This event will be taking place in Orlando Florida and will also be providing the world with what RIM hopes will be a renewed interest in the apps side of things in the waning world of BlackBerry. There’s already a session catalog out for the event called Phase One, RIM providing a first slate of sessions here in early April. This event will be centered around BlackBerry 10 of course as well as toolsets for interaction with the software at every experience level.

BlackBerry has recently been quick to tout the percentage increase in apps developed for BlackBerry’s App World in the face of falling profits and Executive exits galore in the news in past weeks. A 68 percent increase in the 4th quarter of 2011 of vendors registered for App World is one of these seemingly impressive numbers, a 21 percent increase in BlackBerry smartphone apps created for App World is another. There was also an 89 percent increase in BBM-connected apps, and a whopping 240 percent increase in apps submitted to App World for the PlayBook.

Will you be attending BlackBerry World or BlackBerry 10 Jam? Let us know!

[via eWeek]

We think that the timing couldn’t be more perfect for those of you that live stateside and just can’t wait to get your hands on Verizon’s sleek new 4G LTE-powered Galaxy Nexus smartphone, reviewed by us here. Also, we want to remind you this is the last version of Flash that will be headed to Android after Adobe announced that it would be completely ditching the platform for Android and other mobile operating systems.

What about other devices besides the Galaxy Nexus? Well, that’s entirely up to the decision of the other OEM companies. Most will probably continue to provide support for future smartphone models, but more significant advances in Flash and Adobe AIR for Android are pretty much finished. But for the Galaxy Nexus hopefuls out there, just be glad you’re getting a last and final update before the last final croak of the mobile flash platform. Rest in peace, mobile Flash, you’ve had a good run on some great smartphones.

[via Adobe]

Of course, just because it doesn’t believe Flash is best for connected TVs, doesn’t mean the company is leaving the segment entirely to rivals. Instead, it will push Adobe AIR apps as part of its recently announced smart TV port, with developers already using the technology to create software for Samsung sets. AIR apps can also be used on mobile devices and on the desktop, but are standalone code rather than living in the browser.

RIM’s challenge, meanwhile, is to live up to its heavy Flash focused advertising for the PlayBook, with support for the standard being a key part of the Canadian company’s value proposition versus the iPad and Android slates. The plan is to take up independent development of Flash for the PlayBook, though RIM will also look to HTML5 for future BBX phones and tablets.

“As an Adobe source code licensee, we will continue to work on and release our own implementations. RIM remains committed to delivering an uncompromised Web browsing experience to our customers, including native support for Adobe Flash Player on our BlackBerry PlayBook tablet (similar to a desktop PC browser), as well as HTML5 support on both our BlackBerry smartphone and PlayBook browsers” RIM statement

Adobe has been criticized for its Flash mobile decision – and the length of time it took the company to settle on a strategy – by former Flash Lite and Flash Mobile lead Calos Icaza.

RIM PlayBook Flash advert:

The updates are expected to bring hardware-accelerate 2D and 3D graphics rendering through Stage 3D. Adobe promises up to 1,000 times faster rendering performance in comparison to Flash Player 10 and AIR 2, which means up to 60FPS rendering and console quality games.

Additionally, LG and TiVo have been announced as the latest partners to bring Flash-based apps to its connected TVs via AIR, while Samsung SmartTVs already support Flash. AIR 3 will also allow developers to convert code to native apps for other platforms, including Android, BlackBerry Tablet OS, and iOS.

The announcement took place during the company’s MAX conference today, where it also revealed six new tablet-optimized apps, including Photoshop Touch, which will be heading to Android tablets first starting next month. For more details on the downloads, you can visit Adobe’s blog post.

[via Android Community]

Adobe’s platform general manager, Danny Winokur, posted an official response on the Adobe Blog addressing concerns regarding Flash support in Windows 8′s Metro UI. Winokur reminds that Flash will still be supported in the Windows 8 desktop interface, just not in the touch-friendly Metro tablet interface.

“We expect Windows desktop to be extremely popular for years to come (including Windows 8 desktop) and that it will support Flash just fine, including rich web based games and premium videos that require Flash,” said Winokur.

He also points out that Flash-based apps can still be delivered to the Metro version of Windows 8 via Adobe AIR, much like how they are currently deployed on Android, iOS, and the BlackBerry tablet OS.

