Android 2.2, codename Froyo, to ship with Flash support

Robert Hallock 28 Apr, 2010 at 3:11pm ET Article published in Tech

UPDATE (5/14/2010, 5:13 PM EDT): Learn even more about Android 2.2 by reading Icrontic’s guide to the new OS!

Speaking to the New York Times, Google VP of Engineering Andy Rubin confirmed that the next version of Android will ship with built-in support for Adobe’s Flash runtime.

Sometimes being open “means not being militant about the things consumer are actually enjoying,” Rubin said, referring obliquely to Apple’s staunch opposition to Adobe’s Flash, the dynamic content runtime installed on some 98% of PCs worldwide.

Flash is considered a key component of Google’s strategy to best Apple with Android. Flash-equipped devices would enable customers to access the massive library of Flash content they enjoy on their desktop, including games like Bejeweled and Farmville, or web apps like Hulu; such applications are met with the LEGO brick of rejection on the iPhone or iPad.

Android 2.2: codename Froyo

Succeeding Cupcake, Donut and Eclair, Froyo (short for “frozen yogurt”) is the fourth major iteration of the Android codebase. Though little is known about the specifics of the update, speculation nevertheless abounds that Android 2.2 is primarily concerned with handset performance. Rumored features include:

A JIT compiler (confirmed): A JIT compiler will increase the speed at which Android and its applications run by translating their code into a language that is much quicker for the hardware to execute.
Increased user RAM (confirmed): Linux kernel 2.6.32 will reduce Android’s memory footprint.
OpenGL ES 2.0 enhancements (unconfirmed): would empower developers with more robust 3D graphics performance by better leveraging the 3D hardware on high-end Android devices.
FM radio (unconfirmed): Many Android devices contain an FM radio chip but, at present, the Android OS contains no device drivers to access this functionality.
Improved multitouch accuracy (unconfirmed): It is believed that a software update could remedy some of the issues that have been reported with the accuracy of HTC’s multitouch sensors.

As for a release date, May 19 is most often cited, as the date coincides with Google’s IO conference, a two-day symposium on development in the Google ecosystem of products.

Image credits:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/galant/ / CC BY 2.0

Comments

28 Apr 2010 ~ 3:36pm Cliff_Forster Its pretty apparent that Apple has given Adobe a firm wave of the middle finger in the name of "tailoring the user experience"

Geeks that know better might replace tailor, with limit...

I would not be surprised to see Adobe and Google strengthen their bond over the next year. Non geeks don't realize what a huge difference in philosophy this is. I prefer this approach. Open it up.
28 Apr 2010 ~ 4:54pm Snarkasm Can you clarify what's meant by the FM radio section? The Desire, for instance, has an FM radio app shipped by HTC that works just fine - is the update providing an Android-level (as opposed to an HTC- or Sense-level) FM radio app, or exposing hooks for other apps, or what? Do other phones with FM chips have radio apps? I'm rather ignorant on that, I guess.

Also, as far as flash support, is that something that also differs by phone? On 2.1, I see flash ads in my standard web browsing. I don't get Hulu or play Farmville, though, so I don't know if those are different, and flash video tends to play in a separate app (launches the video in an HTC flash player or what have you), so this could be another case of HTC doing its own thing.

Clarification for the uninitiated? Is HTC just doing a lot of extra awesome work with Android above and beyond skinning it with Sense?
28 Apr 2010 ~ 5:01pm Thrax You're enjoying the benefits of the Desire/Sense, which ships with Flash Lite.

The Nexus One, for example, cannot play FM radio or display these adds, because it doesn't have Flash or a native FM radio driver.
28 Apr 2010 ~ 5:01pm WagsFTW Why do you have to put such a delicious picture on here. I want to eat it now.
28 Apr 2010 ~ 5:03pm Snarkasm I see. Well, good on you, HTC - though I guess I know what I'm losing if I ever flash a different ROM.

Flash 10.1 is taking beta testers for their Android client, right? Wonder if that's exactly what'll go in 2.2.
28 Apr 2010 ~ 6:08pm jay money FROYO FROYO FROYO FROYO FROYO FROYO
28 Apr 2010 ~ 6:37pm shwaip froyo-yo-yo-yo-yo-yooooooo
28 Apr 2010 ~ 6:40pm Winfrey That's some fancy froyo, yo-yo-ing.
28 Apr 2010 ~ 6:55pm BobbyDigi

-Bobby
29 Apr 2010 ~ 8:50am stephen I'm still waiting for flash support on the Droid. We were told when the phone was released that it would support flash a few months after the phones release, feb-march, and here we are entering may.
29 Apr 2010 ~ 9:02am Kwitko I'm still waiting for my carrier to update us from 1.5 to 2.1.
29 Apr 2010 ~ 9:34am Thrax

stephen wrote:

I'm still waiting for flash support on the Droid. We were told when the phone was released that it would support flash a few months after the phones release, feb-march, and here we are entering may.

The big problem is that Flash 10.1, the version of Flash that Android handsets will be compatible with, has been delayed a few times. Motorola has still confirmed support in the June/July timeframe.
29 Apr 2010 ~ 11:46am Cliff_Forster Steve Jobs on flash

Make of it, what you will.