Adobe announces the availability of Flash Player 10.1 pre-beta for Android 2.2 devices

With the announcement of Android 2.2 Froyo, we've been treated to a handful of useful new features, but its inclusion of Flash Player 10.1 can easily stand at the top of mostly everyone's list. Adobe let out the great news surrounding the availability of Flash Player 10.1 pre-beta, but it will obviously only work on Android 2.2 powered devices – so there will be a wait for most people. Essentially the experience of surfing the web on an Android 2.2 device will be as close as it can get to replicating the refinements found on desktop browsing. Fortunately Adobe throws out some additional things so that it'll support the myriad of technologies found on handsets such as support for touch gestures, accelerometers, and smart-scaling so that it will automatically re-size things. Apparently Adobe believes that the whole process should “just work” and has even written up a listing of some Flash-friendly web sites that'll undoubtedly showcase its true potential.

Not all Android handsets are made the same obviously – and that's why they've been working on it so that it's optimized on chipsets such as ARM, AMD, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Marvel, Intel, Texas Instruments, and Freescale. Now one of the biggest sought out pieces of information regarding all of this are which devices will be graced with Android 2.2 and a time line on when they'll get it. Starting this week, Adobe is going to be offering Flash Player 10.1 as a public pre-beta – but then again, it'll require you to have an Android 2.2 powered smartphone. Premier phones like the HTC Nexus One and Motorola DROID will be receiving Android 2.2 “immediately” with other handsets like the Droid Incredible, EVO 4G, Desire, and Motorola MILESTONE will be getting it in the horizon. Finally, Adobe is also hard at work in bringing Flash Player 10.1 to other platforms, but there was no mention of an exact time line of when to expect it.

source: Adobe via Phonescoop