related to its DVD ripping practices, Kaleidescape is still releasing high-end media servers designed to save the rich (and now their spawn) from the hassle of opening a movie box. The Cinema One is its latest and most affordable creation to date, but still costs a hefty $4,999. For the most part, the server is just a cheaper replacement to 2009's Mini System, that can store up to 225 DVDs or 2,500 CDs for instant access. It also sports the same hassle-free setup, but adds a new wrinkle in the form of kid-friendly features. Specifically, a junior remote is included in addition to the standard version, which triggers a simplified system UI anytime it's used. While we're all for toddlers being able to watch their favorite content too, at this price we'd have rather seen support for Blu-rays and dare we say Netflix streaming. Then again, we aren't in the best position to judge the value of a digital babysitter. For more shots of the kiddo UI and remote check out the gallery below, otherwise read the full PR after the break.
Kaleidescape Announces Cinema One, an Out-of-the-Box DVD Movie Server, Priced Below $5,000 MSRP in the United States and Canada
Company Targets Broader Market, Provides Features Designed for Young Children
SUNNYVALE, CA - December 2, 2010 - Kaleidescape, Inc., creator of the movie server product category, today announced the availability of Cinema One, an out-of-the-box DVD movie server that provides hassle-free, instant viewing and management of an entire movie collection. As the company's first system priced below $5,000 US MSRP, Cinema One brings the award-winning Kaleidescape experience to a broader set of customers. It also meets the needs of young children by automatically switching to a simplified user interface when the Child Remote is used.
"Our dealers and customers have been asking for a simple-to-install Kaleidescape System," said Michael Malcolm, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Kaleidescape. "The Cinema One makes it possible for many more customers to enjoy the richness of the Kaleidescape experience."
"The Cinema One is the perfect system for families because DVDs offer the broadest selection of children's content," said Leonard Bellezza, President of Lyric HiFi & Video, a leading high-end audio video custom integrator in New York City for over 51 years. "With the Child Remote, even a toddler can find his own programs, and when he presses play, it starts instantly without trailers, advertisements, and menus."
Offered at $4,995 US MSRP, Cinema One is a single component movie server capable of storing 225 DVDS or 2,500 CDs - yet installs as easily as an ordinary DVD player. Cinema One is based on and replaces the Kaleidescape Mini System, and is ideal for the retail market because it eliminates the need for storage configuration.
Key Benefits
* Instant Viewing - Press play and any movie, concert, or television episode starts instantly, without the frustration of having to physically locate the disc, navigate confusing menus, or sit through advertisements. Easily browse and sort an entire collection by title, actor, director, genre, year-of-release, or running time.
* Kid Friendly - Even toddlers can find and play their own movies, and parents have complete control over available content.
* Simple Installation - Installs easily by connecting power, the Internet, and a television display. With the included Kaleidescape Remote and Child Remote, Cinema One is ready for immediate use.
* Independent Music Zones - Includes two independent music zones, enabling a movie to be watched in one room while music is enjoyed in other parts of the home.
* Effortless Expansion - For more storage or to share movies with another TV, simply add another Cinema One or a Kaleidescape player to the home network. In fact, any Kaleidescape component works seamlessly with the Cinema One.
About Kaleidescape Kaleidescape designs and manufactures the world's leading movie servers, bringing lifestyle convenience to families with young children and movie enthusiasts. The Kaleidescape System, renowned for its intuitive user interface, presents your entire collection of movies on any TV in your home, and provides a rich, cinematic experience for the entire family. Kaleidescape's innovative products and services are protected by over 50 patents issued and pending. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Kaleidescape sells its movie servers through custom installation dealers and distributors throughout the world. For more information, please visit www.kaleidescape.com.
