Adobe Flash Player updates just in time for the Galaxy Nexus

When review units of the HSPA+ “international” version of the Galaxy Nexus came out, we were surprised to find that Adobe’s Flash Player was nowhere to be seen on the Android Market. Of course, that didn’t mean much to most US users, since Verizon’s combined exclusivity and “delays” meant they couldn’t get a hold of an Ice Cream Sandwich phone anyway. Well, Adobe’s software developers have delivered just in time, and you can now download Flash for your shiny new Galaxy Nexus, no matter where you are.
The update is a little confusing, since it appears to be the same APK file that was sent out on December 12th. That was thought to be a minor stability fix, but now it appears that it’s the full-fledged Ice Cream Sandwich compatible Flash Player. I’m guessing that Adobe still had some last minute testing to go through, and updated Flash’s compatibility list in the Android Market today.

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Adobe promises December launch for Flash on Galaxy Nexus

Imagine our surprise when review units of the Galaxy Nexus couldn’t access Adobe Flash on the Android Market. It turns out that this had nothing to do with Adobe’s unceremonious drop of mobile Flash, but rather the fact that the current application simply needed an update to support either the Galaxy Nexus or Ice Cream Sandwich. According to Adobe’s official Flash blog, both Flash and AIR will be updated sometime next month in order to support the Galaxy Nexus.

No mention of Ice Cream Sandwich was made, and it’s an interesting omission. Will the update make Flash compatible with all of the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich devices, like the Asus Transformer Prime? Will Flash need to be adjusted for each major hardware release after the main development has ended? We’ve contacted Adobe for clarification, and are awaiting a response.
Adobe’s last major revision of Flash hit the Android Market earlier this month. Moving forward the company will offer small stability and security updates, and in one case at least, support for high-profile new hardware. After that, the company will shift focus to its HTML5 tools, essentially giving a mea culpa to its headline-grabbing fight with Apple last year. The decision has not been well-received by Android enthusiasts or Flash developers.

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Adobe: Flash Will Be Updated To Support ICS Before Year's End, But Not Future Versions Of Android

Earlier this month, Adobe announced that it would be halting development on the mobile version of Flash, which included support for Android devices. More recently, it was realized that the current version of Flash isn't compatible with Ice Cream Sandwich, leaving early adopters of the Galaxy Nexus without the ability to view flash content on the web.
Adobe has now confirmed that it will be bringing Flash to ICS devices before the end of 2011, but it will not support any version of Android past 4.0. Throughout the lifespan of ICS, Adobe will continue to push critical updates, bug fixes, and security updates to Flash for Android to ensure device security, but that will be the extent of development as far as mobile Flash is concerned.
Hopefully, but the time the "J" version of Android is released, HTML5 will have gained enough steam to be widely supported and take the place of Flash altogether, helping make the transition from Flash support to no Flash support as seamless as possible.
[via Pocket-Lint]

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Adobe says Flash for ICS will be last supported OS

We have already talked about the fact that there was supposed to be no Flash support for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Adobe has now announced that it will be offering Flash for ICS after all. There is a catch though; Adobe has noted that ICS will be the last supported Android OS for Flash. That means all future version of Android will have to make it with no Flash.

Flash for Android 4.0 is expected by the end of the year. The company will continue to offer patches and security updates for existing versions of Flash after the Android 4.0 version is offered. This will get all the folks planning to get a Galaxy Nexus that lacks Flash support for content using flash.
Once those Android 5.0 handsets start to hit, Google will need to move to HTML 5 support or work something out on its own for Flash support. Android 5.0 is thought to be called Jelly Bean. That name is unconfirmed at this point.
[via Pocket-lint]

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Firefox alpha adds Flash support and really bad timing

Flash developers and enthusiasts are still reeling after Adobe dropped support for the mobile version. But the convergence of Flash users and Firefox fans (including yours truly) should get a little joy out of the fact that Mozilla is going forward with its Flash support. So far the Android version of Firefox doesn’t work with Flash, but you can head over to Mozilla’s web page and download the latest “Aurora” alpha to give the just-added feature a try.