However, it does seem like Adobe will have to do some transitioning to adapt more HTML 5 into its repertoire. Winokur says that the company is now more focused on providing the tools to enable publishers and developers to deliver the richest user experiences regardless of the technology behind it, be it HTML 5 or Flash. Adobe also looks forward to working with Microsoft, Google, Apple and others in the HTML community to further develop HTML 5 for delivering rich content.

The announcement was posted on Adobe’s Developer Connection website stating the decision to discontinue development and support for InMarket was based on developer feedback. And that along with discontinuing InMarket, it would also shutter AIR Marketplace, which was built three years ago when there were few distribution channels available for AIR developers.

Specifically citing Apple App Store, Android Market, BlackBerry App World, Intel AppUp center, Samsung Apps, and Toshiba App Place, Adobe admits these “newer popular” app stores are better options for AIR developers, giving them more app distribution opportunities on desktops, mobile devices, and tablets. Both the InMarket and AIR Marketplace platforms will close its doors on August 31, giving developers one month make the switch to another platform.

[via 9to5 Mac]

Adobe wrote in an official blog post that to offer support for the variety of Linux-based platforms across PCs and other devices it would be prioritizing a Linux porting kit for AIR including the source code. The porting kit will allow Open Screen Project partners to complete AIR programming and implementations on Linux PCs, TVs, mobile devices, and more. At the same time, Adobe is announcing that AIR 2.6 will be the last version of AIR released for Linux desktops directly by Adobe.

The porting kit will be the focus moving forward and support of partner implementations. Adobe claims this will allow it to provide broad support for AIR on Linux PCs through partner developments. Adobe claims that less than 0.5% of lifetime AIR downloads were its own desktop Linux release. Existing AIR apps for Linux hardware will continue to operate, but the user will not be able to install apps or updates that require later versions of Air unless the update is offered by an Adobe partner.

The DirecTV deal will see Samsung integrate RVU chips into its LED D6000, LED D6400 and LED 6420 TV models, allowing each HDTV to receive streamed content from a single DirecTV server. They’ll go on sale in March 2011, offering DVR services, live pause on all screens in the home, 200hrs of shared storage, PiP and the ability to record up to five shows simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Samsung has also announced a deal to put Adobe AIR 2.5 on its smart TVs and Blu-ray players, together with adding Flash Player 10.1 support to the browser on its sets. Apps written in AIR will be cross-platform compatible with Samsung HDTVs just as they are on PCs, Macs and other platforms today.

Press Release:

Samsung and DIRECTV Partner to Deliver World’s First RVU-Compatible Production Television

DIRECTV and Samsung Showcase Multi-room DVR Technology On Samsung Smart TVs

2011 International CES
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today at the International Consumer Electronics Show, DIRECTV and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced they have partnered to present the world’s first RVU-compatible production televisions, which will provide more than 19.1 million DIRECTV subscribers with the ability to watch live broadcast and stored content from their DVR on Samsung smart TVs, without the need for additional set-top boxes. As founding members of the RVU Alliance, Samsung and DIRECTV are committed to providing a more seamless entertainment experience for consumers across multiple rooms and a variety of screens, through the use of standardized Remote User Interface (RUI) technology.

“Making DIRECTV features and content available to Samsung’s televisions through the RVU server allows consumers to enjoy our innovative service without the need for additional set-top boxes. We are pleased to see our successful partnership with Samsung expand to include support for RVU in their 2011 model range.”
The RVU protocol will be supported on Samsung’s LED D6000, LED D6400 and LED 6420 TV products that reflect the company’s commitment to delivering consumers high-quality, visually enhanced and connected entertainment experiences in their home. A RUI technology based on industry standards such as DLNA and UPnP, RVU allows a set-top box server to provide a multi-room, complete viewing experience that includes DVR services, without the need for additional set-top boxes in homes that have more than one connected TV.

“We are very happy to be working with an esteemed satellite provider like DIRECTV and provide the world first RVU service to consumers with Samsung TV,” said Boo-Keun Yoon, president of Samsung’s Visual Display Business. “Products developed on RVU standards, one of the major RUI standards, will help accelerate the development of features and applications that can provide our customers with a truly customizable, immersive entertainment experience that can be enjoyed from the comfort of the home.”

