Palm joins Adobe's Open Screen Project, Pre to support Flash
By Nilay Patel 
posted Feb 16th 2009 11:01AM
posted Feb 16th 2009 11:01AM
Copy and paste, data tethering, and now Flash -- it looks like the Pre's going to fill in a lot of unchecked iPhone feature boxes, doesn't it? Yep, Palm's just joined Adobe's Open Screen Project, and there's no two bones about what that means: the press release flat out says "the Open Screen Project will help deliver Adobe Flash Player for smartphones on the new Palm webOS platform." That's especially interesting since the webOS SDK is so heavily based on web technologies and native player support potentially opens the door for Flash-based apps, which would instantly bring a ton of new devs to the Pre. That's not a bad thing. We'll find out more at the end of the year, when the mobile Flash player is due to arrive.
i cant wait =D
me neither ===D
@adok
You may want to watch the emoticons you use.. That one really looks like something else ;-)
Yeah, it looks like a screw. That's what you meant, right? :)
@precurse
Wasn't a mistake... guess no one got how excited I am.
I just got a email that said they could increase the size of my penis by 2 characters, want me to forward that to you adok?
Awesome!
dude just wait until paul chapel shows up to tell you why it's not ;-)
oooh the irony :)
"...By the end of the year"?
Uh...
yea, "end of the year". When i heard they are getting involved with Flash I had my doubts we'll see the phone anytime too soon. I'd doubt they would release it without Flash support. Though they might and hope that there isn't much bad press about a lack of gaming and graphically intensive app support, etc.
We could we waiting a good while for these phones which is a shame.
"We'll find out more at the end of the year, when the mobile Flash player is due to arrive."
Meaning Flash will be implemented after release of the phone.
yeah awesome get your $350 ready after rebates.,exactly ,u aint gettin shhh. This came from a sprint store mngr in santa monica area. late june releaase. start saving, definitely not zero to 1 million in 72b hour caliber.,definitely not....
"Flash Player for smartphones is expected to be available to handset manufacturers at the end of 2009" -- And probably another couple months delay beyond that for us consumers... And then there's no guarantee that it'll be in this version of the Pre either... All they mention is the WebOS - which is planned for other devices, the Pre is just round 1...
Another reason i want the Pre. Hooray for flash
ib4 ifanboys
YES!
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Awesome!
Damn, this phone keeps getting better!
How can this phone get any better! Wow.
They could add a Micro SDHC slot...
Or they can maybe add built-in ready to go Windows and OSX OSs with a 512 GB SSD and 4 GHz quad processor, and while they are at it, throw in a 24" monitor.
Wow, the sky is the limmit.
Actually, if they added in a video camera, I would have no more requests to make, except maybe natural GMail integration (as an application...which no one can seem to get right). However, GMail has a great version for mobile browsers so I won't be complaining if they don't.
Regardless of the aforementioned, I'm getting this phone as soon as I can.
"Or they can maybe add built-in ready to go Windows and OSX OSs with a 512 GB SSD and 4 GHz quad processor, and while they are at it, throw in a 24" monitor.
How are any of those things different from a micro SD slot? That's what you meant, right? That desktop OSes, 512 GB SSDs, and 4 GHz quad-cores are analogous to micro SD cards.
Though, I don't know why you mentioned the 24" monitor. That's never been on a phone before. What a ridiculous request!
An expansion slot (or more fixed storage) and a higher res screen would make this the best phone EVER. It may still be, even without those two things.
iphone '09
I saw your name and thought about how not all the Pauls of the world are anoying pricks, but then I read you comment...
I'm a different Paul and I'm not a prick. So, rest easy, my friend. Rest easy.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I can sleep now... *passes out*
blackberry better step its game up, that gemini need to have some of this
It's about time someone comes along and puts the worshiped f*cking stupid garbage AT&T sh*t iPhone in it's place. The hardware is decent but the network sucksssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.
Can't wait till my iPhone's plan is up to switch to this beauty!
AT&T sucks? Then you sure haven't used TMobile. How about sprint?
What other choices do you have?
