By Engadget reports that they received a statement from Adrian Ludwig in regards to Flash 10.1 only being available for devices that run on Android 2.1. According Ludwig, group product marketing manager for Flash:
Adobe, Google, and other members of the Open Screen Project are working together to make ensure the full Web experience can be delivered on largest possible number of devices. Support for full Flash Player 10.1 requires some enhancements to existing versions of Android. These enhancements are expected to be available as an upgrade to existing devices and for new devices starting in Q2 2010.
The fact that there will need to be some enhancements to the current version of Android hints at the fact that there will need to be some sort of upgrade but doesn’t say whether or not the upgrade will be available for every Android device. As we see and hear more about the upgrades and Flash for your Android device, you can be sure we will let you know all about it. I for one cannot wait to have Flash capabilities on my Droid and I’m sure you are excited for the update as well!
[via Engadget]
Q2?…….Q2???!!!!! (All together now) AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! *Starts beating self to death with own keyboard*
I am heartened by the large amount of grammar issues in the *statement* which leads me to believe it might just be someone having fun with Engadget.
As my hero, Dr. Sheldon Cooper PhD would say, “There there.” Q2 isn’t that far away: as little as 6 weeks…and worst case scenario: 4 1/2 months. Considering that it would give us something that would be a first for a mobile OS, I’m excited.
Then again, “Flash coming to Android in Q2” could be as accurate as 2.1 coming to the Droid “this week” …crap, we are so screwed.
Was there any doubt??? At this rate it will never come out but I guess its worth it if they’re gonna get all the kinks out, just hope it actually does come out for the nexus one like it’s supposed to!
If you read the product development updates with Flash 10.1, they’re still giving a 60 day window (since the beginning of this week) to give programmers and the like, time to make sure that the software is up to snuff. So, give it till at LEAST April.
HA! Notice the almost dead battery? My Droid has a hard enough time keeping a charge… Flash is just going to make matters worse. However, as long as I can have the ability to block Flash by default with a way to explicitly enable it I’ll be a very happy camper.
Flash. Can’t live with it, can’t live without it. I have to give Steve Jobs this, Flash sucks! Really, they have all kinds of bugs and they are notoriously slow at getting around to fixing them. On the other hand, at least some newer Android phones will be getting Flash Lite to work EVENTUALLY, the iPhone will be getting Flash…NEVER. For all the love, hate I have with Flash I accept that it runs a lot of web content and for the most part it works ok…as long as you’re using IE anyway, I can at least watch Hulu with Chrome but there are still annoyances that can only be fixed by opening up IE…’sigh’ I guess I can keep hoping.
Jobs is an idiot sometimes. Everything has bugs in it. It just takes the right situation to make them a noticeable problem. Whether he thinks HTML5 is the future or not, Flash is the present. I’d rather have something functional NOW than something that might not even catch on later.
(not that I’m saying HTML5 wont catch on it just remains to be seen).
Q2? For what phone?
Don’t forget that Google (and/or manufactures – for me it doesn’t mater who) is abandoning earlier phones when there is released new one. Remember Motorola Droid? Abandoned when relased HTC Nexus One. Yes I know – there will be delayed update to Android 2.1 for Motorola Droid, but it won’t have all eye-candy functions.
My abandoned Samsung Galaxy GT-i7500 is waiting for:
Android 1.6 – 5 months
Android 2.0 – 4 months
Android 2.0.1 – 2 months
Android 2.1 – 1 month
With this speed probably in Q2 2010 will be Nexus Two with Android 2.5 (or something) – and, of course, update for Nexus One will be very delayed (if not abandoned at all).
There are rumours from Samsung Italy that there will be update for GT-i7500 to Android 1.6 in Q2 2010… Better OS abandoned 6 month ago, than nothing;)
@Casey
If your phone has a hard time keeping a charge then you must be using it a ton or have some program thats draining your battery. I have syncing enabled for contacts, 2 email accounts, weather, plus some background apps and my phone battery lasts 2-3 days per charge… and I usually recharge it when it hits 20-30%.
Really.. you need new OS-level stuff to make Flash work? Sure didn’t seem to be an issue on the PC.
I’m guessing the real thing is optimization… Flash video is really slow without an accelerated video CODEC, and the only way to add accelerated video CODECs to an Android device is via a root-level driver install, or a new spin of the OS.
This becomes part of the OS because it’s a new low-level hardware issue. There are totally different resources on each different Android phone. The OMAP 3430 on the DROID might employ its video accelerator, its DSP, and/or internal code to drive the video decode. A different phone might work differently.
Now, that’s the theory. In practice, Flash video is usually either H.264 or On2 VP6-or-thereabouts. H.264 is already accelerated; the On2 stuff may not get much of a boost from any hardware in the typical device. Guess we’ll see…
@ Legion- That comment just made my day!
I’ll worry about HTML5 on my next phone (’bout 2 years from now). Give me Flash now.
when i think of Android changing to be compatible with Adobe’s crapware, to rip a quote from Office Space, “why should i change? he’s the one who sucks!”