Posts Tagged ‘Flash’
HTML5 vs. Flash: How will the battle play out in 2011?
One of the biggest technology stories of 2010 has been the battle between Flash and HTML5 over who will reign supreme as the standard-bearer for video on the web and beyond.
It is hard to believe something as ‘techy’ as HTML5 would find itself as a headline in major consumer publications, but thanks to a little to world, HTML5 soon became a word everyone was talking about. In that letter, Jobs argued several key points on why his popular iPhone and iPad devices would not be supporting the de facto standard for video, Adobe Flash, going so far as to say “We don’t spend a lot of energy on old technology” and reportedly telling Wall Street Journal staff that Flash was a “CPU hog” and a source of “security holes.”
When Jobs speaks people listen, and as a result HTML5 saw a huge boost in adoption rates in 2010. Web cataloging service in October that 54% of online video is now available in HTML5 format. Are you thinking “that’s not that impressive, 54% is barely more than half”? Then let’s look at the most amazing part about this statistic. In January of 2010 the percentage of online video that was available in HTML5 was just 10%. That means the percentage of online video available in HTML5 format grew 5X in just 9 months. Can you think of another technology standard showing those kinds of rapid adoption rates? I can’t.
HTML5 and Flash: Choosing the best solution for your business
There is no doubt that HTML5 is demonstrating explosive growth as an adopted standard, but does that mean Flash is dying? Absolutely not. HTML5 should not be considered a replacement technology for Flash, just a competitive one. Although Jobs would like you to believe the Flash versus HTML5 battle is an either/or situation, it isn’t. Each standard offers unique features and functionality that make both of them appropriate depending on the technology goals your company wants to accomplish or the activities you, as a consumer, want to enjoy. For example, you should probably:
Choose HTML5
- If you are running your video on low-end systems
- If you are looking to save costs (and not have to purchase Flash licenses)
- If you want your video/application to be supported on the iPhone, iPad or other Apple platforms
- If it is important that you work with an open development environment
Choose Flash
- If your product needs to support a wide variety of browsers, including older models like IE6
- If you need powerful video streaming and video playback capabilities, like with live events
- If you are concerned about content protection and want to prevent people from reposting your content
- If you want to be able to splice in commercials dynamically throughout the video
- If you need integration with webcams and microphones to support new interactive features like two way video chat
Before you’re tempted to jump on the “Flash is dying” bandwagon, let’s look at the Flash facts as they stand today:
- 1.2 billion mobile phones are Flash capable
- 70% of online gaming sites run Flash
- 98% percent of Internet-enabled desktops use it
- 85% of top 100 websites use Flash
- Many major websites use Flash, including Hulu, Disney and YouTube
- 2-3 million people belong to the Flash developer community
- 90% of creative professionals have Adobe software on their desktops
A technology that has penetration rates like that clearly is offering value to a lot of people and will not disappear overnight. It is powerful and useful in a variety of different functions and in against HTML5 it has also managed to fight off some of the “CPU hog” categorizations.
2011: Who will win the video battle?
Despite Flash’s market leadership, HTML5 is clearly being rapidly adopted as a new standard of online video technology, and companies need to prepare their growth strategies to incorporate it. However, it is still early and HTML5 doesn’t give you all the same features and functionality that Flash does today, so you’ll want to consider your options wisely.
The bottom line is that there won’t be a single ‘winner’ when it comes to online video. Apple’s not going to knock out Adobe. Adobe’s not going to eradicate HTML5. All of these technologies and vendors will continue to evolve and, ultimately, consumers will reap the rewards from the innovative solutions that emerge from this competition.
Dominique Jodoin is president and chief executive officer of , maker of an integrated Flash and HTML5 platform for delivering rich media across a variety of devices. He has more than 23 years of experience in the mobile and wireless industry. Prior to joining Bluestreak, he was President Americas at mobile software management company Red Bend Software. He was previously vice president of business development within the Mobile Systems Division of Alcatel, executive vice president at WaterCove Networks, a venture-backed company that was acquired by Alcatel in 2004, and spent 17 years with Ericsson in a variety of executive positions in Canada and around the World.
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SkyFire web browser brings Flash video and social features to iPad
After with its Flash video-capable mobile browser, SkyFire is now gearing up to launch a version of its mobile browser for the iPad. In addition to Flash video, SkyFire’s iPad app also comes with social features for Twitter, Facebook and Google Reader.
The company says it is waiting for approval for its iPad app, but after , I don’t suspect that there’s any reason its iPad version would be rejected. SkyFire’s $2.99 iPhone version drew in its first weekend — a sign that Apple users really want Flash video support. With an iPad version, users can now watch Flash video on the device’s larger 10-inch screen.
SkyFire’s servers transcode Flash video content into an Apple-approved HTML5 standard. To users, this means a slight delay before the video starts playing, but it also leads to more efficient playback as SkyFire’s compression is on average 75 percent more efficient than standard Flash video.
The iPad app also brings some social features that the company first introduced in its . It offers Twitter and Facebook “QuickViews”, which let you keep track of your feeds, profile, friends and more. It also has a built-in RSS feed reader and includes support for Google Reader. SkyFire also implements some Facebook features directly into its browser — you can “Like” any story instantly by hitting a button on its toolbar, and it can also tell you which stories are popular among Facebook users.
It’s unclear how much SkyFire will charge for its iPad browser, but I suspect it will be a few dollars more than its $2.99 iPhone version.
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SkyFire browser pulls in $1M, proves iPhone users really want Flash video
The mobile SkyFire browser for the iPhone sells itself: It lets you play Flash video on the iPhone. Who wouldn’t want that? So it’s no surprise to learn that the browser has already raked in $1 million since it hit the App Store last Thursday, .