“The CES demonstration of the first RVU compliant television is exciting news for the industry and consumers who want a consistent, superior user experience throughout the home,” said Romulo Pontual, CTO of DIRECTV. “Making DIRECTV features and content available to Samsung’s televisions through the RVU server allows consumers to enjoy our innovative service without the need for additional set-top boxes. We are pleased to see our successful partnership with Samsung expand to include support for RVU in their 2011 model range.”

Capable of supporting multiple connected televisions, DIRECTV’s RVU server enables the UI and features to be displayed directly on those connected TVs. Under this partnership, Samsung will embed support for RVU in their smart TVs and provide its customers with the full DIRECTV experience, including DVR services, live pause abilities on all screens in the home, 200 hours worth of shared storage, picture-in-picture capabilities and the power to record up to five shows at once. Samsung’s RVU-compatible TVs will be available in March 2011.

More information on Samsung’s Smart TV strategy and Samsung’s new partnerships were announced during Mr. Boo-Keun Yoon’s keynote address, which can now be viewed at www.samsungces2011.com.

Press Release:

Samsung and Time Warner Cable Announce Collaboration for Smart TV Service and Multi-Room Solutions

Time Warner Cable App to be Available to the Company’s Subscribers on Samsung Smart TV and Samsung Galaxy Tab

2011 International CES
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Time Warner Cable shared the stage today at the International Consumer Electronics Show to announce a collaboration that will allow Time Warner Cable customers to access their cable subscriptions on the Samsung Smart TV and Samsung Galaxy Tab in their homes. Time Warner Cable Chairman and CEO Glenn Britt joined Samsung Visual Display President Boo-Keun Yoon on stage during Mr. Yoon’s keynote speech, where the two companies jointly announced the collaboration and demonstrated the services.

“The era of smart TV is here, and innovative partners like Time Warner Cable, that can utilize this ground-breaking technology to deliver new entertainment solutions to their consumers, will be the first to succeed.”
Available as an app within Samsung’s application storefront, the Time Warner Cable service ultimately will give Time Warner Cable’s subscribers access to all of their cable channels directly on Samsung smart TVs and Galaxy Tab in the home. All of the content can be consumed through Samsung’s award-winning LED, LCD and Plasma smart TV line-up, which delivers a high-quality, visual enhanced and connected entertainment experience to the home.

In addition to watching live TV on the Smart TV and Tab, Mr. Britt demonstrated the capability for Time Warner Cable customers to access recorded content from a DVR elsewhere in the home directly on the Samsung Smart TV, without the need for a connected set-top box. This creates a multi-room viewing experience that doesn’t require multiple set-top boxes in homes that have more than one connected TV.

“We are very excited to announce Time Warner Cable as our newest partner in delivering new smart TV experiences,” said Boo-Keun Yoon, president of Samsung’ Visual Display Business. “The era of smart TV is here, and innovative partners like Time Warner Cable, that can utilize this ground-breaking technology to deliver new entertainment solutions to their consumers, will be the first to succeed.”

“We’re excited to bring together Time Warner Cable’s high-value content and high-quality delivery with Samsung’s innovative products,” said Mr. Britt. “Time Warner Cable is committed to making it easier for our customers to watch what they want, when they want, on multiple devices. We’re giving customers more control than ever in ways that are simple and easy for them. Samsung’s leading technology and large base of consumers make the company the perfect partner as we deliver services that will change the way people watch TV.”

The Time Warner Cable applications will be demonstrated at the Samsung booth in the Central Hall at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Jan. 6-9, 2011.

Time Warner Cable anticipates beginning to offer the apps commercially on Samsung devices later this year.

Press Release:

Samsung and Comcast Partner to Transform TV Viewing on Smart Televisions and Tablets

New Comcast Xfinity TV Experience to Launch on Samsung Smart TVs and Tablets This Year

2011 International CES
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today at the International Consumer Electronics (CES) Show, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) jointly announced the companies’ partnership to continue to revolutionize the way consumers access content and watch TV. For the first time on a connected TV, the new Xfinity TV service will offer a rich, Web-like interface, enabling simpler navigation and the ability to seamlessly search across linear TV, DVR recordings, and video on demand among tens of thousands of content choices. A sleek graphics-rich display will guide the viewer to their favorite programming.

