last100 » Adobe

Without Apple’s help, Adobe building Flash to iPhone development bridge

Steve O'Hear — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:08:25 +0000

Building bridges, literally.

No, Adobe isn’t bringing Flash player support to iPhone. That would require cooperation from Cupertino, something that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is unlikely to sanction. Instead, the upcoming version of the latest Flash developer tools – Adobe Flash Professional CS5 – will offer Flash developers a way to output their finished creations as a native app for iPhone and iPod touch.

Since the source code is iPhone OS native, presumably through an Actionscript to Objective-C bridge, the resulting apps should qualify for submission to the iPhone App Store just as they would if they’d been built using Apple’s own development tools. This means that developers can re-factor their Flash creations for the iPhone and iPod touch, with Apple remaining in control of distribution.

In other words, while Adobe may have found a work-around of sorts for getting Flash content onto the iPhone (even if it’s no longer technically Flash), it’s hard to see how it doesn’t benefit Apple in equal measure. This isn’t Flash support as we know it – via a browser plug-in – and is likely to see tons of ‘casual’ Flash games arriving in the iPhone App Store, some of which will be paid-for apps where Apple takes a 30% cut. Adobe won’t see a penny of this directly but will hope to sell more copies of it CS5 developer tools with the wide ranging promise of ‘build once, run anywhere’.

Java anyone?

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Adobe Flash seen running on Palm Pre – Netbooks, MIDs, and other smartphones also set to win (iPhone aside)

Steve O'Hear — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:30:12 +0000

Adobe has long talked up its ambition to have Flash running on all manner of screens, not just the humble PC, and today the company got a lot closer to walking the walk not just talking.

Through the Open Screen Project, Adobe was already known to be working with smartphone platforms from Palm (WebOS), Nokia (Symbian) and Microsoft (Windows Mobile), along with a raft of content providers, chip makers and consumer electronics companies. Today, the company added Google and Research In Motion to the list, with relation to Android and Blackberry-powered smartphones respectively, leaving Apple’s iPhone as the odd one out regarding planned support for full Flash (or any Flash support at all).

Historically, Apple has always defended iPhone’s lack of Flash support by arguing that it’s too processor and power intensive, and that the cut down mobile version of Flash (Flash Lite) just isn’t up to the job. With Moore’s Law kicking in (faster smartphone processors) and Adobe working hard to optimize Flash for the latest mobile chips, this argument is holding less and less water. In the video demo below, we can see Flash performing pretty well on Palm’s Pre smartphone, a device that shares much under the hood with the latest iPhone 3GS.

Instead, as I’ve argued previously, Apple has a very different motive for keeping Adobe Flash away from the iPhone.

… as we all should know by now, the real reason why Apple doesn’t want to embrace Adobe’s Flash is that it would offer third-party developers an alternative “runtime” on which to develop and, perhaps more importantly, distribute apps for the iPhone, bypassing Apple’s control (and that of its partner carriers) and the iTunes App Store itself. And we can’t have that, can we?

The other big win for the Open Screen Project are the latest Netbooks and future MIDS (Mobile Internet Devices) or so-called smartbooks, reports Engadget. “Flash 10.1 will take advantage of GPU acceleration on a number of key mobile platforms, including both nVidia’s Tegra and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon alongside ION for smooth (well, theoretically smooth) 720p and 1080p video on the latest generation of netbooks and smartbooks.”

Where all of this leaves Microsoft’s own Flash competitor Silverlight on mobile is anybody’s guess, although probably not in the best of shape. While Nokia is partnering with Redmond to bring Silverlight support to Symbian, Microsoft itself is simultaneously supporting Flash for Windows Mobile, such is the anbundance of exciting Flash-powered content on the Web.

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Flash 10 coming to smartphones this October? Apple and RIM still missing in action

Steve O'Hear — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:26:53 +0000

It seems that Adobe is well on track to deliver a version of Flash 10 for smartphones, with the first beta release due this October. Adobe President and CEO Shantanu Naraye said as much during the company’s latest earnings call, as well as revealing that “multiple partners have already received early versions of this release…”.

Naraye then goes on to name names, citing Android, Nokia’s Symbian, Windows Mobile and Palm’s WebOS as among the first smartphones to “support web browsing with the newsest Flash player.”

