Adobe shows off Flash support on the HTC Hero
Mmmmm, Flash. As part of the Open Screen Project, Adobe is actively working with developers and manufacturers to make feature-rich Flash content accessible on mobile devices. In its latest achievement tied to this morning’s announcement, Adobe demos Flash support on the brand-spanking new HTC Hero — the first Android device to support Flash (officially). In short, it’s smooth, sexy and usable. Adobe’s Adrian Ludwig shows off the Hero’s Android Web browser and its ability to gobble up Flash-based video, Flash objects on web pages and even Flash-based games. There is one line in particular from the demo video that grabbed our attention though: “This is one of the first devices out there that has really great flash capabilities.” Ouch. No love for S60 handsets? Maemo tablets? Fair enough. Hit the read link to check out the demo and prepare to drool over the Hero even more than you already did this morning.
Funny – while the video was playing Flash was using 72.1% processor time on a Core2 Duo dual core 2.4GHz laptop. Why do I doubt their viability on a mobile phone?
Also I love how he showed about 3 seconds of the flash video and it was all choppy and he moved on quickly.
Most of these devices have everything under the sun jammed into them already; why not add flash? When the first iphone 3g dropped adobe said they would develop flash for it, and that was the end of that. Let’s face it folks these phones could use flash, it would only make them more better. Yes, no??
@ Idiots..(a.k.a. grrr and joe cool)
Could you fuckers be ANY more annoying?!? Don’t you think if Zach had ANY carrier info OR an official release date he would have been HAPPY to include that in the blog?? STFU for God’s sake.
@MooseWolfgansky,
Flash will not automatically make mobile devices better. I know geeks (not calling you one) want bragging rights to say look at flash running on my phone, but a lot of people aren’t thinking.
This is being done to give mobile devices a similar desktop experience since flash is used heavily on websites. Well mobile devices are not desktops. Screen sizes are much smaller there’s no universal flash plug-in. All devices would be at the mercy of Adobe’s snail pace.
Back in 2002 Adobe had a flash player 5 for Palm devices on the Sony Clie. It went no where. 3rd partys have come up with solutions like on the Nokia 97, but up until recently Adobe largley moved at a sloths pace to getting Flash supposedly optimized to give mobile phones flash.
The charm of mobile websites is that they are extremely optimized for speed. Get in and get out. Throwing flash in the mix will slow things down.
I saw the example of Flash on that new Android device and he went to yahoo to see a movie trailer. But a user can see a movie trailer just by installing Flixster on a G1 and bypass all those ads that even the guy in the video acknowledged. If the videos were in 3GP most of the smartphones would be able to play/stream the clips. 3GP is practicaly viewable on all mobile devices because it’s a standard.
Also HTML 5 a new standard will also enhance the mobile web experience with some flash like capabilities. There won’t be a need to wait for Adobe to get around to updating your plug-in for your specific platform. Or pray if they get aroud to your platform at all. For example the PS3 has a flash plug-in in it’s web browser and Adobe is slow as heck to update it. Now spread that to all the various smartphones and dumb phones Adobe has to make a specific player for each device/platform. Android, WebOS, iPhone OS, Windows Mobile various other handhelds and set top devices.
I liked flash back in the day, but since I’ve been going on the web via mobile devices, I am prefering the flashless web more and more.
In Adobes defense I will say that if Adibe can truly give mobile devices flash support that us seamless/transparent and extremly little to no slowdown. Then it has a chance. But they also have to realize that it also depends on websites stopping the flash-fatigue they give even to desktop users.
Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone) at: New York United States
It doesn’t NEED to be on all the time and I doubt it will be locked to ‘ON.’
Having flash as an option that can be toggled on and off would be an amazing thing that no other current phone could match.
And yes there are workarounds for the G1 and iPhone like flixster and the youtube client, but there aren’t workarounds for everything and flash can fill the gaps.
The Hero looks like a pretty damn great phone at this point.
Also, I would consider multi-touch to be the more gimmicky thing that I don’t really care about in this list of specs. Now that’s an overrated feature.
I luv that game. You clumb a penguin with a yetti, which you then pilot as it glides through the air. You gotta maximize the distance… it takes practice.