We talk a lot about the FIE (Full Internet Experience) here on ultra mobile PC Portal. The reason many of us are using UMPCs is that there aren’t many non-x86 computers that have provided it. The FIE slowly finds its way onto smaller and smaller devices, and while I wouldn’t say that the new HTC Hero provides a true FIE, it is getting there.
The recently released HTC Hero is HTC’s second Android phone, and among other things, the unit is getting a lot of attention because its web browser can support some Flash content. Adobe has released a good video demo showing the Hero’s flash capable browser, and the implementation looks pretty good, but there are still challenges ahead. Even in through the marketing jargon, it is apparent that work needs to continue until full multi-device flash support has been worked out:
As the first Android device with Flash, the new HTC Hero represents a key milestone for Android and the Flash Platform. With close to 80 percent of all videos online delivered with Adobe Flash technology, consumers want to access rich Web content on-the-go. inch said David Wadhwani, vice president and general manager, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “The collaboration with HTC offers people a more complete Flash based Web browsing experience today and presents an important step towards full Web browsing with Flash Player 10 on mobile phones in the future [my emphasis]
It is nice to Flash working on an Android based phone, but while most Flash video players will work fine, I wouldn’t (yet) expect to be able to play many of the Flash based games that are out there. The video demo shows an extremely basic game which works simply by clicking the mouse once to drop the penguin, and once more to swing. There isn’t much other input from the user. This basic interaction is currently supported, but some of the more advanced Flash games will be impossible to control until more is done. While the phone might technically have the ability to display the content of a Flash game, many Flash based games rely on keyboard based input and most (if any) certainly aren’t programmed to support multiple mouse inputs (multi-touch) at this point.
Providing some support for Flash is better than no support however, and initiatives like the Open Screen Project will help future devices of this type to inch close to the FIE.
New article: Flash on the HTC Hero brings smartphones one step closer to the FIE http://cli.gs/1yapv
Actually HTC Hero will have Flash Lite 3.1, so it’s Flash 8. This means that HTC Hero won’t be able to reach FIE.
The latest desktop version of flash player is 10, and Adobe promises to release preview of it’s mobile counterpart sometime in October.
That’s true. It’s no different than what has been shipping with Nokia phones for the past 2 years.
But come October, we should see the desktop Flash 10 on Android and WM phones.
The HTC hero is blowing me away by the second.
Chippy, I can assure you. Once TEGRA hits smartphones (esp Android’s G2 with a keyboard coming this fall), MIDs will be officially dead.
I’m already watching the HTC Hero video showing a Pre-like synergy integrating Facebook to contacts. You can view a contact’s Facebook photos just by clicking his/her name and going to “Photos”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz0kC2umWgg
Sorry I realized that it was you Ben who wrote this piece, not Chippy. Sorry!
Yeah. I need to put ‘Ben’ in flashing lights sometimes!
Regarding ‘MIDs’ being dead…I dont really care…if it happens and smartphones become what we all want from MIDs. The name is not important. All many of us are looking for is a high quality internet experience from a mobile internet device.
‘If it happens’ is the problem though. 4.8″ screens. Keyboards. Big, long battery life. Are we really going to get those in the fasion-led smartphone market? Plus, the ever-present problem of ARM lagging X86 development in many areas. How long before flash 11 links to hardware video decoding? Will flash 10 on smartphones be out of date before it’s introduced for example.
2010 looks like the timeframe when it will come together for ARM though and due to the impressive progress on the applications side with LBS and mobile video/photography leading the way in the smartphone arena, it’s going to be difficult for Moblin.
Well, very true. I’d say the HTC Touch HD stretched the limit of screen real-estate and resolution (WVGA) that we will ever get on a smartphone. Bigger than that, and it won’t be “pocketable” anymore. A higher resolution, would make it impossible to view with human eyes.
As far as battery/power consumption, it’s up to new generations of ULP (ultra low power) high performance chips like Tegra to reverse this equation.
So basically, bring the Touch HD, add a keyboard, have it run an open source OS with flash support, make it powered by TEGRA, and presto… you have my dream phone which I’ve been petitioning HTC to make for about a year:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41818671785
…at least till flexible displays go commercial.
RT Flash on the HTC Hero brings smartphones one step closer to the FIE – http://shar.es/v2jH
Does anybody know which kind of video information are supported? I bear in mind the Instinct solely could dl 3gp using opera mini. I downloaded the twist ap, maybe that is the issue? How can I watch movies from sites aside from youtube? Which file types? Often I’m given the choice of 3gp or mpeg4. Can’t get both to work. Thank you on your time! Damn I wish I was eligible for the upgrade to EVO!
Thanks for the good article, I am very excited. I have had my telephone for just over a month now and am in reality playing all the free apps from the android market, having the ability to have the internet and navigation at my fingertips the entire time. The only lower than thought function is the image/video text messages, as they are not downloading properly.