Microsoft's Windows leader Steven Sinofsky picked an interview this week to reveal that Windows 8 on ARM wouldn't support plugins. He explained to AllThingsD that Internet Explorer on these chips, even in the regular desktop, wouldn't run Flash or any similar browser add-ins. Mobile devices were moving away from Flash as a whole, he said.
Mozilla has released the latest mobile version of its browser for Android devices. Firefox 10 is now available for download (free, Android Market). As expected, the new version offers enhanced HTML5 support, but doesn't support Flash.
Intel and RealNetworks made a crucial deal for video technology on Thursday. The semiconductor firm has paid $120 million to get a "significant" 190 of RealNetworks' patents. In exchange, Intel has agreed to team with RealNetworks to co-develop the latter's signature video codecs and will take on seven codec developers from its partner in the process.
Adobe posted its last significant update to Flash 11 on Android (Market). The update is primarily to provide support with Android 4.0 phones like the Galaxy Nexus. Speed-ups and bug fixes are also part of the fix, Adobe said.
YouTube took public its Cosmic Panda web remake. The homepage look is designed to focus more on channels, such as its original content, as well as existing subscriptions. It's now also possible to link YouTube to Google+ or Facebook to improve sharing.
UK DVD and streaming video outfit Lovefilm just announced that it will move from Flash-based streaming to Microsoft's Silverlight. The move was prompted by movie studios, as they believed Silverlight offers greater security in the fight against piracy. The studios were apparently fairly adamant, threatening to pull their movies if the change wasn't made.
When the Samsung Galaxy Nexus began shipping earlier this month, it did so without either Adobe AIR or Adobe Flash Player. Adobe now has confirmed that it will be supporting both those apps, not just Flash, on the Android 4.0-based smartphone some time in December. The company will be offering the functionality through a "minor update to the runtimes."
A presentation from Google developer evangelist Paul Kinlan at the Develop Liverpool conference has revealed that the Chrome browser, and by extension Chrome OS, should get plugin-free support that will be much more conducive to gaming. The browser should get support for common USB peripherals and allow for console-style gaming with a gamepad, Edge heard. Likewise, it would open the door to more seamless video chat, augmented reality, and body tracking.
YouTube has been improving its HTML5 player. The app has incorporated several new features, including support for 1080p video. The changes increasingly make it a viable replacement for Adobe's Flash player, which is so far still needed to get the entire feature set.
Adobe slightly backtracked on its plans to drop mobile Flash entirely Monday after it stated that there was one more version coming to support Android 4.0. Where it had previously said Flash 11.1 was the last version, the company told Pocket-lint one more version would come to support the Galaxy Nexus and future devices before the end of the year. An update was also coming for the Flash Linux Porting Kit on a similar schedule.
Adobe's Mike Chambers in an outside explanation clarified the company's decision to drop mobile Flash. As expected by many, the absence of Flash on iOS virtually guaranteed that the plugin would never gain ground. Web developers always had to end up making separate Flash and HTML5 versions of their pages regardless, leaving little point to supporting Flash when HTML5 would achieve a similar goal.
Adobe's plans to drop mobile Flash came quicker than expected as it rolled out the last update, Flash Player 11.1 (Android Market) late last night. The new version is a maintenance update and switches on support for 1080p Flash video on Tegra 3 devices like the ASUS Transformer Prime. Those with the Galaxy S II also see a bug fixed where video would refuse to play.
RIM will keep working on Flash on the BlackBerry PlayBook despite Adobe's exit from mobile Flash, the company said in a statement. It vowed to AllThingsD that, as a licensee of Adobe's source code, it would work on its own variant on Flash. Despite Adobe itself saying HTML5 was a superior choice for mobile devices, RIM was still echoing Adobe's previous attitude, saying that a complete browser needed both Flash and HTML5 to work.
Adobe has followed up its cancellation of mobile Flash with a statement extending that end to TVs as well. The company would continue to give support to those using the Porting Kit to convert Flash to apps on TV, but it told GigaOM that it would press hardware makers to build native apps instead. It went so far as to indirectly suggest that Google TV had been taking the wrong route with its focus on the web until the Google TV 2.0 update.
