Thursday March 11, 2010
Windows 7 phones to support Flash 10.1
11 March 2010 – Adobe has confirmed that it is working with Microsoft to bring full Flash capabilities to forthcoming Windows Phone 7 Series devices. In a blog post this week, Mike Chambers, product manager for developer relations for the Flash Platform at Adobe, confirmed that “Adobe and Microsoft are working together to bring Flash Player 10.1 to Internet Explorer Mobile on Windows Phone 7 Series,” though he did not provide further details. Support for the full version of Flash is seen as a key advantage for smartphone vendors looking to compete with the iPhone as the Apple device does not support the technology, which is used by many websites. Google announced at the recent GSMA Mobile World Congress that its Android mobile operating system will also soon add support for Flash 10.1.
ChannelWeb notes that Microsoft is unlikely to use Flash for native application development and will prefer to use its own Silverlight technology. However, Flash will allow it to support many different types of content. "It seems like a smart strategy for Microsoft," Dave Meeker, director of emerging media and co-director of Roundarch Labs, a web development firm, told ChannelWeb. "Consumers don't care if it's Flash, HTML5, or Silverlight. They want a good experience - bottom line.” The first phones running Windows Phone 7 Series will be on the market for Christmas 2010; major handset vendors such as Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson have pledged to support the platform.
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