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Motorola Xoom Won't Have Flash Support At Launch
Several readers have sent word that Motorola's Xoom tablet, marketed as the iPad's first significant competitor, won't ship with Flash support. Quoting:
"Support for Adobe's Flash technology has been an argument for the Android operating system since Apple CEO Steve Jobs notoriously said that Flash is a dying technology and that it won't make it onto iOS devices for several reasons. Flash support appeared in Android with version 2.2 and Google even flaunted it as a killer feature for tablets running Honeycomb (3.0), like the Motorola Xoom. But it looks like Adobe and/or Google have yet to put the finishing touches on Flash's implementation in Android 3.0. An advertisement for the Xoom on Verizon's site says (in 6 point text at the bottom) that Adobe Flash support on the Xoom is expected in Spring 2011, meaning this functionality won't be available at the launch of the first Honeycomb tablet on February 24. Considering how slow carriers and manufacturers are when it comes to software updates, this Spring 2011 update could mean more like late Spring 2011 ETA."
the Xoom is going to Xuck. I'll keep my Nook.
Only Apple can get away with a move like that!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
But that's good right? Isn't Flash an inefficient battery drainer like we are constantly told? If so, why is this bad news?
We have an iPad 3G and don't recall ever crying "oohhh gnoz!!! teh Flashez are gonez!"
Yeah, our household is just one datapoint, but I'd wager we're in the majority.
Trolling is a art,
From the headline I was concerned that Xoom wasn't going to have reprogrammable nonvolatile memory.
I need to get out more.
Honestly, Flash is nice to have but not the be-all end-all that some have made it out to be. On my Android handheld, flash is almost all advertisements. On my iPad, I've been able to stream Netflix, Yahoo clips, YouTube, and WSJ videos with no problem. Somehow they've worked around the no-Flash limitation.
As a side note, I love my new iPad but some spouse or daughter is going to inherit it as soon as one of these awesome Honeycomb tablets comes down to my price range. iPad is great, but a bit too closed for my tastes. I'll just have to suffer a few months longer...
it's = "it is"; its = possessive. E.g., it's flapping its wings.
It's sort of a bummer if the first honeycomb tablet wont support one of(if not the) largest video sites. After all, that used to be a selling point. I know there are hacked together solutions that convert content "in the cloud" and push to the device, but thats got limited support.
I have a Galaxy tab. The dedicated youtube app works fine, but running flash within the browser brings the whole machine to a halt for many seconds.
As a result, Vimeo is pretty much uselss and they don't have a dedicated app yet (just a buggy fan-made app).
$7.95/mo, 200 GB disk, 2TBxfer, MySQL, PHP, RoR.
Is there any video of someone actually using the Xoom? So far the only video I've found is someone using it's video player.
Motorola has been quite bad about promising updates and not delivering. See here for a list of broken promises. Especially glaring was the failure on the Cliq XT. A year of "we're testing it" followed by "we just couldn't do it". Never mind that the phone ships in Korea running 2.1, never mind that custom 2.1 firmwares work flawlessly, they just wanted to sell new phones. I know Moto is just another big corp doing what big corps do, but eff them, I (and all the non-techies that ask my advice) won't be buying Moto anything again.
Shift happens. Fire it up.
My Windows Phone 7 doesn't have it, why should I care?
God: When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.
I have moved into a flash free existence and all of my devices are better off. My electricity bill was less.
Flash is not dependent upon the carrier or manufacturer.. just Adobe. So as soon as it is ready, users can download it from the Android Market.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=11520394#post11520394
While not as good as official support at launch, this may help those who need flash.
Are they trying to "Make-a-Wish" for Steve Jobs?
It's interesting that the majority of Slashdotters will froth at the mouth at the mere mention of the Evil Flash, and claim that *they* have it blocked anyway...
But mention a device that ships without it, and it's "crippled"...
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
If you keep your iPad (or buy a new one), don't count on keeping your Netflix or Kindle apps. Apple is demanding that they sell their movies and books through Apple, and hand over 30% of the revenue. Apple is threatening to pull the apps if they don't get their way. It may end up that you will give up your Netflix streaming if you stay with Apple. Both Netflix and Amazon have annouced that they will release Android versions of their apps this year.
Adobe appears to have let them down. I know this is obvious, but the headline doesn't make it so.
Also this:
"Considering how slow carriers and manufacturers are when it comes to software updates, this Spring 2011 update could mean more like late Spring 2011 ETA."
implies Flash will need a Honeycomb update. Flash is just an application - not part of the OS. Its doubtful that Honeycomb will need any kind of update to accommodate Flash. Its likely entirely in Adobe's hands, which is moderately better than needing input from Adobe, Google, Motorola, and Verizon.
