No Flash On Windows Mobile 7

Windows 7 Phone Series, the brand new (and great) cellphone OS from Microsoft, will ship without support for Adobe's Flash. WinMo 7 joins Apple's iPhone and iPad in ignoring the widely used browser plugin. Could this be the end for the annoying, processor-hungry runtime?

In an email sent to Information week, an Adobe spokesperson said the following:

Microsoft and Adobe are working closely together. While the newest version of Windows Phone won’t support Flash at initial availability, both companies are working to include a browser plug-in for the full Flash player in future versions of Windows Phone. More details will be shared at Microsoft MIX next month.

We're sure that Adobe wants to put Flash onto Windows Phone 7, but perhaps Microsoft would prefer to use its own Silverlight plugin instead. This news comes with ironic timing: Adobe has finally announced Flash for Google's Android platform, although we'll have to see if it takes off.

These shenanigans really hurt nobody but Adobe. The fewer new platforms that support Flash, the better, for the consumer at least. We might miss out on Hulu in the short term, but if you think website owners and content providers are committed to Flash itself, you're nuts. If the world moves on, they'll just re-code their sites, especially as HTML 5 has native support for video, the main use for Flash on the web.

In the meantime, as Adobe's tech gradually fades away, we can enjoy cooler machines, less browser crashes and longer battery life.

Windows Mobile 7 Won't Get Flash [Information Week]

Photo: Charlie Sorrel

See Also:

• Hands-On With Windows Phone 7 Series
• Microsoft Blends Zune Media, Xbox Live Into New Phone OS