Flash Player Performance on Droid 2 Found to Be Hit-or-Miss at Best

[carmenodie]

There is corporate BS for sure but Jobs is head of one of the best tech companies on earth. He's around the best and brightest. So I think we should give him some cred where cred is due.
With that said, I just got a 16 gig ipad wifi + 3G last week.

SOOOOOOOOO EFFFFFFING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the pictures I email from my iphone 4 to retrieve from my ipad are some of the most stunning pictures I've ever seen. I feel like Annie Leibovitz.

 

[trunten]

What is the point of your analogy? Technology advances even if flash did not exist. In case you havent noticed, EVERYTHING runs slow on a mobile. Even simple web pages take a lot longer to load on a my phone than on a desktop.

Oh and btw... as microprocessor technology advances, they get more efficient, so your analogy is useless.

The way I read it was that Flash is the petrol car, html5 was the electric car and the processor was the environment.

Of course I could be wrong, but if that was the case I thought it was quite clever.
We all moved from petrol (Flash) to electric (HTML5) so the burden/impact on the environment (Processor) was reduced and everybody was happy with their less polluted (Faster) planet (Mobile device).

So what he was saying was why would we want to F\/(k all that up again by bringing back a processor hogging plug-in just because we had the processors to handle it.

 

[lilo777]

In short: Flash on Droid is hit or miss, Flash on iOS - always miss. Who wins?

 

[cvaldes]

In short: Flash on Droid is hit or miss, Flash on iOS - always miss. Who wins?

I give up.

The one with the better battery performance?

 

[hwhalers]

I don't understand all the fanboyism against Adobe is here. At least users are being given the choice here

Everyone has a choice. People who value a consistent user experience and stability can purchase a standards-compliant device, and those that find it more important to have potential functionality and the associated problems that come with running beta-quality software not designed for the platform hosting it can purchase something else.

Also:

mozilla wants vorbis and ogg ( completly open source)

google wants vb8 ( completly open source)

apple wants H.264 (close source)

Neither VB8 nor Ogg Theora are clear of potential patent problems. Being open source doesn't mean anything.

 

[LagunaSol]

Any site that doesn't offer a non-flash web experience is a poor website.

We're sorry, you must have Flash Player installed to view this website.

Reminds me of the dark days when this was typical:

We're sorry, you must have Internet Explorer for Windows to view this website.

This scenario sucked back then and it sucks now.

That some people seem to have no issue with a proprietary, single-corporation-controlled Web standard lording over much of the Web is baffling to me.

 

[tigress666]

This is probably the most reasonable, thought out post on Android/iOS I've seen on this forum, heh.

I think you point is well taken. Android is wide open -- they will give you all the rope you want; you can build a net, or a hammock of any size you want or you can hang yourself -- your choice. Apple will just give you the hammock in one size (maybe two), but the hammock will be really comfortable and easy to hang up -- Apple feels that nets are on their way out and doesn't want to deal with customer complaints regarding nets.

It's kinda tiring hearing people scream that Steve Jobs is a jerk for not giving them choices. I don't know him personally -- maybe he is a jerk -- but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's a businessman who wants to make money.

His business strategy is about controlling the experience with Apple products such that it is pleasant and reduces his support costs and helps ensure future sales. iPhone is really easy to use for that reason -- it appeals to the geek and to the technically impaired.

If you want choice, then go get an Android phone. The experience may be a bit less refined, but you can get whatever you want on the device and if you are savvy enough you can avoid the pitfalls and understand exactly what privileges you are granting to those applications you downloaded (I know most of my family would be confused). You even have the choice of form factors for your phone -- anything from a physical keyboard to a kickstand.

In the end, Google and Apple both want the same thing. They want you locked into to them. Apple owns the whole deal from front to back. With Google you can choose carriers or phone manufacturers, but ultimately you are dealing with Google. Its all about owning the customer -- and that's good business.

So regarding Flash, I would say Apple made a good business decision. Supporting Adobe Flash just does not fit with their business strategy. Quite frankly, I can't say I miss it either when I am surfing on my iPhone or iPad.

 

[jclardy]

I just got my new i7 MBP with 4GB of RAM. I was running a couple apps and I looked at activity monitor.

I only had around 200MB free RAM! I looked around and found out safari's flash plugin was taking up a whopping 480MB of RAM. At that point I had 4 tabs open, I had watched a youtube video earlier but the only flash that was running was in advertisements.

I now have click to flash installed and am enjoying my browsing without flash except for where I want it.