Art Basel down in Miami has been the go-to place to see the best and brightest in design this past week, with Troika's 'Falling Light' installation falling squarely into the latter category. This mechanical LED sculpture needed a room to itself, as it hosts 50 ceiling-suspended devices with each incorporating a custom cut Swarovski crystal optical lens, a computer programmed motor and a white LED. As you can see in the video down below, the white metal armatures rise in syncopation by rotating cam before gravity releases them earthward, which then activates the LED to move closer to the crystal lens. Through the magic of diffraction, you end up with a rainbow effect being flung to the floor, creating a perfect environment for... let's say, a rave. Or, you know, your next bedroom.
File this one under industry-changing mergers that never were -- Bloomberg is reporting that Seagate rejected a takeover bid from rival Western Digital in October, which would have created a hard drive company to dwarf all others. According to "two people with knowledge of the matter," Western Digital was willing to offer as much as ten to fifty percent more than a competing takeover proposal from TPG Capital, which had already put more than $7.5 billion on the table for Seagate. As you might expect, however, the sheer size of the merger was apparently largely responsible for its refusal. Not only would it have created a huge amount of product overlap and likely led to numerous management departures, but it would have almost certainly faced some pretty significant antitrust obstacles. Of course, neither company is actually commenting on the matter itself and, for the time being at least, it looks like Seagate is content with going it alone.
GT5 is finally, finally out, but amazingly it seems to have beaten its official steering wheel to market. For a long time Logitech has maintained the honor of building the wheel that carried Gran Turismo branding, and indeed its Driving Force GT is still the first wheel in the GT5 options. But, Thrustmaster seems to have secured the license for the franchise now and is building a wheel called the T500RS which, if you go Thrustmaster.com, you can get a quick peek of -- or you can just look at the screengrab above. The wheel promises unrivaled accuracy and what looks to be the same sort of magnetic sensor technology used in the company's overwhelmingly beefy HOTAS Warthog controller. Rumors say it'll carry a similar price, too, a whopping $500 MSRP without the optional H-pattern shifter and, though our attempts to confirm anything were shooed away like so many fruitflies, we've been promised more info to come at CES.
Some recent attempts at a modern boombox may have been less than faithful to the original incarnation, but TDK looks to at least have its heart in the right place with its simply-named "Three-Speaker Boombox." Set for an official debut at CES in January, the $499 device boasts a streamlined design compared to the 1980s-era originals, but it's still unmistakably a boombox and, according to Crave's early hands-on, it pumps out a surprising amount of sound from its 35 watt RMS speakers. You'll also get a full range of audio inputs (including iPhone / iPod support via USB, rather than a dedicated dock), a built-in AM / FM radio, an OLED display on the front and, perhaps best of all, some oversized aluminum knobs. Needless to say, we'll be keeping our eyes out for this one at CES.
Look, we don't know what the Air Force sent the unmanned X-37B into space for, or why they didn't offer us a ride, but we're pretty sure whatever it was it was awesome. The spaceplane is now back on solid ground, and apparently it completed all of its orbital objectives during its seven month trip, which were supposedly mostly diagnostic self-tests. According to The Man, anyway. Still, we could swear we spotted some laser blast holes and a self-satisfied, Tom Cruisian smirk on the X-37B when it thought nobody was looking, which confirms all of our worst suspicions: there is extraterrestrial life, and it's totally badass, and only highly trained space fighter jockeys can save us.
We've already heard that the Federal Trade Commission is pushing for a "do not track" button of sorts to stop cookies from watching your every move, but it looks like it isn't stopping at the usual, non-edible definiton of a "cookie." Speaking at a press conference on Friday, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz also dropped the rather interesting tidbit that it's been talking with Adobe about what it describes as "the Flash problem." As Paid Content reports, newly-appointed FTC Chief Technologist Ed Felten later clarified that the problem in question is actually so-called "Flash cookies," or what Adobe describes as "local shared objects." As Felten explained, those can also be used for tracking purposes, but they usually aren't affected by the privacy controls in web browsers -- Chrome is one notable exception. For it's part, Adobe says that Flash's local shared objects were never designed for tracking purposes, and that it has repeatedly condemned such practices -- the company also added that it would support "any industry initiative to foster clear, meaningful and persistent choice regarding online tracking."
