Adobe Flash is to the smartphone as an unwanted cousin is to your wedding: necessary, yet painstaking. Apple CEO Steve Jobs seems to hate the software, neglecting to support it on all four models of the iPhone. Google’s done a better job of incorporating Flash support into the Android operating system, but still, most of the time Flash ends up being a battery killer, a security risk, not to mention a total bandwidth hog. That could change very soon though, as Qualcomm and Adobe have announced the development of optimizations for better Flash Player support in mid-level to high-end Android smartphones powered by the Snapdragon family of processors.
The first chip to get the upgrade will be the 800MHz MSM7x27 processor, which will finally have a more stable and web browsing experience with regards to Flash. Following shortly thereafter, Flash optimizations will be added to the MSM8x55 family of chips, to ensure smooth HD video support for Flash Player on the smartphones that boast a rich video viewing experience, such as the HTC ThunderBolt, LG Revolution, HTC Inspire 4G, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Xperia Play, and the T-Mobile myTouch 4G.
“Qualcomm and Adobe have developed a lasting relationship driven by both sides’ desire to bring an exceptional Web experience throughout all tiers of smart mobile devices,” said Rob Chandhok, president of Qualcomm Internet Services. “Bringing Flash Player to the mass market segment of smartphones and HD video to higher end smartphones with Qualcomm’s processors will expand the scope of possibilities on a mobile device.”
The first demo of an enhanced Flash performance on a Snapdragon-powered smartphone will go down either today or tomorrow at the Uplinq conference, sponsored by Qualcomm.
[via Phone Arena]
