Skip to main content

Flash 10.2 update going mobile soon, Honeycomb update presumably coming with it

So far, the Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system has been a tablet-only affair. Smartphone users are still stuck in the dark ages of Android 2.3 Gingerbread (which received a new update less than two weeks ago). That’s all going to change soon it seems, and we have Adobe, the makers of Flash, to thank for the information.

The latest version of Flash, 10.2, will be coming to tablets and smartphones both “in the next few weeks,” an Adobe rep told Engadget at the currently-underway Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Flash 10.2 is more efficient at playing back web video, which means it is better about conserving battery life, but the Adobe says that version upgrade required specific additions to Honeycomb. This specifically implies that 10.2 won’t work in a Gingerbread OS, which means that if it’s coming to tablets and smartphones “in the next few weeks” then a Honeycomb update for smartphones ought to be coming at around the same time. It’s not quite an official confirmation from Google, but if you can’t have one without the other then logic dictates that the two will arrive in reasonably close proximity to one another.

Adobe also touted the rising mobile adoption of Flash Player and AIR (Adobe’s development platform) and its high expectations for the coming year. More than 20 million smartphones packing Flash Player 10.1, spread across 35 certified devices, shipped in the six months since launch. The company’s expectation for 2011 is to see more than 132 million Flash Player-supporting devices worldwide, with 50 tablets expected to offer support this year alone. Take note Apple: it’s lonely at the top, isn’t it? HTML5 may be the future, but why don’t you climb on board the Flash train for now?

Adobe also touted the newly released Flash Player 10.2, which optimizes mobile support via Stage Video. The press release notes that test results “show up to 80 percent CPU savings” on 1080p playback in Windows and Mac OS environments, and that mobile device support include Android 3.0 Honeycomb and BlackBerry Tablet OS.

Editors' Recommendations

Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
How to disable VBS in Windows 11 to improve gaming
Highlighting VBS is disabled in Windows 11.

Windows 11's Virtualization Based Security features have been shown to have some impact on gaming performance — even if it isn't drastic. While you will be putting your system more at risk, if you're looking to min-max your gaming PC's performance, you can always disable it. Just follow the steps below to disable VBS in a few quick clicks.

Plus, later in this guide, we discuss if disabling VBS is really worth it, what you'd be losing if you choose to disable it, and other options for boosting your PCs gaming performance that don't necessarily involve messing with VBS.

Read more
How to do a hanging indent in Microsoft Word
A person typing on a keyboard, connected to a Pixel Tablet.

Microsoft Word is one of the most feature-rich word processing tools gifted to us human beings. In fact, the very word “Word” has invaded nomenclature to the point where any discussion of this type of software, regardless of what the product is actually called, typically results in at least one person calling the software “Word.”

Read more
How to double space in Microsoft Word
Overhead view of someone typing on a Surface laptop.

Double-spacing is a great way to organize your word processing, and an excellent optimization that is built into most word processing tools. And whenever we hear “word processing,” one of the first programs that comes to mind is Microsoft Word. This handy software has been around for a minute, and we’re going to teach you how to implement double spaces throughout your next Word doc.

Read more