 

[inlovewithi]

Some of the comments on the review makes me not trust it. For example the logic that just because it didn't work as smoothly as he hoped today means that it wouldn't work better in the future as they keep improving on it and better phones come out. While before I couldn't care less about flash on a phone, no I'm definitely more interesting in hearing what others will have to say about it, to compare it to this review.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Odd, I have a 3 ghz dual-core processor Mac and it struggles with 720p Flash videos on YouTube.

You must be having issues with your Mac then because my iMac Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz with a low end ATI Radeon HD 2400 and 2 GB of RAM plays everything on YouTube without any lag or skipping frame issues.

Now I understand that to be a true Apple fan these days you need to be against everything Adobe, but I still use Adobe products including Flash. With that said it is there very first release. Apple has had some pretty bad first releases on software as well. It sounds like it works, just needs some improvements.

 

[unicorn025]

Everyone has a choice. People who value a consistent user experience and stability can purchase a standards-compliant device, and those that find it more important to have potential functionality and the associated problems that come with running beta-quality software not designed for the platform hosting it can purchase something else.

Also:

Neither VB8 nor Ogg Theora are clear of potential patent problems. Being open source doesn't mean anything.

isnt the point with html5 is that it can be use across all browser without plugins, if the video codec comes with a license fee what the sense in using it? what would make a content provided switch from what they are using now?

 

[unicorn025]

But Window’s licence for H.264 is for non-commerical use for decoding by consumers. You will need to purchase a licence for developers (content-creators, not consumers) to encode H.264 content. Had they said “Of course, consumers can rely…” there would be no problem, but Microsoft are masking the fact that H.264 licencing is not free and is not transferable—just because you have a decoder on your machine, doesn’t mean it’s licenced correctly for the use you intend. This is the case even with professional software like Final Cut Pro, that does not come with a commercial use licence for H.264!

 

[hwhalers]

isnt the point with html5 is that it can be use across all browser without plugins, if the video codec comes with a license fee what the sense in using it? what would make a content provided switch from what they are using now?

It is pretty much a prerequisite for a modern OS on modern hardware that handles media to have a licensed H.264 decoder, so that's a non-issue.

But you aren't getting the point about VB8 and Theora. It doesn't matter that VB8 and Ogg Theora don't have overt license fees if they're risky to deploy because of the potential for litigation; H.264 is just a safer bet. Never mind the fact that it's superior to both of the other codecs.

 

[LagunaSol]

spoken like a true fanboy, I dont like moble sites, so im glad that i can go on any site and see what ever content they have avalable wether its html5 or flash.

What does fanboyism have to do with the reasonable expectation of website accessibility by both those who have a proprietary plugin and those who don't?

You must be having issues with your Mac then because my iMac Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz with a low end ATI Radeon HD 2400 and 2 GB of RAM plays everything on YouTube without any lag or skipping frame issues.

Now try it on a laptop. Better put on headphones - you won't be able to hear the audio over the fan noise (oh, and resting the computer on a hotpad on your legs might make viewing more comfortable too).

Now I understand that to be a true Apple fan these days you need to be against everything Adobe

Nice strawman. I enjoy using many Adobe products. Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks. They are great at creating content that can be viewed on the Web without a proprietary plugin.

Equating Flash Web hate with Adobe hate in regards to the discussion at hand is disingenuous.

With that said it is there very first release. Apple has had some pretty bad first releases on software as well. It sounds like it works, just needs some improvements.

Flash Player 10.1 still sucks on the Mac.

 

[lilo777]

I give up.

The one with the better battery performance?

That is what Droid has with "miss" (by turning the Flash off)

 

[MrWillie]

well go to abc ..com and play somthing then and post it here. of couse you must use your iphone.

May I use my iPad?? (I don't have the iPhone) ABCs shows are crap, but I have used the FREE ABC app...

 

[LagunaSol]

In the end, Google and Apple both want the same thing. They want you locked into to them.

Based on most of the online chatter I read, this is going to come as quite a shock to many Android proponents.

 

[wreckshop]

The way I read it was that Flash is the petrol car, html5 was the electric car and the processor was the environment.

Of course I could be wrong, but if that was the case I thought it was quite clever.
We all moved from petrol (Flash) to electric (HTML5) so the burden/impact on the environment (Processor) was reduced and everybody was happy with their less polluted (Faster) planet (Mobile device).

So what he was saying was why would we want to F\/(k all that up again by bringing back a processor hogging plug-in just because we had the processors to handle it.