You know those voice minutes you've been coaxed into buying for, like, ever? Now would be an awesome time to bid 'em adieu. Out of nowhere, Viber has swooped in to crush the dreams of Skype and every other VoIP provider out there, and if these guys can reach critical mass, avid iPhone users will certainly be able to buy a mobile plan with fewer minutes. It works as such: install the free app on your iPhone, provide just your phone number (no "registration" is necessary) and then fire it up. Viber uses your existing contact and favorites list, and you can make Viber or standard voice calls from within the app; naturally, a Viber logo pops up beside any contact who is also a user, making it easy to see who you can VoIP call for free. As our brethren over at TUAW point out, there's simply no catch to be found -- well, except for those of you counting your kilobytes on AT&T's newer, metered data plans. Call quality was said to be excellent over 3G and WiFi, and potentially best of all, gratis SMS and an Android version are both on the way. Head on past the break if you need any additional convincing, and tap that iTunes link to get your download on. So, AT&T, what's the value proposition on those "rollover minutes" again?
This iPhone app lets you call family and friends for free no matter where they are in the world.
New York City, NY – December 2, 2010 – Forget "using up minutes" and paying for long-distance calls. Thanks to the worldwide launch of Viber, you can now call anyone in the world for free!
Viber uses the latest in VoIP technology to offer completely free calling with superior sound quality. Better yet, you can dial phone numbers directly without having to register a username or add friends to a contact list! Once you and your friends have the app installed, you can call each other for free directly from your 3G- or Wi-Fi-enabled phones. Click here to watch Viber's promo video.
Despite debuting with a limited "friends and family test" on the Israeli App Store on November 10, Viber took only 16 days to become the most-downloaded app in Israel. Out of 400,000 iPhones in Israel, 6,000 people are downloading it to their iPhones each day, Viber is now the #1 app in the Israeli App Store with a four out of five stars rating.
Viber is totally free to download and has no hidden costs, in-app purchases or in-app ads. It's fully compatible with iOS 3.X and 4.X on the iPhone – partially supported by the iPad and iPod Touch – and is coming soon to Android, Blackberry and Symbian operating systems.
Unlike other popular VoIP apps, Viber isn't a battery hog; you can leave the app running all day without it draining your battery or heating up your iPhone. It also offers Bluetooth support so you can switch in and out of Bluetooth at any time with your headset. And to top it all off, upcoming features include free text messaging, custom ringtones, wallpapers and location-based services.
Breaking the VoIP Barrier
Thanks to the massive growth of smartphones with wireless connectivity, Viber is poised to revolutionize the way we make mobile calls. People can save bundles of money by migrating from expensive voice/data/text plans to cheap data-only plans, while still enjoying the mobility and versatility of their mobile devices.
Viber overcomes the biggest barrier to using VoIP on your mobile device – it's modeled after an actual phone rather than an instant messaging client. With Viber you can call ordinary numbers just like you would with a regular phone... the calls just happen to be free! Furthermore, a Viber icon indicates which of your contacts also have Viber, so you'll know whom you can call for free. Watch this video to see how Viber works.
Since there's no need to register, build a friends list and keep the app open to use it, you can even make free calls to people who aren't on your contact list. This means businesses can advertise themselves as having a "global toll-free number," letting their clients know "it's a free call with Viber".
No other app offers this game-changing combination of simplicity, versatility and totally free service between mobile phones. Simply, Viber is the most useful VoIP app to date.
Be among the first to download Viber from the Apple App Store – the sooner you tell your friends and family about it, the sooner you can start calling them for free! You can also find out about Viber updates on Facebook and Twitter.
About Viber Media
Viber Media was founded in 2010 by the same people who started iMesh, the world's longest-standing P2P client and the first to offer authorized file-sharing. Viber Media is now taking the digital revolution one step further by offering a free mobile VoIP service.
