Flash Player for ICS was released near the end of 2011, Adobe’s final mobile flourish before it turned its attentions to HTML5. The decision to end Flash Player development for mobile devices followed long-standing criticism of the technology, most notably from Apple founder Steve Jobs, though the proliferation of Flash content online meant that for many users it was a necessary evil.

For now, Chrome for Android is only available if you’re on 4.0, meaning it’s a small percentage – around 1-percent, in fact – who get to play with the new app. If you’re interested in porting the browser to earlier versions of Android, meanwhile, developer Al Sutton points to the direct tarball download for your tinkering delectation.

For everything Chrome for Android can do, check out the full SlashGear review.

Although neither company has yet officially confirmed the deal, Israel’s Prime Minister seems to have decided it’s all legitimate enough to comment. “Welcome to Israel, Apple Inc. on your 1st acquisition here” the official Twitter feed said earlier today, “I’m certain that you’ll benefit from the fruit of the Israeli knowledge.”

Anobit’s speciality is its “Memory Signal Processing“ (MSP) tech, signal processing algorithms that promise “a dramatic improvement” in speed, longevity and system cost in addition to various complex error correction and flash memory management systems. MSP is included in both Anobit’s MSP20xx embedded flash controllers for tablets and phones – supporting up to 256GB of flash – as well as in the company’s Genesis-branded enterprise SSDs.

“MSP enables SLC (one bit-per-cell) endurance and performance with MLC (two bits-per-cell) NAND, and MLC endurance and performance with TLC (three bits-per-cell) NAND, resulting in a significant reduction in cost per-bit” Anobit

According to 9 to 5 Mac, Apple is yet to formally bring Anobit’s exec team into the fold, but that is likely to happen soon. Apple is rumored to be considering replacing all traditional drives in its future MacBook Pro models with solid-state storage.

What makes Anobit special is its “Memory Signal Processing” (MSP) technology, a set of signal processing algorithms that, alongside various error correction and flash memory management systems, promises “a dramatic improvement” in longevity, speed and overall system cost. MSP is included in both Anobit’s MSP20xx embedded flash controllers for phones and tablets – which support up to 256GB of flash each – and a line of Genesis enterprise SSDs.

“MSP enables SLC (one bit-per-cell) endurance and performance with MLC (two bits-per-cell) NAND, and MLC endurance and performance with TLC (three bits-per-cell) NAND, resulting in a significant reduction in cost per-bit” Anobit

Anobit’s tech is also believed to be in the Hynix flash modules supplied for the iPhone 4S, and the company recently secured a $76m investment round from companies including Intel Capital, the chip firm’s venture division.

Neither Apple nor Anobit have commented publicly on the acquisition talk. However, assuming it pans out to be true, it could well be another step on the path away from Samsung reliance for Apple. The Cupertino company has been working to reduce its dependencies on its Korean rival for some time now, as the firms battle in court over patents and design IP.

[via TechCrunch]

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]

“Adobe will release one more version of the Flash Player for mobile browsing, which will provide support for Android 4.0, and one more release of the Flash Linux Porting Kit – both expected to be released before the end of this year” a company spokesperson revealed. Beyond that, any further releases will be nothing more than “critical bug fixes and security updates” with the expectation that HTML5 will become the dominant mobile standard instead.

Adobe announced that mobile Flash had been flushed earlier this month, after several years of arguments over whether the technology – which has been accused of making devices run slowly and introducing instabilities – had a place on portable devices. Apple was perhaps Flash’s most vocal critic, with Steve Jobs memorably penning a harsh open letter explaining why, exactly, the iPhone, iPad and other iOS devices didn’t support the technology.

However, other manufacturers have proved less willing to release mobile Flash, with RIM already announcing that it would take up the baton of development for its PlayBook tablet. Google is unlikely to take a similar strategy, however, having already thrown much of its weight behind HTML5. Still, as the web catches up, this final Flash Player release for Ice Cream Sandwich should tide owners over until HTML5 reaches saturation point.

Those of you about to have a heart attack over this would do well to note that it was inevitable as Adobe announced that they’d be axing the mobile version of Flash in favor of HTML5 earlier this month. Then if you’ll go ahead and read what Google has let us know, you’ll see that the story isn’t necessarily completely over for Adobe’s mobile version of Flash. Even though the app and support for Flash will be ending relatively soon, Google had the following to say:

“Flash hasn’t been released for ICS yet so as far as we know, Adobe will support Flash for ICS.” – Google

Have a peek at the gallery below to see several signs that Adobe Flash Player isn’t active in Ice Cream Sandwich, and note that these screenshots are taken on the non-Verizon version of the Galaxy Nexus. You can see the rest of our Galaxy Nexus coverage by heading to our giant and ever-expending [Galaxy Nexus Portal] while the same situation is true for Android 4.0 in our [Ice Cream Sandwich portal].

And of course above all – don’t forget to check our our full reviews of the OS and the device separately this weekend here on SlashGear!

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:

“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 continue to develop Flash Player in the browser to work with new mobile device configurations (chipset, browser, OS version, etc.) following the upcoming release of Flash Player 11.1 for Android and BlackBerry PlayBook.  We will of course continue to provide critical bug fixes and security updates for existing device configurations.  We will also allow our source code licensees to continue working on and release their own implementations” Adobe

However, Flash on the desktop will continue to be developed, and Adobe is already working on Flash Player 12 “and a new round of exciting features which we expect to again advance what is possible for delivering high definition entertainment experiences.” Part of Adobe’s new focus, however, will be bringing advanced Flash-style features to HTML5 standards, in addition to helping developers transition between the two.

