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Flash 10 for smartphone beta coming this October

by Ross Miller, posted Jun 22nd 2009 @ 6:44PM

It's been a while since we've heard a peep about Adobe's Flash 10 for smartphone initiative, but according to a slide from its Q2 Fiscal Year 2009 earnings presentation, the platform's on track for a beta release this October at the company's MAX conference. Prime mobile OS candidates for the beta include those from Adobe's Open Screen Project, which at last count included Nokia, Palm, Google, and Microsoft -- and unless there's been some behind closed doors meetings, the two glaring omissions on that list are still gonna be bugging you come this Halloween.

Nokia also joins Adobe initiative, Flash 10 for (almost) all

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 16th 2009 @ 4:54PM

We're not quite sure if you're seeing what's happening here, but Apple and RIM are working themselves right into the time-out corner. We already heard earlier today that Palm would be joining Adobe's Open Screen Project -- which, by the way, guarantees Flash 10 support on the Pre -- and now we're told that Nokia is following suit. What it all boils down to is this: Google, Microsoft, Palm, and Nokia are all expected to release platforms or handsets in the coming year or two which will support Flash 10, all while Apple's iPhone attempts to limp by with... YouTube support. Granted, we have heard that the suits at Cupertino are in talks to make it happen, but we've yet to hear as much at MWC. Also of note, it seems that a similar deal including RIM is also pretty far off, so BlackBerry users should probably order their daily dose of patience as well.

[Via Macworld]

Palm joins Adobe's Open Screen Project, Pre to support Flash

by Nilay Patel, posted Feb 16th 2009 @ 12:54AM

Pandora's CTO talks about Pre, webOS development, gaming, and small children

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.

Apple teams up with Adobe for iPhone Flash at long last

by Paul Miller, posted Jan 31st 2009 @ 9:41PM

With Android getting all Flash-ey, Apple's "Goldilocks" position on Flash -- the full Flash player is too hefty, Flash Lite is too weak -- seemed pretty untenable. Now Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has revealed that Apple and Adobe are "collaborating" on making Flash a reality on the iPhone, citing the technical challenge it presents. What's clear is that with all this work to do, it doesn't seem they're going the watered-down Flash Lite route, but we're trying not to hold our breath for a full-on, Hulu-friendly version that will finally help us get that Doogie Howser fix on the go. Naturally, there's no word on when this will hit.

[Via AppleInsider]

Finally, proper banner ads for Android: Flash demoed on a G1

by Chris Ziegler, posted Nov 17th 2008 @ 3:32PM

At Adobe's MAX event this morning, none other than Andy Rubin himself helped to demo Flash running on a G1, proving that it's possible (in case years of Nokias with S60 browsers haven't already done a sufficient job of showing that) and that Apple's running out of excuses. It wasn't mentioned exactly when we'd see it pushed out in an over-the-air update (or available from the Market, possibly, we suppose), but at least Rubin confirmed that Adobe and Google are pooling their collective noggins to make it happen. Ads for life insurance just aren't the same without an animated dancing dude or flying pig, so we're delighted to hear that some balance is going to be restored to the world.

Verizon launches Flash-based "Dashboard" for snazzy content delivery

by Chris Ziegler, posted Sep 25th 2008 @ 12:21AM

Verizon has launched a new "experience" (for lack of a better word), dubbed "Dashboard," that will eventually find its way across much of the carrier's lineup -- but lucky Chocolate 3 owners are the first to get hooked up. The Network's looking at Dashboard as an entirely new content stack that complements its existing portals, capable of delivering a richer experience thanks to its Flash-based roots; the idea is that content providers will be able to offer free and paid content side by side, seamlessly, without the user needing to jump between sites or apps. We're all for flashy new ways to use our handsets, just as long as we don't accidentally buy stuff without realizing it until our bill shows up next month, ya dig?

[Via mocoNews]

iPhone news roundup: subsidies, Flash, Canada, and beatings

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 21st 2008 @ 5:31PM

Psst... you hear that there's a new iPhone coming out next month? Yeah, us too. Here are a few iPhone stories we've been tracking from the past handful of days:

An analyst for Oppenheimer claims that AT&T is going to be shelling out $325 for each and every iPhone 3G it sells, compared to an average of $200 for other devices on the carrier's shelves. What's more, devices sold in Apple stores (as opposed to AT&T stores) will cost AT&T another $100 for some reason, bringing the grand total to $425 -- not including the $199 or $299 the customer is paying for the 8GB and 16GB models, respectively. Where Oppenheimer is getting its figures isn't exactly clear, but we suppose it's believable -- and as the analyst suggests, the higher subsidy reflects AT&T's confidence that they'll be able to recoup the loss with a higher ARPU.
The on-again, off-again saga of Adobe Flash on the iPhone continues, with the company's CEO trumpeting during its Q2 earnings call that it now has a version working in the SDK's emulator. That's all well and good, but there's still no sign that Apple wants Flash on the iPhone, and since Cupertino's still the ultimate gatekeeper here, Adobe's efforts could still all be for naught.
Canada's Rogers has finally decided to stop playing coy and has replaced the silhouette of the mystery device launching on July 11 on its site with the real deal. You weren't fooling anyone anyhow, guys.
A Columbus, Ohio bus rider was unceremoniously beaten this week in an attempt to nab his iPhone as other riders calmly looked on, showing no emotion whatsoever -- a sad state of affairs, to say the least. Fortunately, the victim was able to hang on to the goods but suffered some injuries in the scuffle. If it had been an iPhone 3G, we'd have to summon every ounce of willpower not to have a go at swiping it ourselves, but an iPhone 1? Seriously, come on.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - $325 subsidy [via Mac Rumors]
Read - Flash working in iPhone emulation
Read - iPhone on Rogers
Read - Bus rider beaten for his iPhone

BREW Mobile Platform lassoes Adobe Flash support

by Darren Murph, posted May 29th 2008 @ 6:18PM

Not too much news on the BREW front of late, but this one's pretty big. Just this week, Qualcomm and Adobe jointly announced Flash support for the BREW Mobile Platform. Reportedly, the software will "fully integrate and deliver Adobe Flash technology to mass market handset devices," and it'll also enable Flash developers to "create standalone applications that integrate mobile device functionality with web content and services." Beyond that, there's just a bunch of back-patting going on in the release, but if you're into that kind of thing, feel free to make you way down to the read link.

