The latest version of Android, Android 4.1 a.k.a Jelly Beans will no longer be supported by Flash in third party web browsers like Opera Mobile, Dolphin HD and Firefox. The spokesperson of Opera Mobile, Thomas Ford stated that the browser could support Flash only if it was available for the device or platform.
While most of the applications these days are based on Web standards like HTML 5, there are still many videos, games and online publications which work on support of Flash technology. In fact, as much as 98 per cent of Web-browsing desktops support Flash technology and its plug-ins. One of the key features of Android 4.1 is that Google has included in it its new “no-flash” Chrome browser on all tablets. On the other hand, even in mobile browsers, the use of Flash technology is gradually facing extinction since the companies are favouring HTML 5 as the standard for Web browsing.
Adobe’s reason for pulling the plug on Flash is based on its belief that it will never reach the level of ubiquity as it did in the case of PCs. Perhaps Apple Inc. realised this much before Adobe and it blocked Flash when iPhone was launched. The presence of Flash in fact was a major difference between iOS and Android. Google itself supported Flash till some point of time. In 2010 when Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Google Inc. launched Droid X, he commented on iOS’ lack of it and said that gadgets needed applications like Flash for the proper functioning of multimedia.
Microsoft confirmed that the upcoming Windows RT will support Flash and so would BlackBerry’s PlayBook. Ever since Adobe gave a warning in November, most of the third party Android browsers have evolved in their multimedia, way of messaging and have started becoming HTML-5 friendly. According to some benchmarks that were established, among the fastest browsers which are HTML-5 ready, Google’s Chrome bagged the first place followed by Opera Mobile and Firefox.
Meanwhile, Mozilla announced the dates of release of its new mobile-based operating system based on HTML-5 called Firefox OS. The same will be shipped early in year 2013 in Brazil and will be available on devices manufactured by TCL Communication Technology and ZTE. This operating system is a part of Mozilla’s open-source Boot to Gecko which supports super light footprint at considerably lower manufacturing costs. In fact it is being advertised as a fairly open source even more than Google’s Android and Chrome and it will run all apps that run on HTML-5, irrespective of the original platform.