Sprint is consistently better in my neck of the wood than any other, and there data speed really cooks.
In fact I would prefer any of the CDMA networks to the GSM networks in this country.
Naw ATT sucks ass. Truely, DSL, cell phone, anything they touch. I switched to T-Mobile after 10+ years of ATT loyalty. Everytime they consolidated with someone else (US West, Cinglar, you name it) I'd be the first one at 1am to call in with a support problem with their misconfigured towers. Did I get any slack for helping them debug there system every two years? Not one. And customer service is the absolute WORSE.
AT&T rocks over here in washington.
I think the Pre will indeed be the first serious competition the iPhone will have. And hopefully it'll kick Apple's ass into gear re: getting Copy & Paste, etc. implemented.
WOW, you must live somewhere crazy, b/c here in Ohio AT&T is the ONLY reliable 3G provider. Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint suck. Either that or u got a bad iPhone....too bad. Ill never go back. Oh and I work for ATT, and we are in NO way scared by anything palm has coming (they were this close to dropping out of the business b/c the centro and treo were so piss poor), and Android is going to fail b/c no one is gonna make apps for it.
Please let this not be a dream.
@babbaganush I agree! I'm a BB user now but that might change
you have contributed so, so much to this technology discussion.
flash games now maybe? this is going to be awesome and what the pre needs.
Yeah, for 1.5 hours (that's how much the battery's going to last using flash).
awesome for palm. look nice design....
indeed... if you asked 3 months ago what to buy, it would have been iPhone, WinMo, Android, ....
Palm!!! WTF! ... out of left field, but awesome.
I cannot agree more, actually I wrote a similar post weeks ago
Edward
Frontier Blog
http://www.hwswworld.com/wp
Now they can work on getting Amazon ON Demand Video on board, and we have a REAL alternative to iTunes now.
Definitely a good thing. The Pre is set to have the functionality of Windows Mobile and the Eye candy of the iPhone--the best of both worlds. This could be the must have gadget of the year for me.
As long as it's optimized (unlike Flash for Mac OS X), I am happy.
Flash support should have been made standard for at least 1 year by now, it's good to see it finally comes!!
Also, this could mean flash games!
Flash support is stupid... because then developers aren't supporting YOUR COMPANY they are supporting ADOBE... and whatever conditions Adobe sets.. remember non-PC versions of Flash player are NOT free. Adobe will sell slightly different versions to each vendor, and hold them up for more money... look at profitable electronic devices and neither Apple nor Nintendo want their business undermined by Adobe's own agenda.
Flash support is so important, if you cant enjoy youtube on your phone, then it's just a pce of junk.
content is so important, that's why apple aps store is winning. the rest is just lonely phone with fancy camera for you "handsome" nerds. mind you i don't own an apple product, i own a nokia.
if flash goes to the pre sdk that would be a huge win for gaming on the pre (and eliminate the need for a real sdk).... lets face it a vast majority of the good games on the iphone are flash based knockoffs and bringing flash to the sdk would open up most games to the pre.
great feature for palm and i like it.
because i can play my flash games...too.
Hulu here I come!
Good news, but still a year out.
Here's hoping it supports most AS3 functionality. I might have to pick one of these up for "research" purposes at work :D
Am I the only one that doesn't care about this phone? Am I also the only that thinks this phone looks terrible? Seriously, voices in my head want to know.
yes.si. Oui.Ja.Sim.Ken.Tá.Jes.Hai.是 .Na'am.
I wonder how much performance can I expect. I have not used Flash on a portable device so I am not sure about its performance. Someone who has care to fill in?
P.S-: By performance , I mean how snappy will it be when I run larger Flash files or watching videos with high compression rates.
The current Flash Player on Windows Mobile is pretty good actually. Handles any online vid sources I've thrown at it in Opera Mobile, including Youtube, Hulu, Blip and Veoh and I've run a number of fair sized flash programs in the Flash player.
The biggest problem I've found is not the flash performance, but trying to run standalone apps the have issues with the input. I hope the new Flash initiative will solve this.
