The Digital Will Change In A FLASH

We may be at the cusp of a major step change in how we present digital content and context which may go further than many expect and make digital accessible to all in a different and more accessible way.

Due to the processing demands of Flash only a light version of the softeware has been used on smartphones and netbooks but a new version is claimed to change this and Adobe, the maker of Flash, said it should be available on most higher-end handsets by 2010. The new software will be available for Windows Mobile, Palm webOS and desktop operating systems including Windows, Macintosh and Linux later this year with Google Android and Symbian operating systems being expected in early 2010. The only downside is that this will not initially include the iPhone who have postured much but still not made any firm commitment.

Why is Flash so important? Flash is one of the most common pieces of software installed on computers and is installed on some 98% of PCs and renders almost 75% of all online video according to Adobe.

It is obvious in that it will enable rich applications to migrate from the PC to the mobile and could negate some of the mobile operating system and browser wars. A neutral platform that is both rich and can offer streamed services and rental as opposed to the current ‘download’ and DRM mindset.

The new software supports the Open Screen Project, backed by nearly 50 companies including Google, aims to create a device neutral platform for films and games that enable them to run on any device ; set top boxes, PCs, netbooks, mobile phones etc. This means developers need only write their code once and render it to many platforms in a consistent manner.


This is bigger news than coloured eInk screens.