Naturally the implementation is a little buggy, and it doesn’t help that Firefox Mobile isn’t a speed demon in the best of conditions. But it works, sort of, and if you live in Firefox and rely on that one extension or Sync’s bookmarks, you’re one step closer to a single browser solution. Flash is expected to be available for the full (Android Market) version of Firefox sometime in 2012.
Android fans and Flash devs were livid when Adobe announced that they would end support as part of a restructuring. The last major update for the Android version is in the Market now, though Adobe has stated that they’ll continue with periodic bug and stability updates. Adobe will begin shifting its mobile focus to HTML5 tools and AIR, while the desktop version of Flash is still – for the moment – in active development.

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Adobe’s Full Suite of Touch Apps Are Now Available For Android

Alright, so Adobe is giving up on Flash for mobile devices. But let’s not forget, there’s still a great many other things the company is good at. Take their entire suite of touch apps that are finally available for Android. We told you guys about them a few weeks ago and these six apps are special touch versions of their popular (and expensive) desktop applications built specifically for iOS and Android Honeycomb tablets. Here’s what we’re looking at:

Adobe Photoshop Touch: Transform images freely using core Photoshop features in an app custom-built for tablets.

Adobe Proto: Create interactive wireframes and prototypes of websites and mobile apps.

Adobe Ideas: Design virtually anywhere using vectors, layers, and color themes.

Adobe Debut: Present Creative Suite designs anywhere with confidence, convenience, and complete control.

Adobe Collage: Capture ideas and concepts by combining images, drawings, and text into conceptual moodboards.

Adobe Kuler: Create, explore, download, and share color themes that can inspire any design project.

If you would like to check them out, you can find Adobe’s entire line-up of touch applications now available in the Android Market for $10 each.
[Market Link | Adobe]

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Adobe releases its final flash version for mobiles

Adobe Corporation has released its final version of the Flash player plug in for smart phones. This release is a result of Adobe’s recent announcement regarding the cancelling of any further development of the Flash player plug in for mobile devices. Adobe however promised to continue releasing patches which would obviously contain critical updates and bug fixes. The latest release was announced by Danny Winokur, an Adobe executive in charge of Interactive Development.
Labelled as 11.1, this new version eliminates a number of known security flaws. Danny Winokur was also quoted as saying that the Adobe Corporation would not release another version of Flash player for mobile phones. He further added that security updates will continue for all of the existing versions. Another Adobe manager Brad Arkin simply repeated the same words of Danny Winokur. He assured mobile users worldwide that updates will continue and this latest version will sustain for a few years at least. Both Winkour and Arkin didn’t specify the date up to which these updates will be provided to the customers.
These comments have invoked heavy responses from top level managers. These managers claim that Adobe’s support policies are primitive and that the lack of a time frame up to which Flash would be supported is highly inconsiderate of the company. Critics view this as an unsuccessful attempt by Adobe to adopt Microsoft’s time oriented support cycle concept. The theory governing the same is the now-famous ‘Five years for consumer products, ten years for enterprise software’.
These managers also assert that Adobe jumps to conclusions too quickly, which is generally the result of changing market conditions, thus creating a direct negative impact on its customers. A live example is the case of Shockwave player which was released in March 2008; Adobe still continues to provide patches for the same.
This new version of Flash contained 12 critical security fixes. The question that everyone seems to be asking is how willing manufacturers will be in providing Flash support in mobile devices considering that Adobe will not be optimizing the software any further. This issue is rather important as many top mobile sites still depend on Flash for providing content. Managers believe that providing a detailed timeline pertaining to the release of updates needs to be provided by Adobe Corporation so as to cause minimum inconvenience to manufacturers and consumers alike.

