On Tuesday, Adobe Systems released Flash Player 10.1 for mobile devices — but the rollout is going to take a while. The player is available first for devices running version 2.2 of Google’s open-source Android operating system, but that upgrade is currently only available on Google’s Nexus One smartphones being tested by reviewers.
However, other Android-based devices are expected to get the upgraded OS soon. At some point, Flash Player 10.1 will also be available for mobile devices based on non-Apple platforms — BlackBerry, webOS, Windows Phone 7, LiMo, MeeGo and Symbian. Apple has prohibited Flash on its mobile devices in a highly publicized dispute.
‘The Full Web’
Based on Adobe’s comments to news media, the migration to existing devices is expected to be in full swing by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, about the time new smartphones will appear with Flash Player 10.1 installed.
Adobe said the new player is the “first release that brings the full web” to mobile devices, allowing access to the games, animations, rich Internet applications, data presentations and visualizations, e-commerce, music, videos and audio that Flash offers on countless web sites and applications.
Flash Player 10.1 offers user-interaction methods more aligned with mobile devices, including multi-touch, gestures, soft keyboards, and support for accelerator-based input, which enables Flash content to be shown in landscape or portrait mode. Smart Zooming allows content to be scaled to full screen mode from within a web page.
Adobe also emphasized that it has optimized the player to efficiently use CPU capabilities and battery life, the two key components affecting performance on mobile devices. A new Smart Rendering feature makes sure Flash material is only running when it’s visible on the screen, and Sleep Mode automatically slows the player when the device is in screen-saver mode.
‘As Good As It Can…