I have a couple of mobile devices with purported Flash support (Nokia N900 and N8), and while they play video and handle "click" ok, they don't do mouseover, dragging, and other things that makes anything besides video viable. The one device that I saw that supported these advanced features did so by creating a virtual cursor that you moved via arrow keys -- terrible. When Apple decided not to support Flash, this was one of the justifications, and in my mind, the only truly legitimate one. Until Adobe redesigns flash with some sort of drag or gesture support, it's always going to be a poor experience on mobile devices.
- Vincit qui patitur.
Seems close enough. At least it isn't on AT&T. I'm still waiting for my Captivate to be updated so the GPS will work properly.
To be honest, I've never heard of a firmware update coming from Motorola. All I hear is excuses. My L6 and Quench (aka Cliq xt) never got their update, so I'm basically a sitting duck for malware in Android. The L6 was trusty, but the Quench is full of bugs I'll never get fixed. I'm just waiting for Cyanogen Mod to add support to the MIB501 to erase the crap out of that phone.
I rarely respond to comments. Also, don't ask for clarifications: a brain and Google are faster, believe me!
Isn't flash support dependent on the browser object model? DL a different browser... It works if you do that in the beta...
The purpose of existence is to make money.
If Flash was just an app update why does every device and software combination have to be tested by Adobe for flash certification?
Adobe Flash requires direct hardware access. it requires tighter hardware access than the OS or the radio.
If it is just an app why does it need so much?
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
As far as I'm concerned, the life of one of the workers in his sickening factories, is worth ten times more than his pathetic evil ass.
Steve Jobs is probably an asshole in real life as stories suggest, but, let's be honest: Foxconn is not one of his factories. Apple like Dell, like HP, like many other manufacturers contracts Foxconn to manufacture their products (sometimes in the same factory). Apple could have been more inquisitive about the working conditions of the people who make their products but there are not alone in this regard that they were not aware. In fact, I don't seem to recall that any other manufacturer promising anything to help the workers of their products before or after the incidents.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
You do realize that Foxconn probably makes the Xoom as well, right? And everything else?
Hon Hai Precision Electronics (Foxconn) is a huge company - and it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to buy any electronics that haven't passed through their hands.
So if you want to boycott Apple over the worker treatment at Foxconn, you will have to boycott Dell, HP, Sony, Microsoft, Samsung, Acer, Asus, Motorola, ...
Hell, do any of those companies actually try to audit their factories? Or have any of them done anything to help improve conditions?
I have a mytouch 4g, it had flash installed with android 2.2, it works ok on the tmobile network and in my own wifi. Not awesome but way better than my powerbook g4 with 10.4.11.
ah, so it's cool to do really evil things as long as others are as well...
i wonder if western governments know about that argument - it might be convenient when it comes to providing support for foreign regimes that do horrible things like torture and murder their citizens. hey, you could call it Realpolitik...?
anyhow cheers for the useful moral argument, i must remember that one, it might be good to bring that out in court, in front of a judge. i wonder if it would wash...?
If they don't audit then they can't know that anything is wrong so nothing needs to be improved and only Evil Apple was so vile to observe Foxconn and force the conditions and suicides into existence solely by that act.
i wonder if western governments know about that argument - it might be convenient when it comes to providing support for foreign regimes that do horrible things like torture and murder their citizens. hey, you could call it Realpolitik...?
Many times the complaint about western governments is that they impose their morals and customs on other countries. In this case, the western custom of an 8 hr work day must be adhered to is being advocated by you.
Also the problem was the number of suicides, not murders. Out of the hundreds of thousands of workers that Foxconn employs I think there have been 20 reported suicides. I don't to belittle the deaths of those who died, but that's a very small percentage considering that the two major plants of Foxconn employ about 750,000 workers.
Working for Foxconn means long hours, however, such is the normal in China. According to this BusinessWeek article, the employees want long hours because it means more money for them as they are paid overtime. As for the controlled environments, Foxconn has said initially when these factories were built, there was nothing around them: no shops, no restaraunts, etc. as they tended to be in the middle of nowhere. To keep employee turnover low, they had to build the amenities in the factories. If you're not aware even today, keeping employees is not easy in China today. Employees jump companies all the time.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
ahhh ok ...but you don't hear so much about globalizing human or labor rights.
i always wondered why it was that people talk a lot about globalizing free trade...
so, if conditions are so bad in a factory that people kill themselves in numbers then we shouldn't impose our standards onto them (especially if it's not financially expedient to do so.) Ok.
i think i'm starting to get the hang of this, i reckon i just need my moral compass to be a little bit more flexible, like yours is.
i always wondered why it was that people talk a lot about globalizing free trade... ...but you don't hear so much about globalizing human or labor rights.