Related articles

• Adobe pushes last major Flash update to the Android Market (goandroid.co.in)
• Adobe officially halts development on Flash for Android (goandroid.co.in)

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Adobe pushes last major Flash update to the Android Market

Earlier this week Adobe announced plans to abandon Flash on mobile platforms, to much weeping and gnashing of teeth. They still intend one more major release, Flash Player 11.1, and it’s available in the Android Market now. The 11.1 update brings bug fixes and stability to the Android version, including a particularly nasty audio problem on the Samsung Galaxy S II.
11.1 will be the very last version update, unless Adobe changes its mobile strategy. Smaller bug fixes and security updates will follow, and a good thing too, since Flash is historically insecure. But there will be no more features added to Flash for Android, since Adobe has decided to focus on its AIR platform and HTML 5. The move has drawn ire from Flash developers and derision from Apple advocates, who recall the extremely public spat between Steve Jobs and adobe over iOS’ lack of Flash support last year.
The move came after a major restructure at Adobe, which saw hundreds of employees laid off. In this economic environment, Adobe simple doesn’t have the resources to pursue as many software vectors as it did before. (I note however, with a distinct lack of surprise, that the price on the Adobe Creative Suite hasn’t dropped in these lean times.) According to a former Flash manager, a lot of the issues Adobe faced came from a late start, after underestimating the iPhone and Android’s impact on the smartphone market.
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Adobe officially halts development on Flash for Android

Much speculation has been going on this morning about Adobe’s future plans for the mobile platform, and now it’s finally official. After some recent cutbacks including hundreds of layoffs, Adobe will halt major development on Flash for Android, instead focusing on HTML5, with the effort that went into flash transitioning to the Adobe AIR platform for app development. Bug fixes and security support (a critical part of the attack-prone Flash) will continue, and at least one more major release will be posted, Flash 11.1.

Here’s the official line, straight from Adobe:

Our future work with Flash on mobile devices will be focused on enabling Flash developers to package native apps with Adobe AIR for all the major app stores.  We will no longer continue to develop Flash Player in the browser to work with new mobile device configurations (chipset, browser, OS version, etc.) following the upcoming release of Flash Player 11.1 for Android and BlackBerry PlayBook.  We will of course continue to provide critical bug fixes and security updates for existing device configurations.  We will also allow our source code licensees to continue working on and release their own implementations.

What does this mean for Android users? In the short term, not much. Flash will still be available on the Android Market, and incremental updates will keep the player at least as stable as it is right now. It’s likely that the current Flash player should work for at least two or maybe even three more major releases of Android, though unfortunately it won’t be getting any performance increases beyond what hardware can boost.
Problems will begin to arise when web developers begin implementing newer versions of Flash for desktop browsers. At that point, videos, ads and other Flash elements designed on later versions of Flash and the Flash player may see some serious compatibility issues, or simply stop functioning. This is a good ways out, though – you can expect at lest a year’s wait before compatibility problems start appearing. On the desktop, Flash will continue to be updated as it is now.
While of course Flash has been a major selling point for Android since Froyo, getting it to work smoothly and efficiently is a chore for even top-end hardware, and it’s not surprising that Adobe had so much trouble adapting a system designed for desktop power to the mobile space. It is disappointing that they’ve decided to essentially quit after less than 18 months of public availability. Without official support, HTML5 will almost certainly take Flash’s place for websites designed for mobile video.

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Adobe unveils more powerful Photoshop Touch

Let’s face it: Photoshop Mobile is a joke. It’s not really an image editor as much as it’s a tweaker, an app that’s just about worth its free price tag and doesn’t really live up to the Photoshop name. Now that tablets with the screen real estate and horsepower to take advantage of more traditional photo editing exist, Adobe wants to take advantage of them with Photoshop Touch for Honeycomb.

