Announced in an official blog post earlier today, Adobe pushed out Flash Player version 11.1 for Android devices. The new software supports version 4.0 of the Android operating system otherwise known as Ice Cream Sandwich. The update for Flash Player is available on the Android Market and owners of the brand new Samsung Galaxy Nexus can download the update immediately. Adobe also announced the upcoming release of Adobe AIR 3.1, software that helps bring applications utilizing Flash to a variety of platforms. Using Adobe AIR 3.1, developers can bring apps to the Amazon Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble Nook and BlackBerry PlayBook as well as Apple and Android platforms.
Adobe will continue to push out bug fixes and security updates for the mobile version of Flash Player, but will no longer continue development of the product in regards to new features. Adobe officials claim to be shifting to HTML5 development and will seek ways to integrate Flash into HTML5 applications and Web development products. In regards to desktop PCs and laptops, Flash Player 12 is currently under development and the company is looking for ways to integrate Flash into HTML5 sites.
Microsoft recently announced that the Metro-style version of Windows 8 will no longer support plugins within Internet Explorer 10. This means that consumers won’t be able to install Adobe Flash on the metro version, possibly a contributing factor to Adobe’s decision to focus on HTML5 development. However, Windows 8 owners that utilize the traditional desktop style will be able to install Adobe Flash and view Flash animations within Internet Explorer 10. While no release date has been announced for the new version of Windows, Microsoft plans to show off the new operating system at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show during January 2012 as well as release the public beta of the software during February 2012.