Samsung may have missed its promised September (and November) ship dates for Froyo on the Galaxy S range, but at this point, we're just pleased to see any progress at all. Sprint's Epic 4G has just become the first US Galaxy S phone to nab an official Android 2.2 (v2.2.1, in fact) build, with the requisite files populating Google's servers this evening. If you'll recall, a near-final build actually leaked out around three weeks ago, but the DK28 version making the rounds at xda-developers looks to be the real deal. Head on over to get your update going, and be sure to let us know how everything turns out in comments below.
It's hardly a surprise that there's a cadre of individuals who aren't too fond of Google's seemingly omnipresent Street View fleet, but the ending of this dispute is downright absurd. Back in 2008, Aaron and Christine Boring were looking for a little excitement, and decided to find it in a courtroom; the duo sued Google for trespassing on their property while collecting photographs for Street View. According to them, Google's Street View car ignored the "No Trespassing" sign planted out front, and while they noted that that would've accepted a simple apology letter, they had no qualms pushing for damages when that wish fell upon deaf ears. The payout? A single dollar. Let's repeat that: 100 pennies. A buck. Barely enough to buy a Whopper Jr. in Portland, and definitely not enough to do so across the way in Vancouver. We suspect both parties are eager to put the whole mess behind 'em, but if you've been looking for a story to prove that America actually isn't as aimlessly litigious as the world thinks they are... well, this one ain't it.
Compared to last month's report, it's more or less business as usual in ComScore's latest smartphone market share numbers for the three-month period ending in October, but there are a few interesting points worth calling out. Most notably, RIM's decline seems to have accelerated -- they've lost a claimed 3.5 percent of the US market in the latest period compared to 2.8 percent prior, which means they're now down to 35.8 percent. Of course, that's still more than enough to keep them comfortably in first place, but it's a situation they're going to want to reverse sooner or later -- hopefully with TAT's help. Meanwhile, Apple's tacked on a slightly larger slice of the pie, but they're still holding fairly steady; Google, meanwhile, continues its stratospheric rise, tacking on another 2.1 percent since last month's numbers to hit 23.5 percent -- nipping on Apple's heels, we'd say. The most intriguing story, though, would have to be Microsoft: they're lower than before at just 9.7 percent of the market, but these figures don't include Windows Phone 7 yet -- and clearly, no one's buying WinMo 6.5 gear at this point. Should start to get interesting in the next month or two on that front.
Even for a renowned outlet like Art Lebedev Studios, it's hard to get quirky, design-centric products out in a commercialized, race-to-the-bottom world. Far too often, dreams die at the production line, and some of the best designed gear in the world stalls on the drawing board. Somehow or another, Sherwood Forlee and Mihoko Ouchi have managed to overcome the traditional production limitations and bring this particular fantasy to life. If you'll recall, we heard about The.'s Speak-er back in January of this year, and while we knew plans were in place to start shipping 'em to end-users before the dawn of 2011, we maintained a healthy level of skepticism -- there's nothing quite as heart-wrenching as having your bubble burst after ratcheting your hopes up too high, you know? Today, we're thrilled to say that the Speak-er is now shipping to those with $99.95 to spare, and if you care to hear what we think about the most awesome set of desk speakers this planet has ever known, head right on past the break.
For all intents and purposes, the Speak-er set is a rather elementary pair of desk speakers. There's a volume knob on the rear, an AC power input, and a 3.5mm audio input. This enables it to play nice with any audio source with a 3.5mm output, which is just about everything from a Nexus One to a Latitude D410 from a decade ago. We'd heard earlier that they'd be priced at $120 a pair, but right now, a Benjamin will get a pair shipped straight to your door -- or straight to the stocking of your Secret Santa, now that we think about it.
There's no bass or treble controls, so any equalizing you do has to be done at the source. We tested these out on our own desk, and found the highs and mids to be shockingly accurate and lifelike, though the lows were predictably lacking. That's not to say there wasn't any bass (read: there was!), but pushing the volume knob past the 60 percent mark generally led to muddled lows. Frankly, that's exactly what we expected from a set of 2.0 speakers with no dedicated subwoofer, but our expectations were exceeded when listening to the mids and highs. If you plan on keeping these on your workspace while maintaining a relatively sane, low volume level, they'll definitely do the trick. And they'll look way, way better than any other set of speakers you'll find for $100.
