HTC’s upcoming Android-based cellular phone, the Hero (see below), will incorporate the functionality of Flash Player 9, which employs ActionScript 2, says Adobe’s press release and CNET News.
Although the Hero won’t initially include the more advanced version of Flash — Flash Player 10 with ActionScript 3 — the handset will able to play a large amount of Flash content, including many video clips, television programs and movies as well as games and other animated Web content. Also, Adobe expects to offer a beta version of Flash Player 10 in the fourth quarter of 2009 and a commercial version in the first half of 2010.
[Adobe has posted a video highlighting the Android’s Flash capabilities (see below).]
Unfortunately, the current Flash software is specific to the Hero, and users of other Android phones won’t be able to download that version, CNET News says. However, Adobe has been actively working on full versions of Flash for a variety of handsets, so the Hero won’t remain the only phone with Flash 9 or 10.
Significant for mobile TV
The incorporation of a cellular phone version of Flash that’s close to or the same as the version on computers is a significant development for mobile television. A huge number of videos are coded in Flash.
If users are able to stream the many TV programs and movies already posted on the Web — without paying a separate monthly mobile TV fee — it could adversely affect paid subscriptions. I discussed this further in my article in February when Adobe said it was developing a full version of Flash for phones for 2010.
U.S. cellular operators as well as companies and organizations in the mobile TV business, such as the Open Mobile Video Coalition, Qualcomm’s FLO TV and MobiTV, will have to consider the potential affects of millions of Flash-enabled handsets.
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