[Via PhoneScoop]

Adobe kills license fees for Flash on devices

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 6th 2008 @ 3:00PM

Keeper of Flash, Adobe, has unveiled its far-reaching "Open Screen Project," garnering the interest of a who's who of heavy hitters ranging from ARM to Verizon and pretty much everyone in between. Why the massive corporate attention? The project ultimately aims to open-source Flash's file formats and portions of its inner workings -- but perhaps more importantly, it'll kill the license fee manufacturers pay to bundle Flash players on their devices, potentially opening the door for the same massive level of acceptance Flash has enjoyed on the desktop in our pockets as well. There's no word on exactly when the fruits of the project will be available to the public -- Adobe says it's "just underway," after all -- but if this means our Flash-laden phone is going to be, like, 20 cents cheaper now, we're all for it.

Adobe: Flash for iPhone might be a little harder than we thought

by Chris Ziegler, posted Mar 19th 2008 @ 10:34PM

It seems that Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen isn't a developer for the firm -- or at the very least, he doesn't have a full appreciation for the height of the fence surrounding the iPhone SDK's walled garden. The company and on-again, off-again Apple chum solidly backpedaled on the chief's comments regarding Flash for the iPhone that were made just a day earlier, saying that "...to bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone Web-browsing experience we do need to work with Apple beyond and above what is available through the SDK and the current license around it." For what it's worth, Adobe does say that it's still very much interested in doing up a Flash client, it just needs a little extra help from Apple on the side to make it happen -- so if we see this package pop up in the App Store later this year, we'll know that at least one company's been given a free pass to break the rules.

Adobe says Flash is coming to the iPhone

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Mar 19th 2008 @ 12:12AM

The word is out, kids. Adobe has apparently gone against old Jobsy's wishes, and it's planning a Flash player made all special for the iPhone (ala Windows Mobile) despite Apple's concerns that the technology -- in its current incarnation, anyway -- isn't cut out for mobile duty. During a conference call today, Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen said, "We believe Flash is synonymous with the Internet experience, and we are committed to bringing Flash to the iPhone," adding, "We have evaluated (the software developer tools) and we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves." We wouldn't be surprised if Adobe were to be given a pass on all those pesky SDK rules that would likely prevent a proper browser-based Flash component to be coded for the device, though those Apple dudes can be real sticklers for rules.

Microsoft licenses Adobe stuff for Windows Mobile

by Chris Ziegler, posted Mar 17th 2008 @ 4:53PM

Well, that's not much of a vote of confidence for Microsoft's own products, now is it? Despite the fact that Silverlight for Mobile development is well underway, Windows Mobile's patron saint has decided to license Adobe's Flash Lite and Reader LE packages directly and make them available to WinMo licensees straight from the mothership. Though Adobe's press release says that availability on specific devices will be "confirmed later," we imagine that it'll be a no-brainer for virtually every ODM to sign right up to offer the goods -- just ask any Nokia N95 8GB owner how cool the in-browser Flash support is.

[Via Mobility Site]

Microsoft bites bullet, licenses Adobe's Flash Lite for Windows Mobile

by Thomas Ricker, posted Mar 17th 2008 @ 6:33AM

Microsoft is expected to shore-up its much maligned Internet Explorer Mobile browser this morning by announcing new Flash Lite support. We have no idea when the new plug-in technology (including Reader LE for PDFs) might make it into Windows Mobile. Nevertheless, with the far superior Skyfire and Opera Mobile 9.5 mobile browsers already supporting Flash Lite, and Microsoft's own competing Silverlight not expected to go mobile until the end of the year, it can't be long now can it?

Flash on the iPhone: Apple has Goldilocks syndrome

by Chris Ziegler, posted Mar 6th 2008 @ 4:06AM

At Apple's shareholder's meeting this week, it seems Steve Jobs shed just a little sliver of a light on why it is we haven't seen Flash grace the iPhone yet: one version's too small and the other's too big. Basically, Steve doesn't like Flash Lite -- the pared-down version Adobe has designed for small screens and lightweight processors -- and the full-fledged version has too much bloat for the iPhone's resources. As he puts it, "there's this missing product in the middle." Personally, we'd like to be the judge of that, but we know how Apple operates; with any luck, the SDK will give devs enough power so we'll eventually end up with a Flash player (and a Flash Lite player, for that matter) anyhow.

[Via mocoNews]

Not even Adobe knows when Flash is coming to the iPhone

by Chris Ziegler, posted Feb 22nd 2008 @ 1:21PM

Wow, talk about setting new precedents in opacity and secrecy! The addition of Flash support has been rumored pretty much since before the iPhone was even released, and apparently, Apple isn't even talking to Flash owner Adobe -- much less Walt Mossberg -- about when (or if) it's going to happen. Writes company spokesman Ryan Stewart on his blog, "No one aside from Steve Jobs has any idea if or when it's coming." With the SDK right around the corner, we figure Flash is going to end up happening whether Apple provides it or not, but it'd be nice to see Cupertino give Adobe something to work with here, seeing how it's their standard and all. Remember, Apple, there's no "I" in "team."

[Via mocoNews]