I'm just happy to see some competition! I'm sick of all these 'iPhone Killers" that have come out. Now we FINALLY have a real fight on our hands. I'm a die hard Apple fan boy and love my iPhone, but I'm glad to see other companies saying they are going to compete with the iPhone then ACTUALLY doing it. Remember, competition drives innovation. Whether you like one or the other, all the consumers win in this fight!
Palm means business. This is a no holds barred attack on the current smartphone market. Palm really took their criticism seriously and, as any company with pride and self-confidence would do, delivered on their customer's desires.
Palm is jealous. Remember when they were #1? Well, they're not anymore; that position belongs to BlackBerry now. However, that memory--and to a greater extent, their fall from glory--is all too vivid in their minds. So, what have they done? They made sure they make a strong push to get back to the top.
This is great, great, great news! The more I read about this phone, the more I want to get it. I'll be impatiently waiting while they prep a GSM version for AT&T. This phone will be my next, no doubt about it.
I agree. The great news is that the Pre is only the beginning of what Palm has in the pipeline. Didn't they promise more new smartphones running the new OS this year?
I just hope it makes its way to Verizon eventually. I hear it probably will fairly quickly as Sprint only has a 90 day exclusivity contract.
@cmsb55
Palm does not have any plans to bring the Pre to Verizon, after Sprint there will be the GSM Euro version then Canadian carrier Bell will get a CDMA version. Besides, Verizon shot their load with the BB Storm (which has been a disappointment), Sprint is the only US carrier without a flagship device. With the forthcoming Palm Pre Sprint can now sleep at night. Also, Palms CEO did mention the next version(s) of the Pre will be released in regions not served by Sprint!
Not buying it without non-proprietary expandable memory.
OMG!!! i am so happy i am definitely getting rid of my current phone on sprint and getting this when it comes out! PALM PRE + FLASH = LOVE(ONE BAD ASS PHONE)
same type of keyboard the Centro has, horrible idea.
Actually, it's not. It has a similar design, but larger buttons for enhanced usability.
Shows how much you know.
"same type"/"similar design"
Same design or similar type.
Larger or not, I dislike.
I am a Verizon 8830 customer, and my contract is about to be up. Hey steve- let me list the reasons I will be getting a Pre and not an iPhone 3G:
Battery, keyboard, copy&paste, mms, multitasking, and now Flash? Absolutely amazing. If this were an Apple product, you'd see an $800 pricetag.
I am so excited for this phone.
so what OS does the pre run? a brand new os? i hope its not win mobile
Wow you really haven't been paying much attention to the Pre then, have you?
Where have you been, under a rock? The device runs a new os dubbed "WebOS" which allows for applications to be developed not terribly unlike websites (using web programming languages). The OS is one of (if not, THE) highlight of this device. Here's to more great news!
Palm's own distro of Linux
I like my Samsung Instinct, but I am very interested in getting my hands on the new Plam Pre!
ur drunk I have an instinct and it sucks
You have to give it to Adobe for their commitment to this project and their Flash/Flex/Air platform. It is nice to see Pre be open minded enough to position themselves at the edge of technology. Good news in deed.
this phone gives me an erection larger than the iphone ever could
You should get that checked out ASAP.
I was a bit worried about the web based sdk, but maybe I shouldn't be. So they found some way to make Enzyte using HTML and JavaScript? Or is it from the "Flash"?
Ahahaha... I can't believe you people are excited about Flash based games. Hold on while I play some games like Days of Thunder, Slotz Racer, X-Plane Extreme, Asphalt 4: Elite Racing, 3D Labyrinth, Zen Bound. Soon to come Need For Speed or Firemints Real Racing... The list goes on and on and more titles are coming that will simply blow everyones minds.
Yeah, those Flash games sure are really exciting, perfect for the Palm "me too" Pre.
Let the phone come out first...the iPhone didnt have *ANY* 3rd party apps until over a year after its release.
So now you play with your iFart instead.
What a fucking step up.
End of the fucking year? I thought it was coming out before summer?
ha~ you think this things gonna see the light of day. LMFAO.
hello. Ever heard of patents?
