Adobe implies WM6 is dead tech, favors WP7

Adobe inadvertently hastened the end of Windows Mobile by telling visitors to its forum that it will no longer develop Flash 10.1 for Windows Mobile 6.5. A representative claims Adobe made the "tough decision" to abandon the platform as it allegedly won't support certain standards the company needs. Instead, it will devote all its attention to Windows Phone 7.

The same staffer also mentions that the first Windows-based phone to support Flash will be the HTC HD2; as the phone currently runs Windows Mobile 6.5, it's implied the device will get Windows Phone 7 at a later point. HTC has already said the HD2 is the only one of its current generation of phones that will support the next-generation OS due to processor and screen requirements.

Adobe's statements are unusual as they come months after the company committed itself to Flash and effectively obsolete the current OS before it's been replaced. Microsoft has already said it would downplay the old OS by labeling it as Windows Phone Classic but didn't say it lacked the technology to implement Flash.

Officially, Android and webOS will be the first smartphone platforms to get Flash, but the software developer has made it increasingly clear that the web plugin will require advanced hardware and as yet unreleased software to run. Palm phones well need webOS 1.4, while Android may need 2.2 firmware and will initially be limited to very recent phones like the Motorola Droid and Google Nexus One. It's believed that performance, along with stability, has been a major concern for Apple avoiding Flash altogether on its devices. [via PocketNow.

By Electronista Staff