Adobe in a statement Wednesday confirmed that it was stopping work on mobile Flash. After Flash 11.1 for Android and the BlackBerry PlayBook, it would limit any future updates to major bug fixes and security holes. Those with source code could develop on their own, but Adobe wouldn't spend effort updating to support newer operating systems, browsers, or hardware.
Microsoft may join in decisions to drop proprietary plugins with an exit from Silverlight, insiders mentioned later on Tuesday. Silverlight 5, expected to be finished by the end November, is said by Microsoft partner contacts for ZDNet to be the last-ever version. It might not get any minor updates and may even go without any support beyond Internet Explorer for Windows, backtracking on claims of cross-platform support.
Adobe may have dropped Flash for mobile browsers according to ZDNet. A leaked transcript from a company email to Adobe's partners says that it will no longer develop its mobile Flash Player, and that it will switch its emphasis from Flash on mobile devices to its AIR platform. One of the key marketing pitches adopted by Android device vendors is that Android offers an advantage of Apple’s iOS as its browser supports Adobe’s mobile version of its Flash Player plug-in.
Google on Tuesday kickstarted the GoMo project to encourage mobile-optimized websites. The page gives both studies showing the incentives for a company to make a smallerpage as well as tips as to how to do it, such as making touch-friendly, easily visible sites. Developers can also get a mobile-optimized preview of their existing page if content is missing.
Pandigital hoped to raise the bar on starter tablet e-readers with a Friday unveiling for the SuperNova. The eight-inch tablet is still rare in the class for having a capacitive touchscreen and has a 4:3, 800x600 aspect ratio that suits magazines and newspapers. To fully customize the OS, it uses the most basic version of Android 2.3 and doesn't have the official Android Market, although it does have GetJar's app store as well as preloaded access to Barnes & Noble's bookstore and Flash.
At its MAX tech conference, Adobe promised that it will release Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 at 9PM Pacific Time (midnight) on Monday. At the same time, LG and TiVo have become the latest partners to bring Flash-based apps using AIR to connected TVs and digital home devices. The latest code from Adobe will allow hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics rendering using Stage 3D.
Facebook's reported plans to launch its iPad app next week might be joined by Project Spartan. New claims early Thursday had the social network planning to roll out both next week. The TechCrunch tip suggested Facebook could be on stage at Apple's October 4 event to show its app and Project Spartan's HTML5 features in iOS 5, but it was reportedly determined to unveil them on Monday if Apple couldn't them in the schedule.
Facebook's delay over its iPad app may have had as much to do with synchronizing with Apple as disputes with it, a rumor floated on Monday. The updated universal app is now believed by Mashable to be unveiled at the October 4 event for the iPhone 5. Apple's gathering is expected to introduce iOS 5 as well and may show an improved interface for the iPhone-sized version.
As has become standard, Apple has quietly updated OS X definitions to counter a recently-publicized malware threat, checks show. Lion and Snow Leopard will now block a Trojan fronted by OSX/Revir.A, which in turn installs a backdoor program identified as OSX/Imuler.A. Although neither part of the Trojan is especially dangerous at the moment, Imuler could potentially be used at a later date to capture screenshots or steal files.
Pandora Wednesday publicly launched a totally revamped website. The New Pandora site uses HTML5 rather than Flash and is said to be more responsive, easier to use, and comes with improved social integration. The team also previewed the site over the last two months to listeners for feedback and bug fixes. Perhaps most importantly for some, Pandora removed the 40-hour listening cap for free users, and it's now unlimited.
Adobe is set to deliver the first version of its ubiquitous Flash Player that will be 3D-capable. Flash Player 11 and the developer platform Air 3 are due to arrive in October and are said to offer significant enhancements over previous versions of the products. Flash Player 11 is also claimed to offer rendering enhancements in 2D mode in the order of 1000 times faster rendering and is explained in the video embedded below.