There's just no two ways about it: what Lufthansa has managed to accomplish here is nothing short of incredible. While avid jetsetters have been enjoying in-flight WiFi on (select) domestic routes for a few years now, the in-flight fun has been coming to an abrupt halt when boarding a flight requiring a passport. The dream of long-haul in-flight internet has felt like a distant one, but it seems that the future is indeed happening today. The carrier's FlyNet service has been relaunched this week, and with assistance from Panasonic and the 802.11n gods that be, it's now offering broadband internet access on intercontinental routes. At first, the service will be limited to select North Atlantic routes, but access should be available on "nearly the entire Lufthansa intercontinental network by the end of 2011."
No specific performance figures are being released, but the company does call it "extremely fast" and quick enough to open large attachments "without delay." Better still, the airline will be enabling cellphone data access (GSM and GPRS) in the spring of next year, giving highfalutin' bigwigs the ability to send and receive the most expensive text messages of their life. Deutsche Telekom will be providing the actual internet service, with pricing set as such: €10.95 (or 3,500 miles) for one hour or €19.95 (or 7,000 miles) for a 24-hour pass that also allows patrons to access the web on "on all Lufthansa connecting flights equipped with a hotspot during the period of validity as well as after the flight in Lufthansa lounges." Oh, and did we mention that it's totally free through January 31st, 2011? It is.
Update: We're seeing expected uplink rates of 1Mbps, with download rates reaching 5Mbps. Not bad for being over an ocean.
Lufthansa relaunches FlyNet Internet onboard service 30 November 2010
Lufthansa FlyNet service now available on board Panasonic and Lufthansa are offering broadband Internet access on long-haul routes – Diverse billing options with service provider Deutsche Telekom – Introduc-tory offer: Free surfing until the end of January 2011
Lufthansa passengers travelling on long-haul flights can now once again enjoy the full freedom of online communication. Together with its long-standing partners Panasonic Avionics Corporation and Deutsche Telekom, Lufthansa will be the first airline to offer its customers broadband Internet access on intercontinental routes. The service, which will initially be provided on selected North Atlantic routes, will be available on nearly the entire Lufthansa intercontinental network by the end of 2011. "Inflight Internet on board our long-haul flights is an innovation in the interests of our customers," says Thierry Antinori, mem-ber of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board. "FlyNet complements the consistent commu-nications service offering for Lufthansa customers at all points of the travel chain. It pro-vides them with completely new and unique opportunities to spend their time on board or while waiting for connecting flights."
The extremely fast, high-performance inflight Internet service gives passengers with a WLAN-enabled laptop or smartphone unlimited online access. Thanks to the high band-width, emails – including those with large file attachments – can be sent and received without any time delay. Business travellers can also access their company's Virtual Pri-vate Network (VPN). In spring 2011, inflight data communication should also be possible using the mobile phone standards GSM and GPRS. In addition to the wireless Internet (WLAN) service, Lufthansa customers will then be able to use their mobile phones to send and receive SMS text messages and transfer data with smart phones such as the iPhone or PDAs such as BlackBerry.
FlyNet is incredibly easy to use. Passengers – no matter where they are sitting on the aircraft – can logon to the Internet with any WLAN-enabled device, just as at any public hotspot, or in the near future set up a connection with a GSM/GPRS-enabled device. After opening the browser, they can automatically access the exclusive, free Lufthansa FlyNet portal, where they will find constantly updated news about economics, politics, sports and entertainment. Via this portal they can access the Internet service provided by Deutsche Telekom, which is to be paid from February 2011 on. Service provider information detail-ing the various billing options is available on this portal as well, including payment via credit card, via integrated roaming partners or by redeeming Miles & More award miles. The price for one hour's online access is 10.95 euros or 3,500 miles, while the 24-hour flat rate is 19.95 euros or 7,000 miles. Under the 24-hour flat rate agreement, passengers can access the Internet on all Lufthansa connecting flights equipped with a hotspot during the period of validity as well as after the flight in Lufthansa lounges.
