Froyo Feature: Adobe Flash 10.1 beta

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Surely you didn't think we would forget to show off some Flash did you?  Phil and I have been hard at work finding out everything we can about what's new in Android 2.2, and we just saved the big parts until the end.

Flash on a mobile device used to be an idea that I just never got on board with.  That will teach me to open my mouth before trying something new.  After playing with it for a few days to prepare for this write-up, my mind has changed and I'm now a believer.  Everyone's experience will differ, but I'm not seeing the battery decimation that we all expected, and even while playing games, the phone is still responsive and the Flash content itself -- well, check out the video after the break and see for yourself.

Jerry Hildenbrand
Jerry Hildenbrand

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.
14 Comments
  • Jerry, the best part of that video was when you said "Daddy needs a new pair of shoes" hahaa
  • Haha that was entertaining bro. Looks promising
  • Thanks for the video. The 'On Demand' option looks like a sweet option to have.
  • Definitely the on demand option will be what saves flash, because it wont the flash ads or other flash things on the browser unless you tell it to, which will make it a smoother transaction. And it will bring more functionality since you aren't restricted from the web. :)
  • I think Apple has fought flash because it would take away sales of small similar apps in iTunes. There are thousands and thousands of flash games and apps that have been created over the years. As much as I love HTML 5 I also think Flash is simply more optimized for graphics and gaming content. The canvas element is great for small jobs but gets bit bogged down from the videos I have seen. I am sure that it will become optimized over time and this may become a moot point, but right now flash can still have benefits. Besides why re-invent the wheel and not be able to use all that great flash content already created? Seems ridiculous to me not to offer it on Apple products at all, let the users decide if they want to use it or not. I hate Job's attitude of we know whats best for you citizen!
  • Very well said and that's the reason I will never own another Apple product.
  • I think Apple has fought flash because it would take away sales of small similar apps in iTunes. True. Apps authorized in Flash without being compiled to native code could be distributed by Adobe and other Flash/Flex authors. Also, Apple's non-desktop devices are designed at the hardware level to support h.264 for video, a codec that's "free" up to a certain number of installations, but expensive to license over and above that -- which is why Mozilla and other open source projects resist supporting it. Companies like Adobe, Apple, Google and Microsoft can afford to license h.264, but the problem is that the current licensing agreements only last 2 years, after which MPEGLA could hold licensees for ransom by jacking up the price arbitrarily. Chrome and Flash are switching to VP8, and Microsoft is allowing a plug-in to support it in the next IE.
  • Very nice write up I can't wait to get it on my droid. Also love the battery status symbol ;)
  • I swear Jerry, you must be the only tech writer on the interwebs to demo Flash with the On Demand setting, the one that any user with two brain cells to rub together would select by default. Every other demo video and review I've seen either tests Flash defaulted to Always On or runs 30-minute videos in order to validate their fears of battery drainage (the last bastion of Flash critics). Thanks for showing some common sense.
  • I run Flash full on and it has been everything I'd hoped Flash would be. Sure pages take a little longer to load, but you're getting more content. It's the single greatest feature on Android now, imo. Who'd have ever thought we would be able to watch something like the Gulf oil leak, live, a mile below the ocean's surface, on our mobile device? Adobe should get a Nobel Prize or something for the amount of content they just brought to the amount of people they just did. Google too.
  • HEY! i dont know if anyone already asked this or cares but can you please check to see if it will run music sites? myspace music, pandora, grooveshark, etc...if i dont ever have to download another album that would be GREAT just stream for FREE! =D let me know
  • Forgive my ignorance, but how do I get this on my Archos 5 IT?
  • I updated my Moto Droid last night but Flash did not install. It is not in the market place either. I did install the Adobe Flash Showcase which has a link to install Falsh but it can not find Flash in the Market. Weird!
  • how can i instal flash or java on my samsung captivate? thanks