This, new offering has certainly brought some much needed glad tidings for owners of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus who have been using their devices without flash support ever since it was launched.
“This updated includes no major features but only improvements and bug fixes associated with stability, performance, and device compatibility,” stated Adobe, according to a report by the Inquirer.
Furthermore, the update sized at around 4.5 MB, is now available in the Android Market as a free download. The update is compatible with Android 2.2 Froyo and all its successors including the Ice Cream Sandwich. However, it does feature a few warnings related to Ice Cream Sandwich such as StageVideo using On2 and Sorenson protocols not working and seeking while video is paused will not update the video frame.
Adobe lists known issues as:
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Seeking while video is paused will not update the frame on ICS device
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StageVideo using On2 and Sorenson does not work on ICS devices
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PHDS content plays with audio pops
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OS does not prioritize incoming call – audio remains playing before and after call is received
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Enter key does not work on the multi-line text input field
In a Friday blog post, Adobe reiterated that stance, asserting that apps are the wave of the future.
“The most stunning, innovative content and games for mobile devices are delivered and consumed through apps,” Adobe’s Tom Nguyen wrote. “The most impactful, engaging experiences on the desktop are delivered through the browser. With Flash Player for desktop and AIR apps for mobile, Flash allows you to craft and deliver beautiful experiences for both.”
Some are ready for Flash to go away: Adobe revealed its intention to end Flash for mobile last month. At the same time, the company emphasized that it is increasing investments in HTML5.
Adobe’s statement said:
Our future work with Flash on mobile devices will be focused on enabling Flash developers to package native apps with Adobe AIR for all the major app stores. We will no longer adapt Flash Player for mobile devices to new browser, OS version or device configurations. Some of our source code licensees may opt to continue working on and releasing their own implementations. We will continue to support the current Android and PlayBook configurations with critical bug fixes and security updates.
Adobe, however, admitted the update has left some issues unresolved, which will be taken care of in future releases, if any. As Adobe has left mobile Flash development up to individual licensees, questions remain as to Google’s commitment to the protocol while it tries to enable cross platform video support with its own codec and HTML5, which leaves Samsung to develop the plugin, if it so chooses to. Additional updates will probably be available on the Android market as well.
Surprisingly today, Google also officially announced Android 4.0.3, the base version of ICS that will be provided to partners.