While in the midst of
fixing a
unicorn-sized hole in the security of its desktop software, Adobe has been talking about its future in the mobile space. According to its rose-tinted forecasts, Flash Player will be featured in a quarter billion handsets by the end of 2012, including 53 percent of all smartphones shipped that year. Those are pretty strident words for a company that has yet to ship Flash Player 10.1 in even
one new handset, but we're reminded that
Android 2.2's leading position on the issue will be swiftly followed by BlackBerry OS, Symbian, webOS, and Windows Phone 7 supporting the full fat Flash experience. Whether all that momentum will be enough to produce an install base of 250 million, we don't know. What we do know, however, is that people want the blasted thing and Adobe had better start doing a bit more work on its mobile player and a little less talking about it -- that's what we're here for.
posted June 11th 2010 4:20PM
@summerboy18 Google sells an AT&T compatible version of the Nexus One.
I went into Best Buy today to check out the EVO 4G...while I was there decided to play with the iPad.
Wanted to see how the Netflix app worked...it gave me the Netflix logo screen then promptly loaded adobe.com and told me I needed to install Flash on my device. I don't think Netflix and Steve Jobs are communicating.
@MarcBowyer
Netflix doesn't do that to me.
@Liquidmark I don't have an iPad...and I'm at home now. So, I can't try it again...but it did it twice on the same iPad and at least once on a 2nd iPad at the Manchester Best Buy in St. Louis, MO.
Maybe it was an anomaly.
@MarcBowyer Did you actually launch the app, or try to go to the website through Safari?
@pohatu771 Launched the app...I'm lazy. I wouldn't have loaded Safari that many times and typed it in.
So, about 5 years after the release of android and iPhone OSes and 10 after the existance of proper smartphones, even In adobe stimation about half of them will be released without flash?
That says everything about the future of the plataform
@Information Central No just don't come back
RIP Flash
Good luck Adobe, make it work.
Assuming we are still alive by the end of 2012...
dun dun dun!
Everyone can say what they will, Flash works on mobile phones great. From a web development stand point, Flash sucks (ie, fully flash sites), but for certain aspects it does a great job.
Fun thing to do with a fast Android phone: Go to Vimeo.com, find a nice high-def video and click on the flash placeholder.. viola, plays beautifully full screen.
@summerboy18
If you ask a stupid question you should expect a stupid answer. I totally enjoy the service I get (in Houston) on T Mobile. AT&T's network here is almost always saturated (My work phone is AT&T) but unless you also live in Houston (and even if you do) YMMV. There are zealots on both sides of the 3Gs vs N1 debate. They're both great phones and it's too bad you have to choose based on network instead of personal preference. T Mobile's 3G coverage in large cities is really good and in most places faster than AT&T (or soon will be) but AT&T has more wide ranging coverage overall.
Adobe. Some people never get the hint.
HTML 5. Hear me roar.
Before Adobe delve into all the mobile platform perhaps it should hurry its Windows x64 flash player. It's been more than 2 years!
Squidward Tentacles = Microsoft. (malcontent attitude and narcissist).
Eugene Krabs = Apple (all about profit$ and crappy products).
SpongeBob = Google (popular yet idiot).
Patrick = Adobe (friendly yet another idiot).
Gary = Linux. (cute yet nobody really cares, with the exception of Google).
Sandy = HTC (living in their treedome).
@summerboy18
Opps. I guess no one gave you the responses you were looking for. Apparently the "iHaters" all got here first. Better luck next time dear!
Yes. Please leave Apple out of this party.
I agree with Vladislav's comment that they need to stop talking and start doing. I'm using Flash 10.1 on my Froyo Nexus One and I think it's fantastic, but it does have it's rough edges and needs work to be fully realized as the great tech it is for mobile.
I swear after using Flash on my Nexus I could never go back.
Just as an example, I can check the oil leak from ANYWHERE and watch live images via sites like CNN.com. Watching an oil leak over a mile below the ocean surface, on a mobile device, is the very definition of cutting edge.
Imagine on 9/11 and you could actually see what was happening in NY on your mobile device, live?!
I think this kind of tech changes the world for the better.
When will we see a full version of Flash on the iPhone!? Cant wait to get it on my iTouch too! Hurry Apple!!!
@benchase7 .. The day Adobe ever releases a decent Flash player for OSX (almost identical to iOS).
The current 10.1 version has NO hardware acceleration as promised, is still insecure and is still buggy. Not surprising considering they went to a staggering RC7.
Still waiting for hardware accelerated flash 10.1
Waiting for Tegra 2 Gingerbreads...