Missing in action is RIM’s BlackBerry and, less surprising, Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch devices. Apple’s official line has always been that the full version of Flash player – not the underpowered and less well supported Flash Lite – is too processor intensive to run properly on a smartphone, leading to a significant drain on battery life. However, with the new iPhone 3GS (the “S” stands for speed) that would appear to be less on an issue.

Instead, as we all should know by now, the real reason why Apple doesn’t want to embrace Adobe’s Flash is that it would offer third-party developers an alternative “runtime” on which to develop and, perhaps more importantly, distrubute apps for the iPhone, bypassing Apple’s control (and that of its partner carriers) and the iTunes App Store itself. And we can’t have that, can we? Instead, it’s been reported that Apple may be planning to add support for Flash video in particular through an update to the iPhone’s version of Apple’s QuickTime.

As for why RIM hasn’t jumped on board, well that’s anybody’s guess, although I’d suggest that making a decent web browser for BlackBerry – you know, one that renders HTML properly – should be a priority for RIM over adding the bells and whistles of Flash.

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Forget iPhone, Adobe wants to put Flash on the telly

Steve O'Hear — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:59:15 +0000

Just like everybody else these days, Adobe has its sights set on the living room. Today the company announced a version of its Adobe Flash Platform designed to run on Internet-connected televisions, set-top boxes, and Blu-ray players, with the aim of making it easier to deliver online video and other web-based content – think widgets – to the TV.

To achieve this, Adobe has already recruited a range of hardware and content partners, including Broadcom, Comcast, Intel, STMicroelectronics, Netflix, The New York Times Company, and Disney. The first devices to support the specially optimized version of Flash are expected to ship in the second half of 2009, says Adobe.

As much as Flash is entrenched on personal computers, especially for online video, like with mobile phones (still no Flash support on iPhone), Adobe is yet to become the dominant standard for delivering Internet content into the living room. Others competing in the space include Microsoft with its Mediaroom platform aimed at Telcos, and now with Silverlight, a direct Flash competitor.

Then there’s Yahoo with its “Widgets Channel”, which is also being backed by Intel who are obviously hedging their bets, and recently entered the wild on televisions from Samsung. Boutique gadget maker Chumby has re-invented itself for the living room, partnering with chip maker Broadcom to make it easy for consumer electronics companies to embed its widget platform into Internet-connected TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes. And even Google is eyeing up the space, with rumors that a set-top box platform similar to Android is in the works, while the company has begun publicly experimenting with Internet TV widgets via a partnership with Panasonic.

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Internet TV partners: Intel and Adobe, Roku and Amazon, Netflix and LG

Steve O'Hear — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:33:34 +0000

With the Consumer Electronics Show just around the corner, it’s traditional for companies to push out a flurry of pre-show announcements, hopefully clearing the way for more exciting news. Today, a number of industry players announced partnerships relating to getting Internet content onto the TV – a theme that will, once again, be prevalent at CES.

Roku and Amazon

Roku’s set-top box will soon be adding support for the streaming version of Amazon’s on-demand video service. Previously, the hardware was a one trick pony, with Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’ functionality only. From the press release: “Beginning in early 2009, the Roku Player… will offer access to Amazon Video On Demand’s more than 40,000 commercial-free movies and television shows enabling Roku customers for the first time to watch new release movies titles instantly.”

LG and Netflix

LG and Netflix’s partnership isn’t new but it’s taking a new turn hardware-wise. This time, LG is to bypass the set-top box altogether, adding Netflix streaming support to new range of Internet connected TVs.

Intel and Adobe

Flash video coming to a TV near you if Intel and Adobe have their way. The two companies announced that they are collaborating to bring Adobe Flash to Intel’s Media Processor CE 3100, a chip designed for set-top boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, digital TVs and other consumer electronics. This is expected to pave the way for “richer and more seamless Web-based and video viewing experiences”, according to the joint press release. It’s more evidence of Intel’s intention to further spread its wares beyond traditional PCs, and in particular new Internet-connected TVs — see Deja vu: Internet ‘widgets’ coming to the TV in 2009.