The browser sells for $2.99, and the company says that its download numbers were over 300,000 for the weekend. After Apple’s 30 percent cut of the pie, that leaves SkyFire with over $700,000. The browser is also available for Android, Windows Mobile, and Nokia phones — and notably, it’s free on those platforms.
SkyFire’s journey to success on the iPhone has been a storied one. The company , and at the time we argued that Apple would have very little reason not to accept the browser. SkyFire and that it would be hitting the App Store on Thursday, November 4. But due to popular demand, — which encode the Flash video into an iPhone-ready format — got overwhelmed. The company proceeded to accept purchases in batches as it strengthened its servers for the onslaught of iPhone users.
While SkyFire’s technology lets iPhone users view most Flash video on the web, it doesn’t offer access to other Flash elements like games or animations. Hulu is also blocking the app from converting its Flash videos — so iPhone users remain It’ll be interesting to see how long SkyFire’s sales remain strong, as it’s an accurate depiction of how many users are fed up with.
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Apple approves SkyFire iPhone browser with Flash video support
Mobile browser developer has seemingly done the impossible by getting its Flash video-capable web browser approved for Apple’s App Store.
The SkyFire 2.0 browser was , and at the time we argued that Apple would have very little reason not to accept the browser. Now we’ve learned that it will be available for download at 9 a.m. ET Thursday morning for $2.99 from the App Store, according to .
SkyFire’s big claim to fame is its ability to play video embedded on web sites with Adobe’s Flash technology. But since Flash still isn’t supported on the iPhone, the browser goes through some clever hoops to play Flash video: SkyFire’s cloud-computing technology allows the browser to translate Flash videos in real-time to Apple-approved HTML5 standard. The company says it adheres to all of Apple’s video and browser guidelines — including the use of a WebKit browser core and H.264 adaptive video streaming.
SkyFire 2.0 also makes its Flash video streaming very efficient. The browser compresses video data by about 75 percent on average — making it easier to stream videos without buffering, and saving precious battery life in the process.
The browser won’t play video from Hulu, CNN notes. It also won’t be able play other Flash elements like games, or let users view websites that rely on Flash for navigation.
You can view a demonstration of the app below:
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RIM demonstrates its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with Adobe (videos)
BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion briefly demonstrated its today on stage at Adobe’s MAX conference.
We heard from Adobe earlier today that it had teamed up with RIM to, and the company also revealed that parts of the PlayBook’s user interface were built with AIR.
Given that RIM couldn’t muster a live demonstration of the PlayBook at its own event in September, it’s surprising that the company handed over one of its most anticipated demos to Adobe. Adobe’s AIR software developer kit (SDK) apparently has some deep hooks into the PlayBook’s operating system, which should let developers easily create some powerful applications.
RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis hit the stage to show off the PlayBook. In the video below, you can see him flip through the PlayBook’s home screen (seamlessly, I might add), launch a web browser, and play a Flash-based YouTube video in high-definition. “We’re not trying to dumb down the internet for a small mobile device. What we’re trying to do is bring up the performance and capability of a mobile device to the internet,” Laziridis said. “We’ve worked together closely to get Flash 10.1 player inside our browser with full stage video.”
While it’s a short demo, it at least lets RIM show to the world that the PlayBook actually exists — proving wrong.
Update: RIM has put up a longer video of the demonstration, find it below:
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Apple loses game of chicken, allows Flash and other conversion tools for iOS apps
In a surprising move today, it is relaxing App Store restrictions that effectively banned developers from using app conversion tools like , , and most importantly, Adobe’s Flash-to-iPhone compiler in Flash CS5.
Apple listed one caveat: The converted apps cannot download any code. “This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need,” Apple wrote.
Also, in a move towards being more transparent, the company will so that developers know exactly how their apps are reviewed.
By relaxing its app development restrictions and publishing its review guidelines, Apple is responding to criticisms that have been lobbied against it for some time. The news also follows a reveal from earlier this month, when regarding the conversion tool ban. The Federal Trade Commission refused to hand over the documents — all but confirming that the FTC was actively investigating Apple.
Even without a potential FTC probe, Apple wouldn’t have been able to hold out on its conversion tool ban for long. Google’s Android platform is quickly gaining in popularity, and many developers would likely want to use conversion tools to bring their apps to Android, other mobile devices, and web app platforms. Apple may be the king of mobile apps right now, but that won’t last forever.
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Google’s new search mantra: “Did you know?”
Google CEO Eric Schmidt that the future of search was blazing-fast, “autonomous” searching that constantly provides users with results. He made the comments at a keynote speech at the German IFA home electronics event in Berlin Tuesday.
But autonomous search isn’t really search as we think of it — a user querying a massive database to get a result. Schmidt likened it to telling a user what he or she didn’t know, but was probably interested in seeing. Google already sees more than a billion searches cross their servers daily, and providing an automated process that is constantly providing search data can only boost those numbers.
That means more potential ad revenue from Google’s advertisements running with searches. Advertising made up about 96 percent of Google’s revenue in the first six months of 2010, according to company financials. Try as it might to diversify away from that revenue stream, for now, search-linked advertising is Google’s highly lucrative trick.
The company brought in $6.8 billion for the quarter ending June 30. Improving that by even a small percentage could bring a huge payout for Google.
For now, old-fashioned search is growing quickly on mobile. Google said about 33 percent of mobile searches related to users’ location, and mobile search grew by 50 percent, and searches on Google’s Android mobile operating system tripled, in the first half of 2010. But tech pundits theorize that users will increasingly use task-specific apps to find what they need rather than perform general searches.
The autonomous approach faces risks, from provoking a privacy backlash to draining users’ batteries through constant queries. But the biggest risk is that mobile users will drift away from Google, which has become all but synonymous with search on computers.
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