“As we begin this exciting new decade, Samsung is also launching a new era of TV technologies that will delight and amaze consumers unlike ever before”
The partnership also will deliver a customized and integrated multi-platform viewing experience on Samsung smart TVs and the Android™-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab. On the tablet, the Xfinity TV experience is a virtual television guide and a mobile video player all in one. Xfinity TV digital customers will be able to browse, discover and sort video content, change the channel on a Samsung smart TV in real time, and program DVRs. In addition, they can watch streaming TV programming and movies directly on the tablet, and access that content across multiple devices. The service’s roadmap includes the ability to begin watching a favorite movie on the Samsung Galaxy Tab, then pause the movie and resume watching it on a Samsung smart TV from the exact moment it was paused, and vice versa.

The Xfinity TV service was unveiled today at the International Consumer Electronics Show by Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian L. Roberts during a keynote speech by Boo-Keun Yoon, president of Samsung’s Visual Display Business, and will also be demonstrated at the Samsung booth in the Central Hall.

“As we begin this exciting new decade, Samsung is also launching a new era of TV technologies that will delight and amaze consumers unlike ever before,” said Boo-Keun Yoon, president of Samsung’s Visual Display Business. “To partner with the renowned Comcast brand enables us to deliver on our promise of giving consumers greater variety, easy access and control of the content they discover and deliver a more immersive and entertaining experience to Comcast customers.”

Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Corporation, said, “Our partnership with an industry leader like Samsung is another important step in Comcast’s plan to totally reinvent how consumers watch television wherever and whenever they want. We have the technology framework in place to deliver new features to Comcast customers faster than ever, including on connected TVs, tablets and multiple devices, which is core to our strategy and a key facet of the future of television.”

The Xfinity TV experience will be distributed later this year on the Samsung smart TVs and on the application store for the Galaxy products interacting through the Comcast set-top box, giving consumers yet another access point for discovering and connecting to Comcast Xfinity TV services. Content can be watched through Samsung’s award-winning LED, LCD and PDP TV products that reflect the company’s commitment to delivering consumers high-quality, visually enhanced and connected entertainment experiences in their home.

More information on Samsung’s smart TV strategy and Samsung’s partnership with Comcast were shared during Mr. Boo-Keun Yoon’s keynote address, which can now be viewed at www.samsungces2011.com.

Press Release:

Samsung and Adobe Bring Adobe AIR to Smart TVs

Samsung Becomes First to Integrate Adobe AIR 2.5 into Televisions and Blu-ray Players; Announces Plans to Bring Adobe Flash Player 10.1 to Smart TVs

2011 International CES
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today at the International Consumer Electronics Show, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Adobe announced that Samsung’s Smart TV platform will be the first to integrate support for Adobe® AIR® 2.5 for TV, making it easy for developers to build, distribute and monetize standalone applications through Samsung’s Smart TV applications store, Samsung Apps. The integration of AIR for TV with Samsung’s Smart TV platform will create new opportunities for a growing community of more than three million Adobe Flash® Platform developers who can use Adobe Creative Suite 5 to author content for AIR for TV. All of Samsung’s 2011 Smart TVs and Smart Blu-ray players will include support for Adobe AIR for TV.

“Adobe is a key partner for Samsung and we are thrilled to be the first TV manufacturer to support Adobe AIR across the Samsung Smart TV platform”
Samsung also announced plans to bring Adobe Flash Player 10.1 to its Smart TV browser, extending the company’s current support for Flash Player 10.1 on Samsung smartphones and tablets. With the addition of Flash Player 10.1, users will enjoy a more complete web browsing experience on the TV, with access to millions of websites with rich videos, games and other multimedia content.

“Adobe is a key partner for Samsung and we are thrilled to be the first TV manufacturer to support Adobe AIR across the Samsung Smart TV platform,” said Boo-Keun Yoon, President of Samsung’s Visual Display Business. “Together, Samsung and Adobe are transforming the ways in which consumers interact with devices and content, providing rich, interactive applications built with industry-leading, cross platform tools.”

“Content publishers want to extend their reach from smartphones to the largest screen in the home – all without sacrificing the unique context and experience of each screen,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO of Adobe. “Samsung is the first device manufacturer to embrace Adobe AIR for TV, and together we will enable developers to extend media applications, social games and other forms of rich content to televisions and a wide range of Samsung devices.”

With Samsung’s Smart TV platform and Adobe AIR for TV, developers are able to leverage existing code to create and deliver standalone applications across devices and platforms. The Samsung Smart TV platform was built with the developer in mind, enabling content creators to develop applications on an open platform, using common web standards like Javascript and XML and now support for Adobe AIR. The platform uses a single Software Developer Kit (SDK) for Apps that runs across HDTVs, Blu-ray players and Blu-ray Home Theater systems so developers can write once and deploy apps across several platforms. This gives developers the opportunity for more versatile monetization and enables a consistent and intuitive experience for consumers.