Thanks to the introductory FlyNet offer, inflight Internet access will be available for free on FlyNet-equipped aircraft until January 31, 2011.
Lufthansa operated the world's first scheduled flight with broadband Internet access on 15 January 2003. From May 2004 until the end of 2006, when Lufthansa's then-partner Con-nexion by Boeing discontinued the service, wireless broadband Internet enjoyed increas-ing popularity. The technology also proved very reliable. By the end of 2006, some 69 of Lufthansa's long-range aircraft were equipped with FlyNet, making the Lufthansa fleet the largest Internet-enabled long-haul fleet in the world, with about 30,000 users per month.
The concept's far from new -- Warner and Paramount signed up way back in the heyday known as "2009" to offer movies on SD cards, and select Blockbuster rental kiosks have been popping 'em out ever since. But Flix on Stix is an expected twist on the models that are already out there, and it's one that will no doubt face some difficulty in reaching the same level of acceptance as Redbox. Put simply (or as simply as possible), consumers waltz up to a kiosk, select a TV show, game or movie, and then they choose whether they'd like to purchase or rent the title. The outfit has yet to come clean with specific pricing, but the (presumably mocked up) video embedded after the break shows rental rates of $1, $2, $3 and $4 for 3, 6, 9 and 12 days. There's also no clear indication how TV episodes and games will be handled, but we're hearing that users can either bring their own USB stick (USB 3.0 is accepted!) or opt to procure one directly from the machine. Swipe your Visa or Mastercard (c'mon, no Discover or AMEX?), and then... wait.
In fact, this is apt to be the biggest hurdle. What are the resolutions being offered? What if you select a 1080p film that's 7GB, and only have a 4GB USB drive? Or better yet, what if you've got a 8GB USB 2.0 drive and a doctor's appointment in ten minutes? Comically enough, the demonstration video actually shows the patron playing a game of poker while she waits for the transfer to complete -- something tells us that's not going to go over well with prospective customers waiting in line. We're guessing that most folks will peace right on out if the wait to purchase something from a box exceeds a few minutes, and given the very nature of this scheme, it sounds like that scenario is almost guaranteed to happen ad nauseum. At any rate, expect to see the first of these popping up in two to three months, and meanwhile we'll be digging for more details on pricing and distribution plans.
File this one under industry-changing mergers that never were -- Bloomberg is reporting that Seagate rejected a takeover bid from rival Western Digital in October, which would have created a hard drive company to dwarf all others. According to "two people with knowledge of the matter," Western Digital was willing to offer as much as ten to fifty percent more than a competing takeover proposal from TPG Capital, which had already put more than $7.5 billion on the table for Seagate. As you might expect, however, the sheer size of the merger was apparently largely responsible for its refusal. Not only would it have created a huge amount of product overlap and likely led to numerous management departures, but it would have almost certainly faced some pretty significant antitrust obstacles. Of course, neither company is actually commenting on the matter itself and, for the time being at least, it looks like Seagate is content with going it alone.
We've already heard that the Federal Trade Commission is pushing for a "do not track" button of sorts to stop cookies from watching your every move, but it looks like it isn't stopping at the usual, non-edible definiton of a "cookie." Speaking at a press conference on Friday, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz also dropped the rather interesting tidbit that it's been talking with Adobe about what it describes as "the Flash problem." As Paid Content reports, newly-appointed FTC Chief Technologist Ed Felten later clarified that the problem in question is actually so-called "Flash cookies," or what Adobe describes as "local shared objects." As Felten explained, those can also be used for tracking purposes, but they usually aren't affected by the privacy controls in web browsers -- Chrome is one notable exception. For it's part, Adobe says that Flash's local shared objects were never designed for tracking purposes, and that it has repeatedly condemned such practices -- the company also added that it would support "any industry initiative to foster clear, meaningful and persistent choice regarding online tracking." 
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