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We got word of an OTA upgrade that would put in place the necessary pieces for Adobe Flash on the XOOM late last night, but Motorola didn’t tell us exactly when we could expect the actual Flash update. (Their initial promise was a few weeks after launch.) It looks like they’ll live up to that promise, though, as Verizon’s just confirmed to us that the upgrade will be headed to the XOOM March 18th – exactly one week from today.
This is 10.2 – a version handsets and other tablets don’t have yet, but everyone will be getting it just the same. Here are some more key details straight from Verizon:
Today we are happy to announce that Flash Player 10.2 will be available for download via Android Market on March 18th. Flash Player 10.2 is a production GA (General Availability) release for Android 2.2 (Froyo) and 2.3 (Gingerbread) devices which meet the Flash Player hardware system requirements. It is initially a beta release for Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablets which requires Google’s 3.0.1 system update.
We have been working very closely with Google to ensure tight integration between Flash Player 10.2 and new OS and browser capabilities in Android 3.0. The March 18th beta release of Flash Player 10.2 in conjunction with Google’s first system update to Android 3.0 (version 3.0.1) currently underway for the MOTOROLA XOOM™ will deliver the first phase of our work together. This will be followed by subsequent updates, which will complete the optimizations and result in a production GA release of Flash Player 10.2 for Android 3.0.
Some of the new capabilities of Flash Player 10.2 for Android include:
Hardware accelerated video presentation for H.264 (Android 3.0.1+ only)
Flash Player 10.2 leverages the Stage Video rendering pipeline to enable users of Android 3.0 tablets, like the MOTOROLA XOOM™, to enjoy smooth playback of high-definition Flash video content on the web. Users will experience reduced CPU usage and higher frame rates for existing H.264 video content.Deeper integration with the Android browser rendering engine (Android 3.0.1+ only)
Deeper integration of Flash Player and the enhanced Android 3.0 browser delivers faster and better rendering of rich, interactive web content resulting in a browsing experience similar to the desktop. Flash Player can now render content as part of the web page along with other components such as HTML, images and gif animation. As a result, users will experience:– Improved scrolling of web pages;
– Uncompromised viewing of rich, immersive content in the way intended by the page designer, including support for instances where HTML and other web content is composited over Flash Player rendered content. Flash Player rendered content will continue to be placed in a separate window on top of HTML in the Android 2.2 and 2.3 browsers, as these browsers do not support the new Android 3.0 browser rendering model.Enhanced performance for the latest smartphones and tablets
Experience performance improvements designed to take advantage of the current generation of multi-core, GPU-enabled processors to deliver Flash videos, games and other interactive Web content on the latest smartphones and tablets. For a list of upcoming Flash-enabled devices which show off the latest performance improvements, including the MOTOROLA ATRIX™ 4G, MOTOROLA XOOM™ and LG Optimus 2X, please click here.Automatic soft keyboard support
Users of touch screen devices will enjoy a more optimized experience interacting with rich content that requires keyboard input. This feature simplifies the development of multiscreen applications that require keyboard input, making it easier for developers to optimize desktop applications for mobile devices. A new ActionScript API enables developers to automatically launch and display the soft keyboard.
In addition to its availability on Android Market, the production GA release of Flash Player 10.2 will also be available pre-installed on many upcoming tablets and smartphones or delivered as an over-the-air (OTA) update to existing devices in market.To see which devices are certified to support Flash Player, please visit http://www.adobe.com/flashplatform/certified_devices/.
To learn more about Flash Player for mobile devices, please visit http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplayer.html.
good news ~Sent from my Droid Pro
finally! love my xoom
So what features does it provide to the 2.2 and 2.3 current gen phones?? seems all new stuff is for 3.0…
I bet it is not for my aria running 2.3 via cyanogenmod 7. I don’t know the details, but the aria is only capable of flash if it is running sense, and even then it is only flash lite.
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So I wouldn’t necessarily say it is for all 2.2+ devices in the title.
Wonderful. Maybe Adobe can talk to the folks at Samsung and persuade them to give us Galaxy S users a Flash capable platform…
Still don’t know why I would want this.
@ Noah Y-I showed someone a video clip just last week. They pulled out their iPad to look at it, and of course, they were out of luck. Personally, I do private tutoring, and flash enabled devices are a must. However, I also just enjoy being able to sit back and watch my shows and flicks on Amazon with my phone.
Business and Entertainment. Flash covers both worlds. Some people don’t need it, but it doesn’t hurt ANYTHING to have it, and can only help. So why are there so many Flash haters?
My answer: Steve Jobs has created a bunch of mindless drones who repeat whatever he says. Flash creates problems and system crashes? I’ve never once had that happen to me. Sounds like the problem is with Apple’s OS, not Flash.
So the point of 2.2 users upgrading to this is……?
well put kevin
@Noah
Does your computer have flash? Does your computer have a browser?
Does your tablet have a “internet browser”? Does it have flash?
Do you want your browser on the tablet to work just as well as sitting in front of a PC?
If you want a browsing experience just as good as on a PC, then you need flash. Period.
-Brad
I’ve got a Droid, Droid X and a Moto XOOM. Nice this little tidbit is dropped after the iPad 2 release. About to take a weekend trip with my XOOM instead of a laptop like in the past. Too bad it didn’t hit before but my Droid still tackles it.
Maybe people will stop complaining about xoom being released before flash was complete…..i am glad to see this is about ready!
@Kevin and Brad 2
Very well said. Add the fact that you can set Flash to be On Demand in the browser and I dont see why it has to be left off of the iPad and iPhone.
Okay So Everything i just read said Android 3.0.1+ only. Good thing will work on 2.2. hmmm.. 0_o
the update was relased bout an hour ago..its all over android central
heres the link enjoy
http://www.multiupload.com/5FOUMVZI32
Will this work on a Samsung Fascinate that has been rooted with the Android 2.2.1 leak?
Its the 18. No flash what the f……
Wtf!? The flash release for XOOM is incomplete version operationally? Mine is going back TODAY. Hello, Apple. Google, Motor, and Adobe…. what a f*k up.