I think it was James Brown who said "you keep talkin loud, but sayin nothin"
Runs great on my Droid. For those with flash, check out this page Adobe put together. http://m.flash.com/
Awesome! And then we'll all be able to watch the breaking news feed while the world is ending. A la 2012. ^_^
Several years ago I sent Adobe an email (when they bought up Macromedia) telling them to create their own web browser. They should have listened to me then. Not only do they pretty much own the web as far as authoring & design applications go but they could have owned the web browsing experience too. Now don't you chuckle when I say this, (because of bloat and security problems notorius to Adobe stuff sometimes), but they could have had a browser with built in Flash, built in PDF viewing, built in standards compliance (hopefully) and maybe a direct route for their authoring apps to work directly within it too (kind of like how the CS4 and 5 suite all work well together). I of course never heard back from them. I think they really should have listened to me...
@summerboy18
Or you can sell the iPhone on ebay and use the funds to purchase a Nexus One full price so you can keep AT&T. Thats what I did.
So with HTML5 there's nothing to download, nothing to update, no security holes I have to concern myself with and it doesn't suck up the battery or force the device to overheat? Tough call.
After Jobs' small (but probably effective) push of HTML5 the other day I think Adobe is just making sure they stay in the conversation. HTML5 won't mean the destruction of Flash but it certainly will give developers another choice. Something they didn't have before.
I wonder which will happen first
a.) the Release of Duke Nukem Forever
b.) the Release of Mobile Flash
@oldfrog
Oh man I remember Duke Nukem on windows 95 one of my favourite game
Nowadays battery life is big concern. If they want to win the battle they have to make more efficient software that use less energy.
btw is HTML5 more energy efficient than Flash?
@Wharoll No.
@Wharoll not at all, and in some cases it even draws more processor power on Desktop browsers at least.
Also, many people fail to realize that Google, along with offering the OPTION!!!! of Flash content is also one of the biggest supporters of HTML5...it's not now, nor ever has been 1 or the other with Google...it's you get em all, you pick what you want.
anywho
Spongebob on 250 million smartphones by the end of 2010 !!!!!!!!
It's funny how Adobe makes all these proclamations, but still hasn't met their prior ones.
Here's reality: I own an HTC Incredible. Battery life sucks. Anything that makes battery life any worse than it already is won't help me, my phone, or the platform in general. Adobe may get Flash installed on millions of handsets - but will it be useable or, better yet, valued? I sincerely doubt it. Once it's out, watch the complaints about battery life skyrocket.
Invasion of the patty snatchers is absolutely unplayable on the nexus one....just tried it.
Its wont be 2050 million if you leave out WM. . .
@Tito damn 0. . .250*
Corrected
The anti-flash morons on this site are downright hilarious. I'm a Flash/Flex developer. Let me set you straight on a few things. First, HTML5 cannot replace flash. It is a markup language, not a programming language. It would be literally impossible for it to replace Flash. It only becomes dynamic after manipulating the HTML with Javascript.
Secondly, HTML is almost THREE TIMES as processor intensive as Flash. No...I didn't pull that number out of my ass. It's a well known fact among the development community, and even HTML5 supporters who know what they're talking about will tell you the same thing.
Third, Flash is not responsible for a slew of badly designed sites. Bad designers are to blame. Do you really think that bad designers aren't going to unleash their horrible creations on HTML5 as well?
Fourth, Apple isn't against Flash because of bugs and performance. As I said, HTML5 is a worse performer for interactive content, and all software is prone to bugs. Apple is interested in HTML5 because of one thing...money. I don't blame them...they are a business, but don't be fooled by Steve Jobs' BS.
The survival of Flash in the future is important. It and Silverlight are the only truly viable RIA development platforms in existence at the moment. If it fails, well I hope you like having all of your apps approved by the maker of your phone's OS. Luckily, Apple is alone on their side, and I would be willing to bet that Steve Jobs' egotistical business moves will seriously damage Apple in the long run. Remember kids...he nearly killed Apple once. He can do it again.
@OverDriven Good to see a dev with a straight on look at all this PR BS wich comes down to apple wanting to push others from the RIA throne just because they think they can bully them and feel like enough ignorants will back them up. Taking a shot at ad plats on the web isn't holding Steve back either, he knows if the brand can't grow much more they are headed for a downfall.
Pathetical that apple wants to push consumers back 10 years and some people get on the bandwagon just because they identify with mediocrity. Branding loyalty+ignorance=Fail.
Just in time for the end of the world!!
The hell is a unicorn-sized hole?
make room for this app: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCI11RBSUlo