More information about Samsung’s Smart TV strategy and Samsung’s new partnerships was announced during Mr. Boo-Keun Yoon’s keynote address, which can now be viewed at www.samsungces2011.com. For more information about Adobe AIR for TV visit http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/flash_platform_tv.html

Video after the cut

Together with Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch – rubbing his hands together at Adobe AIR 2.5 being so heavily baked into RIM’s SDK for the PlayBook – Lazaridis ran through Flash video, in-browser Flash content, multitasking, and some AIR applications from third party developers.

It all looks mighty slick, as you’d hope for a big on-stage demo like this, though of course there’s plenty of time before the PlayBook arrives in stores in the first half of 2011.  More information in the video below.

In return for InMarket distribution, Adobe takes 30-percent of the sales revenue.  They also handle credit card processing, hosting and marketing.  It’s not entirely clear which stores they’re working with – “Acer, Intel and others” is all the press release confirms – but we’re guessing the Android Market is high on their agenda.

Meanwhile, Adobe confirmed that Flash Player 10.1 for Android has been downloaded from the Android Market over 2m times.  Adobe AIR 2.5 and the Adobe AIR 2.5 SDK for Android and desktop (Windows, Macintosh and Linux) are available today.  The BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR, which works with the Adobe AIR 2.5 SDK to create applications for the BlackBerry Tablet OS, is available today from RIM; the runtime should be preloaded on the BlackBerry PlayBook, when that arrives in early 2011.

[via Android Community]

Press Release:

Adobe Extends AIR Applications Across Screens

Adobe AIR 2.5 for Televisions, Mobile Devices and Desktops Unveiled; Adobe InMarket Launched

Adobe MAX 2010
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–At Adobe MAX, Adobe’s worldwide developer conference, Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® AIR® 2.5 software for televisions, tablets, smartphones and desktop operating systems. A key element of the Adobe Flash® Platform, AIR enables developers to leverage existing code to create and deliver standalone applications across devices and platforms. Adobe AIR now supports smartphones and tablets based on BlackBerry® Tablet OS, Android™, iOS, and desktops including Windows®, Macintosh and Linux® operating systems. In addition, Samsung will be the first television manufacturer to integrate support for Adobe AIR 2.5 in Samsung SmartTVs while Acer, HTC, Motorola, RIM, Samsung and others are expected to ship the runtime pre-installed on a variety of devices including tablets and smartphones later this year and early 2011.

“The HTC Experience is centered on delighting our customers and the addition of Flash Player 10.1 to many of our phones such as the Droid Incredible by HTC, HTC Evo4G and HTC Desire demonstrates this”
With Adobe AIR, developers are able to use familiar tools including Adobe Flash® Professional CS5, Adobe Flash Builder™ and Flex to build rich standalone applications. Hundreds of them are already available on Android Market, Intel AppUp center and Apple’s App Store today. In addition to AIR 2.5, Adobe also unveiled Adobe InMarket today, a new service that allows developers to easily distribute and sell their applications across different device types on app stores from Acer, Intel, and others. Adobe InMarket operates seamlessly in the background and allows end users to download applications directly from the storefront. For more information visit Adobe InMarket.

“With the release of AIR 2.5, more than 3 million Flash developers can now build a single game or application and easily deploy it across multiple application stores and devices,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Creative and Interactive Solutions Business, Adobe. “This is a huge step forward for developers looking to build rich, engaging applications but who have historically had to incur the cost of building them separately for each device and platform.”

AIR 2.5 enables rich application experiences through a series of new features, including support for accelerometer, camera, video, microphone, multi-touch and gestures. Support for geo location allows developers to create location-based applications and services. AIR 2.5 is also able to display native-browser controls within the application allowing for the integration of HTML and .SWF content. With SQLite support, developers can easily store and cache databases inside an AIR application. In addition, hardware acceleration for Adobe AIR is enabled across all major silicon partners including Broadcom Corporation, Intel, NVIDIA, ST Microelectronics, Trident, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm and others.

