Adobe Flash imminent for Android 3.0 tablets

published 22 February 2011

Adobe will make its updated Flash Player 10.2 available on Android 3.0 tablets very soon after the operating system is released.

The company said it would come pre-installed on some tablets running Google's Honeycomb operating system, optimised for tablet use, but would be available as a download "within a few weeks" of other devices becoming available.

The first tablet to have the new player will be Motorola's Xoom, which is already available to pre-order and is expected to launch in a matter of days.

"We are excited about the progress we've made optimizing Flash for tablets, alongside partners including Motorola, and expect our momentum to continue," wrote Matt Rozen on the Adobe Flash Platform blog.

Adobe's Flash has become a weapon in the tablet war as whilst the market dominator, the Apple iPad, refuses to support it, Google and other OS makers have welcomed the software with open arms.

"Consumers are clearly asking for Flash support on tablet devices and the good news is that they won't have to wait long," added Rozen.

"We are aware of over 50 tablets that will ship in 2011 supporting a full web experience (including Flash support) and Xoom users will be among the first to enjoy this benefit."

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.