A pair of tips may have spoiled what will and won't show at Facebook's f8 conference this Thursday. The social network has supposedly pushed back Project Spartan, its HTML5 mobile app project, after repeated delays. The plan once identified by TechCrunch as iPhone-only is now thought to have expanded to include Android and the desktop.
Dean Hachamovithch, Microsoft's Internet Explorer team leader stated in a blog post that the Metro-style version of Internet Explorer 10 will not support Flash or other plugins and will rely on HTML5. Hachamovithch said running Metro style IE plugin free would have advantages for consumers, including improved battery life, enhanced security and privacy, and greater stability. Steve Jobs, chairman of Apple, listed many of the of these same reasons for his decision early on to not support Flash in iOS.
Facebook's plan to make an iOS-oriented platform for HTML5 web apps, Project Spartan, may have been given a lift after new word that it has hired to boost its efforts. Teck Chia, the founder of HTML5 mobile app store OpenAppMkt, has reportedly been hired. Purposes of the hire were unknown, although TechCrunch noted that Chia had previously worked on Facebook apps and would be an ideal fit to help manage Facebook apps converted to HTML5.
Adobe today announced upgrades to two of its behind-the-scenes Flash components, used by content publishers rather the public. The first, Flash Media Server, has been updated to v4.5, gaining adaptive bitrate streams viewable by both iOS and Flash-equipped platforms. Content protection has been integrated into the software; this includes on-demand stream packaging, meaning that preparation and protection of video can be done on the fly, for different platforms and with less storage space.
Toshiba plans to make up for many of the mistakes made with the Thrive tablet through a much improved model uncovered in an Italian leak. The new version would scrap the thick and heavy rubberized design for a much thinner, brushed metal design. Expansion would still be a focus, Notebook Italia saw, as Toshiba would switch to micro HDMI, micro USB, and microSD to get similar features, just through adapters.
Apple made a rare update to the malware definitions in OS X earlier this week, a look at the software's XProtect.plist file shows. An entry has been added for "OSX.QHost.WB.A," a Trojan known to disguise itself as an installer for Flash Player. Should a person encounter and launch the installer, the Trojan will modify a person's hosts file to redirect certain Google websites to an IP in the Netherlands.
Light Blue Optics' pico projector has reached the FCC for approval. The Light Touch uses a combination of holographic laser projection (HLP) and infrared sensors to create a virtual WVGA touchscreen on any flat surface. The image can be up to 10.1 inches in size.
Hot on the heels of Adobe's announcement of a preview of Edge, independent Mac developer Aquafadas has begun shipping MotionComposer, its own interactive content creator that outputs to Flash and HTML5 -- allowing animation publishing that works on all the latest browsers, tablets and smartphones, regardless of operating system.
Apple is ultimately headed towards a fall, and probably after the departure of CEO Steve Jobs, says Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, now with developer Digital Chocolate. The latter develops casual games for several platforms, including the iPhone. "If you look at any institution in history -– look at the Roman Empire –- anything in history, and what it looks like when it's peaking," Hawkins tells IndustryGamers.
Adobe Labs has unveiled a public preview release of Adobe Edge, the company's own take on HTML5 animation and interaction design. The free download is available now for both Mac and Windows platforms, but should be considered pre-beta software. The tool in some senses competes with Adobe's own Flash Professional, allowing web designers to create motion and interactive elements using standards such as HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3.
Skyfire has released VideoQ, a new app for iOS devices. The title is similar in concept to the developer's web browser, allowing users to watch Flash videos in iOS after conversion on a remote server. VideoQ is dedicated solely to playback though, and loads clips mainly based on links imported via email, the clipboard or a bookmarklet installed in Safari.
Flash hardware acceleration is not broken under OS X Lion, Adobe now says. The company recently issued a list of known issues for Lion, indicating problems not only with Flash GPU support but software like Illustrator, Lightroom and Photoshop. The statement about hardware acceleration was wrong, Adobe admits.
The release of OS X Lion is causing problems with a host of Adobe software, a support article shows. "Known issues" of varying degrees exist with high-profile titles such as Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Lightroom, Photoshop and Premiere Pro. The biggest problems however lie with Flash, spanning apps like Flash Builder, Flash Catalyst and most notably Flash Player.
