Adobe posts Flash 10 for Android, leaks Android 2.2 upgrades
updated 07:50 am EDT, Tue June 22, 2010
Adobe outs mobile Flash 10 only for Android 2.2
Adobe today started shipping Flash 10.1 for Mobile. The initial release is targeted at devices running Android 2.2 and, initially, will only work with the Nexus One. However, it did inadvertently confirm a number of Android 2.2 upgrades for a handful of other devices that would let them run Flash, including the Dell Streak, Motorola's Droid and Milestone, HTC's Desire, Droid Incredible and Evo 4G, and the Samsung Galaxy S.
The company is noticeably low-key on its other platform releases and says it has handed Flash 10.1 to hardware and OS makers for BlackBerry OS, LiMo, MeeGo, Symbian, webOS and Windows Phone 7, but wouldn't say when it expected these to ship. It only anticipated releases in both over-the-air and preloaded installs over the "coming months."
The launch nonetheless represents Adobe's first opportunity to live up to its promises for Flash on mobile platforms, which have seen the release delayed by several months or more. Flash 10.1 has needed several optimizations to reduce its overhead on phones and tablets; the plugin only loads when Flash content is visible on the page, shuts down when switching tasks, and can automatically curb processor or memory use for content that isn't efficient.
Apple is the notable holdout on Flash and has argued that the tricks so far aren't enough to make it effective. This may have been proven in a recent hands-on test as the beta made Android 2.2 the slowest platform for web browsing even though its processor and OS would otherwise have made it one of the fastest.
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The Apple vs Adobe Flash war is about to reach
a new level. Adobe will now have all the bragging rights and the Android fanboys will be going on nonstop about how well their devices run Flash and how iOS users have been deceived by Steve Jobs. Adobe is really sticking it's neck out by releasing Flash, so it must be decent enough to use. The geeks will be all over this version of Flash and swearing that it's as good, if not better than the desktop version. I'm anxious to see how Apple counters this.