Partner Feedback

“The HTC Experience is centered on delighting our customers and the addition of Flash Player 10.1 to many of our phones such as the Droid Incredible by HTC, HTC Evo4G and HTC Desire demonstrates this,” said John Wang, chief marketing officer, HTC Corporation. “We are excited to be bringing a great phone experience and the collaborative results of the millions of AIR developers around the world into the hands of HTC’s customers.”

“As a longtime partner of Adobe, we are excited that users will have the opportunity to enjoy AIR applications and content on our devices,” said Christy Wyatt, corporate vice president, software and services product management, Motorola. “Since July, we’ve announced seven Android-based smartphones with Flash Player 10.1 support, including the first phone with Flash out of the box. AIR 2.5 is the perfect complement to Flash Player giving customers the freedom to choose between rich-content experiences inside and outside the browser.”

“The BlackBerry Tablet OS offers developers a highly optimized and flexible platform that integrates Adobe AIR with high- performance audio, video and graphics optimizations, as well as support for a WebView class and native C++ extensions,” says Tyler Lessard, VP Global Alliances & Developer Relations, Research In Motion. “By building tight integration with Adobe tools into our BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR, developers are now able to optimize their applications for the tablet form-factor and deliver an enhanced end-user experience. We are excited by the breadth of content that the development community will be able to deliver for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet using our new development tools and AIR.”

Flash Player 10.1

Already one of the top free apps on Android Market, with more than 50,000 users giving it a 4.5-out-of-5 star rating, Flash Player 10.1 brings rich Flash based content to mobile devices inside the browser. The runtime is now certified on close to a dozen Android devices and will become available on dozens more over the coming weeks and months. Adobe also announced that Flash Player 10.1 was downloaded more than 2 million times from Android Market. In addition to Android Market, the runtime is distributed directly by device manufacturers and operators via pre-installs and operating system upgrades. Flash Player 10.1 is available on Android and Google TV today, with BlackBerry platform, HP webOS 2.0, future versions of Windows® Phone, LiMo, MeeGo, and Symbian OS also expected to support Flash Player 10.1. For a list of devices supported today, visit Adobe Flash Player 10.1 certified devices.

Flash Platform Tools

Adobe also announced previews of developer tools that make the process of multiscreen development more streamlined. With new releases of Flash Platform tools, including an AIR 2.5 software development kit (SDK), developers can build mobile and multiscreen applications for smartphones, tablets and televisions, while maximizing design and development productivity. An update to the open source Flex framework provides developers with a common framework for building Web, desktop and now mobile applications. Developers can build standalone mobile Flex applications with the same ease and quality as on Web and desktop platforms. For details visit http://www.adobe.com/go/flexsdk_preview/.

A preview release of Adobe Flash Builder adds capabilities for developers to build applications using familiar languages, components and tools, which help lower the cost of developing multiscreen applications. New features include creating and extending Flex applications for mobile devices, on-device debugging, coding tools to accelerate development, support for new Spark components in Flex and more.

Availability

Adobe AIR 2.5 and the Adobe AIR 2.5 SDK for Android and desktop operating systems including Windows, Macintosh and Linux are available today. The BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK for Adobe AIR, which works with the Adobe AIR 2.5 SDK to create applications for the BlackBerry Tablet OS, is available today from RIM while the runtime is expected to ship preloaded on the BlackBerry PlayBook. For more details and to download the SDK visit http://www.adobe.com/go/air_sdk. Users of Android 2.2 “Froyo” devices can download Adobe AIR directly from Android Market today. A preview release of Flash Builder is available for download at Adobe.com.

Video demo after the cut

Apps themselves will be distributed via the Android Market as usual, and as long as the user has the AIR runtime installed they’ll load just like regular apps do.  An Android 2.2 Froyo device is required, and the apps themselves need to be formatted to suit a mobile device.

[via Android Community]

Adobe reckon 10.1 brings with it reduced power usage, the ability to fast-forward and rewind through web video without always querying the remote server, and functionality to offload video tasks to compatible GPUs rather than bog down the CPU.  There’s also a new privacy mode, which respects browsers set to private and doesn’t locally cache content.

The official Flash Player 10.1 can be downloaded here.  Meanwhile, Flash Player 10.1 for Android – also currently in beta – will arrive as an official release later in June.