Aquafadas is launching an update to its web banner creation app, BannerZest3. The app creates banners based on pre-designed themes. It allows users to drag and drop elements onto templates with customizable backgrounds, text and transitions. It makes animated banners, supports FTP and works with all major website-editing apps. The software is available in standard and pro configurations, with the standard version limited to 10 HTML5 themes and the pro version offering users the ability to save presets for future projects.
Adobe has moved past Flash 10 technology for the first time in earnest with the posting of a Flash 11 beta and a corresponding AIR 3 beta. The two introduce Stage3D, a set of programming standards for "low-level" graphics acceleration. Nicknamed "Molehill," they allow for more advanced 3D in the plugin as well as better 2D performance.
Motorola Xoom owners received two treats on Tuesday with new software and a hint of new hardware. Google has posted to its Android Building group that Android 3.2 is both available to download and should be reaching the tablets. The upgrade adds legacy app zooming, Exchange fixes, and the SD card slot support that Google had promised half a year ago before the launch of the Xoom.
Pandora on Tuesday unveiled a redesign of its website built around escaping the limitations of Flash. The new page is built entirely on HTML5 and takes advantage of dropping Adobe's plugin to improve its speed and interface. Stations now load in about a third of the time, and there's now a persistent music playback bar borrowed from the iPad app that lets listeners explore artists or other parts of the site without interrupting play.
AppMobi has released a new web-based application called AppFlash that gives advertisers, developers and web admins an easy way to convert their Flash-based content to HTML-based iOS code, making it possible to deliver them as iOS apps. The utility is said to be "experimental" by the company, and leverages Google Labs' Swiffy website to do the initial conversion from Flash's .SWF format to HTML5.
A rare open letter from a RIM executive Thursday has challenged the company's co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis to take more dramatic steps to solve its worsening market share problems. The executive, remaining anonymous with BGR to avoid reprisals from the CEOs and their supporters, accused the company of being isolationist in its strategy and refusing to try competitors' products to see how they work. Instead of simply trying to match feature checklists or please middlemen, RIM management should be using Android and iPhone devices for a week and understanding what they're doing better, the source said.
HP has provided firm pricing and availability for its launch of its 9.7-inch TouchPad tablet in the UK. The price for the 16GB model is £399 ($640) and rises to £479 ($770) for the 32GB version. Both will be available online or from UK retailers on July 15.
Google delivered a possible snub to its partner Adobe on Tuesday by posting Swiffy. The Google Labs project converts SWF files into HTML5 that will run in browsers that also support JavaScript objects, SVG (scalable vector graphics), and CSS3. The resulting pages work in any modern browser, desktop or mobile.
Use of mobile apps has grown to where they're now overtaking the web as the preferred format on phones, Flurry said in a new study on Monday. Where the web was still the most used in a given day a year ago at 64 minutes per day versus 43, the situation has now reversed. As of this month, phone owners spend about 81 minutes in apps per day and an increased but still lower 74 minutes on the web, marking the first time the web wasn't the main avenue.
Adobe gave a boost to cross-platform mobile development with the launches of Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5. Both development tools can now build apps for iOS devices as well as the BlackBerry PlayBook and future BlackBerry Tablet OS devices. The app had supported Android as of April but can now harmonize publishing to multiple platforms at once with a sole core code base.
Apple is not only aware of Facebook's Project Spartan but may even be helping it out, fresh leaks uncovered on Friday. The iPhone maker is thought to be lending "minor support" to the HTML5 app project because it doesn't see the initiative as a threat to the App Store. This might be due to the quality of the apps themselves as the quality is "laughable" next to a native app, according to TechCrunch.
Facebook is hoping to bring its app platform to mobile through a massive effort targeting iOS users, details of which escaped Wednesday night. Project Spartan would bring the social network's apps to mobile Safari through an HTML5 wrapper that would replicate some of Facebook itself, such as Credits. About 80 developers were said by TechCrunch to be involved, including FarmVille's Zynga and the Huffington Post.