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Hope for Flash on iPhone? New Mac version runs 3 x faster

Steve O'Hear — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:34:03 +0000

It’s something Mac users have lived with for years: the version of Adobe’s Flash Player for OSX runs much less efficiently than its Windows counterpart. Perhaps then, we shouldn’t have been all that surprised to hear Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ explanation of why the iPhone doesn’t support Flash. Simply put, it runs too darn slow, while the cut-down version designed specifically for mobile devices – known as Flash Lite – isn’t fully-featured enough to grace the screen of Apple’s device. However, Adobe could be about to put its house in order with regards to support for the Mac, leading to speculation that the iPhone could be next.

According to Adobe developer Tinic Uro, the latest beta of Adobe Flash Player 10 running on Mac OSX is significantly faster than previous versions. “If you have followed GUIMark at all you will notice that this version of the player runs this benchmark substantially better on OSX than any previous Flash Player version”, writes Uro on his personal blog. “It should be up to 3 times faster”.

Just in the same way that improvements to Apple’s desktop version of its Safari web browser eventually trickle down to the company’s mobile version, it’s logical to assume that a more efficient version of Flash for Mac helps Adobe’s case in persuading Apple to sanction porting Flash onto the iPhone, as both platforms share the same core operating system. However, it’s far from clear if “3 times faster” on Mac OSX translates into Flash running “fast enough” on the iPhone.

Also see: Who needs Flash on iPhone more? Adobe or Apple?

And, as we’ve argued in the past, the inefficiency of Flash, whilst real, maybe a smokescreen for the real reason Jobs doesn’t want to see Adobe’s software on iPhone anytime soon.

Instead, this is really a battle over whose technology becomes the choice for those developing Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) for mobile devices. Adobe hopes it will be the company’s Flash-based AIR platform, while Jobs is intent on ensuring that nothing detracts from the iPhone’s newly released Software Development Kit (SDK) or Safari’s support for emerging Web standards that enable RIA features such as video/animation and offline storage.

Photo illustration by Gizmodo.

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Adobe Media Player launches – does the world need another Internet TV app?

Steve O'Hear — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:44:35 +0000

Today, Adobe launched version 1.0 of its new desktop Internet TV application.

The Adobe Media Player (AMP), built using the company’s Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) — a cross-platform technology designed to bring web-based applications to the desktop — is an aggregator and media player that enables users to subscribe to, download and playback Flash-based video. Included in the application is a directory of content provided by Adobe’s partners, including CBS, MTV Networks, Universal Music Group, PBS, CondéNet, and Scripps Networks or, alternatively, users can add content from any Flash/MPEG4 video source that provides an RSS feed. In this respect, AMP can be compared to the video podcast functionality of Apple’s iTunes or the open source Miro. However, neither iTunes or Miro (or even VeohTV, which features similar functionality) offer a way for providers to monetize their content through advertising. This is where the Adobe Media Player is attempting to fill a void.

Describing the application from a user’s point of view, John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe, said in a written statement: “It’s a merger of TV Guide and DVR for Internet video content. Some great shows, like The Hills from MTV and CSI from CBS, is already available to view and more will be coming soon.”

And on behalf of Adobe’s content partners, Melissa Webster, vice president, IDC Content and Digital Media Technologies, is quoted in the press release: “Audiences want a great playback experience, including streamed or downloaded high-quality video. At the same time, content owners need to protect and monetize their content via premium services or advertising. This is the opportunity that Adobe is addressing with Adobe Media Player.”

Specifically, the Adobe Media Player provides partners with “next generation offline monetisation and branding options” which “can provide content publishers with anonymous measurement of content usage data”. This will enable viewing data to be captured, even during offline playback, so that adverts can be targeted more accurately and efficiently (with Adobe taking a cut of course). Additionally, content (both streaming and downloads) can be locked down using Adobe’s Flash Video copy-protection technology.

Moving forward, Adobe plans to add download to own or rent options later this year, reports NewTeeVee, as well user-generated content. The former would mean further invading iTunes (and SyncTV) territory, while the latter begins to step on YouTube’s toes (a major Adobe Flash Video licensee).

Also see: RWW’s further analysis and our early Adobe Media Player review.

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