Flash had previously pulled Adobe into a fight with Apple, with Steve Jobs penning a critical open letter in which he argued the standard was unsuited to touchscreen and mobile use. Adobe even began to develop its own alternatives, in the shape of Adobe Edge, an HTML5 app production tool that was announced in pre-beta back in August.

The company announced roughly 700 job losses yesterday, as part of its reorganization strategy.

“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” Leaked Adobe announcement

Although currently unconfirmed by Adobe, the company’s financial results announcements this week do suggest a big change is incoming. Adobe will be “shifting resources to support even greater investment in HTML5″ the company’s Digital Media and Digital Marketing strategy plan revealed, “focusing Flash resources on delivering the most advanced PC web experiences, including gaming and premium video, as well as mobile apps.”

Back in April 2010, Steve Jobs published an open letter to Adobe and iOS device customers addressing long-standing calls for the iPhone and other devices to support Mobile Flash. “Flash has not performed well on mobile devices” the then-CEO wrote. “We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it.”

“Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers” Jobs concluded. In contrast, Android devices and other platforms have had access to Flash Player for mobile, and users of those devices have had the option whether to turn Flash support on – and face potentially longer webpage loading times, extra battery use and occasional instability – or turn it off and do without animations, games and other interactive elements.

Adobe hasn’t been resting on its Flash laurels, however. Back in August the company demonstrated an early version of Adobe Edge, a system which pulled together HTML5, JavaScript, CSS and more to create online animations and interactive gadgets. The benefit is support within iOS browsers, which are HTML5 compliant, as well as close integration with Adobe’s Creative Suite 5.5. Edge – currently in pre-beta – is one of Adobe’s new focuses, according to the strategy document.

As for Flash on Android and other platforms, Adobe will apparently commit to releasing security updates as required, but nothing more. The demise of Flash on Mobile Devices is expected to be officially confirmed sometime within the next 24 hours.

The lack of Flash support at launch isn’t too surprising since Sony’s PSP also did not support flash initially. But that device did not get an update to support Flash until over a year after it launched. With the current anti-Flash movement, the Vita’s Flash support may come just as slowly in the form of a firmware update, if at all.

The PS Vita was first unveiled at E3 2011 and features a 5-inch touchscreen display along with an additional touchpad control on the backside. The device sports dual cameras, dual analog sticks, GPS, Bluetooth, and WiFi. It’s set to go on sale in Japan on December 17, launching with 26 game titles, and will be released in North America and Europe on February 22.

[via Gamasutra]

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.

One of those “legacy” technologies is Flash, which Microsoft’s engineers reckon is the most common plugin encountered in the most popular sites. “Many of the 62% of these sites that currently use Adobe Flash already fall back to HTML5 video in the absence of plug-in support” they suggest.

Those still wanting access to Flash and other plugins will be able to switch to the regular, desktop version of IE10, however. That – which will also support pen and touch input – will play nicely with ActiveX controls and the like. If you’d prefer to stick within Metro but still get the full IE10 experience, a “Use Desktop View” option will be available on a site-by-site basis.

It seems even Adobe are trying to look beyond Flash these days, with the company demonstrating its Edge HTML5 app earlier this year as a potential alternative to the existing technology. You can see the Metro IE10 browser demonstrated in our hands-on with Windows 8 on tablets below.

Windows 8 Tablet hands-on:

The Adobe Flash Media Server 4.5 and Flash Access 3.0 will essentially process the Flash video on a server that is then able to deliver the same source video to a variety of platforms including both Apple devices and Flash-compatible devices. This will make life much easier for publishers and is done through HTTP Dynamic Streaming or HTTP Live Streaming, which are both compatible with iOS.

So, it’s not exactly real Flash support on iOS, but it could actually deliver some benefits over native support. Instead of relying on the device’s processor to render, the Flash Media Server 4.5 does all the work, repackaging the Flash content for streaming, and avoiding the battery drain and buggy experience that’s associated with using Flash on mobile devices.

The Adobe Flash Media Server 4.5 solution is targeted for publishers that wish to deliver their Flash content to multiple platforms and costs $4,500.

[via 9to5Mac]

By looking to HTML5, Adobe could effectively bypass Apple’s moratorium on Flash support, which seems unlikely to lift any time soon. Although Flash is supported on recent Android devices, Google itself uses more HTML5 for its own web-apps, and online heavyweights such as Facebook are believed to be using the technology – instead of Flash – for things like the Facebook iPad app and the much-rumored Project Spartan.

Edge consists of various drawing and text tools, into which SVG, PNG, JPG and GIF graphics can be imported. A timeline editor allows for easy animation of position, size, color, shape, rotation and more, and there are 25 built-in transitions along with support for modifying them. Existing HTML pages can be updated using Edge to support motion, without breaking the original CSS layouts.

Adobe is keen to point out that Edge is currently only a preview, released before its even hit beta stage so that the company can gather feedback. If it’s a success, however, it will be interesting to see to what extent it marginalizes Flash. You can access the Edge preview here.