No the problem is you're complaining about a problem when you don't understand the definition. You are complaining that working long hours is some sort violation of labor rights when it isn't. Working 8 hours a day is only the Western ideal of work day in the US only. The French consider anything over 35 hours a week to be long. These are cultural differences in working hours..
so, if conditions are so bad in a factory that people kill themselves in numbers then we shouldn't impose our standards onto them (especially if it's not financially expedient to do so.) Ok.
No you have to understand that the knee-jerk reaction of "OMG factories in China are evilz" only show you don't really know what you're talking about. Please cite any fact other than the workers worked long hours as an example of bad working conditions.
i think i'm starting to get the hang of this, i reckon i just need my moral compass to be a little bit more flexible, like yours is.
No you just have to stop imposing your moral compass and judgment on everyone around you.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Well there goes my purchase. I no longer believe manufacturers when they make promises on future capabilities of their hardware or software. Granted, it's probably Adobe that is causing the delay with the new Tegra platforms, but I've been burned too many times by promises of updates. While I wait for the Xoom to get flash I'll sit happy with my little T-Mobile G2 which runs Flash 10.1 like a champ.
it's unfortunate that you don't seem to be at a level of technical ability that allows you to fully utilize google or any other search engine, so allow me to provide you with a few links - you need to copy this text (control + X) and then paste (control + V) it into the address bar.
i suppose that you might well be an apple user, which would explain a great deal =)
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-02/foxconn-workers-in-china-say-meaningless-life-sparks-suicides.html
http://www.techeye.net/business/terry-gou-tries-to-justify-foxconn-working-conditions
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-shocking-conditions-inside-chinas-brutal-foxconn-factory-2010-5
oh, and these websites may have some flash embedded into them, so if you're using apple then you may find that the performance of your machine may not be up to it. good luck with that!
and good luck with the flexible moral compass!
it's pretty clear you don't understand what morals are.
you were obviously trying for funny and ironic with your nick but as it turns out it's a surprisingly apt moniker!
well done for choosing it!
So far I read: workers worked long hours (sometimes 12 hours a day). And they didn't like their jobs because it was repetitive. There were some additionally restrictions like not talking. Some of the dormitories had cockroaches (like my old college dorm). And there wasn't running water (which isn't uncommon for China). Their bosses yell at them. They wished they got paid more. They can't afford the things they make.
The sad reality of their situation is that they wish they had better lives with more comforts. They feel trapped by their situation. They could quit but they feel they have to work to support their families back home. I hardly call those human rights abuses.
According to your own links:
There’s one special agreement workers could choose to sign for before starting to work. The workers could sign a voluntary overtime working agreement so the factory is not responsible for their long hours of working. Anyway, they still have public holidays just like anyone.
and
Foxconn’s working conditions are among the best in China, said Huang Ping-der, an associate professor of Business Administration at Taipei’s National Chengchi University. The recent suicides in China have highlighted weaknesses in the company’s management structure, he said.
and
China had a suicide rate of 16.9 people out of 100,000 taking their own lives in 2004, according to estimates from the World Health Organization.
For a company the size of Foxconn, they' have to have 119 suicides by factory workers just be considered "normal".
oh, and these websites may have some flash embedded into them, so if you're using apple then you may find that the performance of your machine may not be up to it. good luck with that!
I don't know what your technical ability is but I block flash and ads on Firefox.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
It's clear that you can't conceive that anyone or any culture may have different morals than you.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Missing Flash support is not a deal breaker (but dumb), however the thing that torques me off is that they cripple Wi-Fi until you pay an extortion fee for 3G service. There is no technological reason to do this. It is pure greed.
Motorola and Verizon just keep egging each each other on to be more and more greedy (and release premature buggy software - hello motoblur) and helping the other do it. Between the bloatware apps, and the VZ branded apps that charge you extra (hello vznavigator), I am fed up with them forcing things on me to make a quick buck. (and no I can't root my phone, its a company asset).
I for one will not support MotoRizon in this venture - as cool as I think the hardware/honeycomb might be. I will wait until competition forces them to reconsider their shenanigans.
I really hope people boycott the Xoom release and they feel the smack upside the head they deserve.
Just take a look at http://www.facebook.com/motorolaeurope, after reading the comment below by ripnet regarding the Milestone.
Up here in Canada, we got a variant of the Motorola Milestone, and the carrier, Telus Mobility and Motorola both claimed Flash support was "coming soon". So far, we are stuck (officially) on Android 2.1, which does not have support for Flash.
There are hacks out there to bring it up to 2.2, but for something that was advertised a year ago as "coming soon", this is sub-par.
A lot of Flash content is already quite hard to use on a desktop (non-standard scroll bars, fixed resolution etc.)... I would hate to have the same user interface on a touch device with a small screen...
There's rendering and all kind of things that don't need write access to the DOM and can thus be threaded out.