Mobile Flash Player is not equal to Palm Pre. The Pre is set to be out by June, that doesn't mean that the Flash player will be also.
What's all the big fuss about?! Didnt adobe say that they were working with apple to bring flash to the iPhone?! And what's with all the iPhone hate anyway?! Fair enough I know a lot of it is born out of frustration (because apple for some reason refuses to implement basic features) but let's be real here, without the iPhone the BB Storm, G1, and Plam Pre would not exist.
Yes the iPhone raised the bar. No one here is denying that. But the Pre is also raising the bar on their own terms. As you already noted, Apple's attitude is been quite frustrating. Palm is getting in the game with a fresh approach that we have not seen before, and this place them in a league of their on, and rightly so. I like their openness, their innovation and their drive to be the best in class.
If it's really true, Palm is going to CRUSH the iPhone.
Pretty much every device that comes out it's going to crash Apple. Like the River, Zune & friends crashed the iPod.
I wish I would get a dollar for every time I hear this comment. Fortunately there are more Apple lovers then haters.
Granted, the Pre specs are nice but don't forget The Apple app. store, that's what makes it difficult for other companies right now.
Flash support will only drain your battery in a blink of an eye.
@daPrinz: I'm a Flex programmer and I can tell you Flash won't drain your battery. On the other hand poorly written programs might. Let me explain. Flash is based on a state-full architecture, this means that objects live in memory until all references to them have been removed and the garbage collector collects them, the former is the responsibility of the programmer. Another good point to make is that the Pre is quite powerful and quite frankly more capable than its competitors. As far as development readability there are far more Flash developers than Objective C / iPhone ones, plus we have better tools for rapid deployment.
"End of the year" = "No Pre until the end of the year" for me at least.
No, the Flash support for the Pre won't be out until the end of the year. The Pre is set to come out in the 1st half of 09.
no news here. they've stated already that gaming on the pre will most likely be flash based. Get me the SDK. I'm ready to start developing.
The funny thing is, Shugg, you don't even turn your iPhone TO fap, as you say, 100% 24/7/365. You just hold it in your hand.
Palm is dead. RIP Palm.
Uh, sure, yeah, this is the end of Palm right here. Even my cat can see that.
Am I the only moron that thinks this is a bad thing? Flash stinks! Have you tried to play a full HD video on youtube lately? It manages to drop frames even when playing on my 2gb-ram/xeon 2.8ghz. WOW. It's hardly a language, the tools are all proprietary and it's a PAIN to debug. How about a high performance java 1.6 vm with native swing-widget support instead (none of this CLDC or ME profile crap that has ruined java on every other phone) At least java compiles to native at runtime... flash byte code is so jacked... and java has got 100000000 more libraries available. Oh wait, flash doesn't.
Probably won't happen... instead of pushing innovation or future, we're getting more of the same old crap! Ask for something better people.
Dude you are hilarious : )
Even "smart" java programmers are using Flex / Flash for their front ends. Mxml introduces data bindings and other concepts that Java itself is looking to import into its specification. Plus the flash player has a 98% market penetration, so you could easily deploy the same program across multiple devices, hence the naming of the Open Screen Project. Debugging works well for me, and there are free tools (Flex SDK) and open source projects that let you target the flash player. In other words you don't know what you are talking about.
Dude, when I saw this on the Engadget homepage, I had a serious mind trip. I was like "wait, this was already posted, WHAT THE!?!?" Nilay, don't do that to me.
This is definitely going to be my phone after my old subscription runs out. And by that time this is going to be $50 with an upgrade.
+1 for the Pre!
My choices for my next phone would probably be between the Samsung Omnia, the next iPhone, and the Pre; each depending on which network I find to be more reliable and how the software works for me. The Pre really seems to be stealing the show at this point (and yes I realize we have no idea what will be in the next iPhone), and I have to say that this makes it look even better.
That having been said, I do sorta agree with Mr. Jobs in regards to mobile Flash... it barely reaches the "good enough" mark.