You would have a point if processors were largely static like the environment. But they're not. Ever hear of Moore's law?

The analogy is crap.

 

[hwhalers]

Based on most of the online chatter I read, this is going to come as quite a shock to many Android proponents.

How anyone claiming to have a technical understanding can be naïve enough not to understand how a modern smartphone ecosystem works is beyond me. From the device manufacturer, OS developer (if they differ), on down to the carrier, the only reason it's possible to have the advanced devices we have today at the relatively low prices we pay for them upfront (and over their lifetimes) is the system of controls over the user built in at every level. Android is not open or "free", and it couldn't be given the functionality it has. Android has proprietary components, patented components, licensed components, and et cetera. Want to see an actually open phone? Here you go. Almost no one bought them, and the company has essentially gone out of business. Very, very few people care about this concept. The overwhelming, vast majority of consumers want intense lock-in, because when it's properly executed it usually results in a very good, very consistent user experience.

 

[unicorn025]

May I use my iPad?? (I don't have the iPhone) ABCs shows are crap, but I have used the FREE ABC app...

okay you dont have a iphone, but still would it not be better if you could just browse to the site and just watch its contence? instead of having to dl another app that would take up space just another icon to search for.

im not saying that i dont have apps on my phone for easy acess to tech stuff like engadget, techcrunch g4,twit, and other put those are the places i go to the most.

i quess im saying that it just as easy for me to do it ether way, instead of waiting for a app to come out so i can enjoy some contence.

 

[AmpSkillz]

who gives a flying crap what the flash performance on a droid is. I come here for rumors about mac products.

Considering this is MACrumors.com, I'm really frustrated that people even care about other platforms on here. Seriously. Keep it relevant to the name of the site.

and this story about the Droid and flash originated on Laptop magazine...

and as far as posting it here it directly pertains to comments about iOS that Steve Jobs has made

i really don't understand these type of comments

so what?.. because a guy makes a site about Apple's Macs (puts Mac in the name) then Apple starts making iPhones and iPods which are ridiculously popular and he can allow his site to cover them as well because of some imaginary rule in your heads?.. why don't you just get over it and stop trolling every post about things other than Macs

 

[onfire4g05]

Of course it isn't going to be like a PC. That doesn't mean it's not good to have...

My DInc has the basic flash (waiting for Froyo + full Flash 10.1) and it's still better than nothing... especially when you have that page that needs flash and your device just doesn't support it. A few weeks ago I checked out a video that was on a news site that I wouldn't have been able to view on an iPhone.

I'd much rather have a little bit than have NOTHING.

Apple had me wanting an iPhone. Then I met Android. No. Going. Back. It has it beat, hands down. Being able to do a task in 1 minute that would have taken at least 5 minutes on iOS is AMAZING. Met an iPhone user a few weeks ago that was amazed at how quick it was to open and switch between apps. Rarely ever do I wait more than 1.5 seconds for an app to load on my Incredible...

 

[Corbin052198]

I couldn't give a crap, I want flash regardless of performance, and anyway this is such bull you know why? Tons of people have played flash using FRASH on iphone 4 and ipad, from what I saw on the videos I did not see any lagging..

Now maybe a 720P or 1080P might lag, but I don't see any reason not to have flash support.. I say this because I use flash on a daily basis, and I've got an ipod touch which I love but I would appreciate it more if I was able to watch flash videos instead of having to download, convert, sync. Its the biggest pain ever.

I wouldn't mind if flash was disabled on default settings, but they should allow users to be able to enable it.. Why can't we have the best of both HTML5 and Flash, when HTML5 becomes more relevant then trash flash.. but its no secret majority of the websites rely on flash. Which means users can't view those sites =/.

Thanks for the tip about FRASH, I'll be sure to download it on Cydia.

 

[alexhasfun28]

there has been videos of this! And this is barely being brought up?
Since the day i saw a video of this, i totally turned my thoughts over & now agree with Apple.

Why make a phone's browser laggy just cause a video. YouTube it!

 

[chukronos]

My mac is slower than yours and is fine with 1080p, dunno what the difference is. The muppets singing Bohemian Rhapsody in 1080p is not to be missed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY

funny video. 720p on my 3yo macbook is flawless. I've never had a problem with flash on my laptops, and I am frequently at websites with flash. However, it does drain my battery quickly!

I do not go to websites that use flash on my iphone. Obviously, flash wouldn't work. But, my 3g is way too slow for that type of content.