Adobe has just announced the Flash Player 11 and Adobe AIR 3 software to software to enable the next generation of immersive application experiences across devices and platforms including Android, Apple iOS (via Adobe AIR), BlackBerry Tablet OS, Mac OS, Windows, connected TVs and others platforms. Yesterday, few select bloggers from across the country were given a detailed briefing about the new Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 software. These two software are touted as the game console for the web, as they allow game publishers to instantly deliver console-quality 2D and 3D games over the Internet to anyone with a typical PC, tablet, smartphone or connected TV. As a cross-device entertainment platform Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 enable the best in online gaming and premium video, and help content publishers to reach the broadest possible audience while streamlining development.
Adobe strikes back at Apple
Steve Jobs and Apple have had their ways ensuring they keep out Flash from iOS. Though there were some initial resistance from users, Apple didn’t budge and went out all the way by supporting HTML5 and claiming the death of Flash. But now, Adobe has managed to strike back. Through Air 3, Adobe has provided developers an efficient way to deliver a new class of gaming and premium video apps sophisticated, data-driven content with back-end systems integration across devices, including the iPhone and iPad. Full frame rate videos can now be displayed within Flash based applications on iOS devices using H.264 hardware decoding.
New Features
There are a dozen of new features in both Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 which will now allow developers to deliver a new class of gaming and premium video app experiences. Clearly, Adobe has set its eyes on the next big things – gaming and video on the mobile over the internet. Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 offer dozens of new features including:
2D/3D Support: Full hardware-accelerated rendering for 2D and 3D graphics enable 1000x faster rendering performance over Flash Player 10 and AIR 2. Developers are able to animate millions of objects with smooth 60 fps rendering and deliver console-quality games on Mac OS, Windows and connected televisions. A pre-release brings these same accelerated 2D and 3D capabilities to mobile platforms including Android, Apple iOS and BlackBerry Tablet OS. For examples of 3D games for Flash Player, visit www.adobe.com/gaming. Native Extensions: With support for thousands of highly-optimized, open-source libraries, developers are able to tap into unique software and hardware capabilities including access to data and files on the device, vibration control, magnetometers, light sensors, dual screens and more. Support for native extensions also allows developers to more deeply integrate business software into applications and access hardware APIs like NFC. Captive Runtime: Developers can automatically package AIR 3 with their application to simplify the installation process on Android, Windows and Mac OS in addition to Apple iOS operating systems. Users no longer have to download and update the runtime separately. In addition, developers can manage version updates to their application independent of general AIR runtime updates by Adobe. Content Protection: Premium video content delivered on mobile platforms can now be protected using Adobe Flash Access 3. HD Video Quality Across Platforms: Full frame rate videos can now be displayed within Flash based applications on Apple iOS devices using H.264 hardware decoding. Rich applications on televisions are also able to deliver HD video with 7.1 channel surround sound. Rental and Subscriptions Support: With support for Adobe Flash Access and Adobe Pass, content publishers can take advantage of rental and subscription options for more flexible business models and offer TV Everywhere content to over 80 percent of pay TV subscribers in the US. Security and Compatibility: By leveraging cryptographically secure random number generation, more secure applications can be created. Additionally, native support for 64-bit operating systems and 64-bit web browsers on Linux, Mac OS and Windows ensures a smooth browsing experience across platforms.
Flash & HTML 5
Adobe is playing a smart game by declaring full support for the developers who are looking to develop on both Flash & HTML 5 platforms. Flash offers the best way to build gaming, media and sophisticated data-driven applications, while HTML 5 enables rich ads, interactive web pages, branded experiences and general-purpose mobile apps embedded in the browser.
Flash Player is supported on more than 98 percent of Internet connected PCs today and by the end of 2011, Adobe expects more than 200 million smartphones and tablets including Apple iOS devices to support Flash based applications via Adobe AIR. By the end of 2015, the number of devices that will support Adobe AIR is expected to increase to 1 billion. Some of the popular apps built on Flash & AIR include Facebook app on Playbook, WatchESPN on Android, Coca Cola app for Android & iOS, and Machinarium for iOS. Flash Player 11 and Adobe Air 3 will be available for download in early October 2011, while Flex and Flash Builder will be available later this year.