“We thought [smartbooks] would be launched by now, but they’re not.  I think one reason is to do with software maturity. We’ve seen things like Adobe slip — we’d originally scheduled for something like 2009″ Ian Drew, marketing vice president, ARM

The tablet impact was further compounded by ARM’s own involvement in the form-factor, with one of the company’s executives predicting earlier this year that over 50 such devices using ARM chipsets would arrive this year.  That, Drew reckons, left companies planning notebook-style smartbooks floundering somewhat.

Third on Drew’s list is the relative shortage of Linux-based netbooks on the market, contrary to initial expectations about the form-factor.  While Linux was a common feature on the low-cost ultraportables initially, consumer confusion with the unfamiliar OS and demands for higher-spec models that could handle high-def media playback saw Windows XP make a reappearance.

“We now know what we didn’t know two years ago. It has taught us a lot about how we work with software companies” Drew claims, though it remains to be seen whether they can pick up after the stalled momentum.  Last month, HP launched their first smartbook in Spain, the Compaq Airlife 100, in partnership with carrier Telefonica.

The Best of R3 Media

New Android Tablet Shows Off Flash and Adobe AIR: And, according to the report, it does it so well that some would consider it “flawless.” Yep, Flash running on a mobile device “flawlessly.” We’re pretty shocked too, but we’ll have to take it for what it’s worth, because we can hope beyond hope that this is true. After all, we want the best kind of video player on our handsets, mobile devices, and tablets, and if Adobe thinks they can accomplish that, then by all means. The article states that there isn’t much information to go on, other than this is a prototype, and so far, that’s about as far as it’s gone in development. There’s a video at AC, so you should check it out and see all that flawless goodness for yourself. [via Android Community]

Griffin Jumper iPad Sleeve Gets Reviewed: The market for iPad accessories is pretty huge, and of course we’re not surprised to see all sorts of variations out there. The Griffin Jumper iPad Sleeve is definitely a different take on something kind of old, and we’d be lying if we didn’t say that’s a bit refreshing. But, the case itself is a bit too tight for the iPad, which proves a bit annoying when you’re trying to put the tablet in, or remove it for usage. The sleeve itself looks great, though, and that has to count for something. [via Everything iPad]

Sprint HTC Hero Getting Android 2.1 on May 7th: Here’s another leaked image from a major reseller. This time around it’s Best Buy, and it’s talking about the major upgrade to the HTC Hero for the Sprint network. It’s a ROM upgrade, so that could only mean (if it’s “major” enough), that the device is finally getting Android 2.1. But, then again, this is just another leak in a laundry list of leaks, so try not to hold your breath for too long. [via SlashPhone]

The Drege Net

Clearwire Promises Clear-Branded Samsung and HTC Devices: Pretty interesting stuff here. Clear today, during one of their financial calls, outed the future existence of self-branded Samsung and HTC-manufactured devices, all sporting the 4G technology Clear is so known for. The devices are expected to be released by the end of 2010, so there’s definitely a few months in between now and then for the company to fine tune whatever it is they’re working on. It describes the Sammy as an Android-based 3G/4G/WiFi device, which is optimized for heavy video and video communications use. However, the HTC device doesn’t say whether or not it’s an Android-powered handset. So, maybe Windows Phone 7, then? That’s all the information that Clear provided, but we’ll definitely be keeping our eyes and ears open for more on this very tantalizing story. [via Clearwire]

A New Sub-Orbital Spaceship for the Rich: When you become rich, one of the first things you want to do is take a trip to space, right? Of course you do! After all, you’re rich and you have nothing better to do (like earn that money). So, thanks to Dassault Aviation, that dream is one more step to becoming a reality. They want to give civilians the opportunity to travel up to space, and feel what three minutes of weightlessness feels like at 62 miles above the surface of the planet. Yep, that’s right at the edge of space. Pretty fantastic, right? No word on pricing quite yet, but, hey, you should just start saving. [via DVICE]

AT&T Refutes Claims of Staggering Dropped Calls: Earlier this afternoon, a report from ChangeWave stated that AT&T was reaching a record high of 4.5 percent of dropped calls on its network. However, this little report only covered about a couple thousand people, over a short amount of time. According to AT&T, who is basing their refuted claims on another report filed by a third-party analyst group called GWS, they are in a dead-heat race with the leader of fewest dropped called (believed to be Verizon Wireless), and that this claim of 4.5 percent is hogwash. The GWS study is definitely more tangible and believable, if only for the reason that it covered “millions” of people, and not just thousands. So, what do you think? [via Electronista]