The app features a full-screen interface that mimics the tools of the desktop version of Photoshop, while still staying relatively finger-friendly. Basic functions like rotation, crop and various color corrections are easy with advanced warps and modifications also possible. Most exciting is that Photoshop’s robust selection and layer tools seem to have made the mobile transition intact, making truly useful image manipulation possible. The app also takes advantage of tablet hardware for live video layers.
Perhaps the most exiting part of Adobe’s announcement is that the Android app will cost just $9.99 in the Market. Considering that you’re getting a solid chunk of the functionality found in Photoshop Elements on a relatively new platform, that’s a downright steal. Couple Photoshop Touch with a cheap capacitive stylus, and all of a sudden you’ve got a full-on digital drawing tablet at a fraction of the cost (and to be fair, a fraction of the functionality) of hardware like the Wacom Cintiq.
Adobe demo video
Photoshop Touch will release sometime in November for Android, with an iOS version to follow. How often do you get to hear that, Android fans? It’s part of a small suite of apps including Collage, Debut ( a presentation manager), Proto (simple website designer), Kuler (color manager) and Ideas (vector editor – why not just call it Illustrator Touch?). All six apps will work with Adobe’s Creative Cloud system, so you don’t have to keep local files on your tablet.
[via SlashGear]

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Adobe Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 available tonight for download

Today Adobe is rocking the news with their MAX conference. They have just announced the much anticipated Adobe Flash Player 11 will be available starting tonight for multiple platforms, including Android. Same rules apply for Air 3.0 and they will be available tonight at 9:00 PM PT or early morning for you East Coast folks. The latest Flash updates will bring significant changes that were detailed in-depth back in September.

Sadly for mobile and Android this initial release wont see the new Stage 3D codenamed “Molehill”. Although both flash and air will eventually bring major improvements to mobile that will help to stabilize and revolutionize the way we game and consume content on the web and our mobile devices. Stage 3D was one of the most exciting aspects of the new Flash 11 and while it is coming soon, its sad that we can’t see it today on Android.
More details can be found over on the Adobe blog and the downloads for both Flash 11 and Air 3.0 should go live tonight around 9:00 PM PST. For now until everything gets incorporated into Android we’ll just have to wait and watch. Soon we’ll be experiencing amazing 2D and 3D graphics at upwards of 60 FPS on our Honeycomb tablets for some true console-style gaming. Stay tuned for more details regarding Android as the Adobe event continues, below is one example of what we can expect to see coming soon.



[via Adobe]

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Flash Player 10.3 Updated In The Android Market – New Bug Fixes and Enhancements

Adobe Flash Player 10.3 was updated in the Android Market to version 10.3.186.6. Contained in this update were a bunch of fixes and enhancements for multiple devices so if you’ve noticed your Flash Player was acting a little funny, now would be a good time to jump in the Market and update. Here is the full change log from Adobe:
Fixes and Enhancements in Flash Player 10.3.186.6
Adobe Flash Player 10.3.186.6 addresses compatibility issues:

• Calls to gotoAndPlay() and gotoAndStop() no longer fail in some Flash applications which load shared libraries.


• TextField instances which specify a negative offset (x property contains a negative value) now correctly flow the text horizontally instead of vertically.


• Improved performance in some cases when displaying complex animations.


• Flash applications at certain websites (http://heylenmichel.de) now load correctly.

Fixes and enhancements include:

• Enabled NEON optimizations for OMAP4 (Cortex A-9) based devices.


• Corrected an issue on the Samsung Galaxy S where H.264 video at resolutions of 720p and below was not displayed.


• Fixed an issue where app packaging would fail for Android Apps using Flash Player in WebView that set android:hardwareAcceleration to True in their AndroidManifest.xml.


• Fixed a crash on the HTC EVO that some users encountered with specific video.


• Fixed an issue that caused video frames to stop rendering on long streaming videos (> 1 hour) on some Motorola devices.


• Fixed an issue where touch events were getting delayed with Kongregate.com games.


• Fixed an issue where games on Kongregate.com freeze when users exit from Full-Screen mode.

[Market Link]

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Adobe Releases Major Update To Flash 10.2 For Honeycomb

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Adobe’s taken its sweet time with the Honeycomb-flavored version of Flash 10.2 – heck, it wasn’t available at all when the XOOM debuted – but it looks the software is fully cooked and ready to go at last.
The latest update to Flash for Android 3.0 (version number 10.2.157.51) introduces several enhancements, most notably hardware acceleration for 720p video. Browser integration has also been improved, and "important bug fixes and security enhancements" (including a fix to the "critical" vulnerability discovered a few weeks ago) have been made.
The update is now in the Market.
Source: Adobe
 

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