Android 2.2, a.k.a Froyo, Running Flash 10.1 on a Google Nexus One
May 12, 2010 01:10 PM EDT by 
When will Google unleash the next version of its Android software?
No one knows for sure but, in the meantime, there’s at least one Google Nexus One on YouTube that’s running Android version 2.2, nicknamed Froyo, and from the looks of the video, Froyo’s future looks tasty.
Using a benchmark test called Linback to measure performance,the gang at AndroidPolice.com reports that Froyo is over 450% faster than Android 2.1. Their test results show that, while the HTC Hero running Android 1.6 scored about 2 MFLOPs and the Nexus One with 2.1 earned between 6.5 and 7.0 MFLOPs, version 2.2 landed 37.5.
What’s more, Google and Adobe have both released statements about the inclusion of Flash 10.1 support in the Froyo update.
In the YouTube video, a self-described “Adobe evangelist”, walks us through seven Flash-intensive websites. The result is that loading Flash video or interacting with Flash-based multimedia experiences in the mobile web browser appear to be nearly seamless.
Some user interface highlights:
- Flash-Only Browsing – When a specific portion of a site is designed with Flash, you can single click it to initiate a Flash-only experience that lets you select animations or navigate the content as you would on a desktop. Handy for Flash-based website headers with tabs to different content sections or interactive Flash environments, but still not a full solution to the fly-over problem.
- Distinct Gesture Reading – When you open Flash content that is interactive, your touch gestures do not affect the browser, only the Flash content you’re exploring.
- Double-Click Zoom Mode – You can double-click content you’re watching via the Flash player to open the full version.
- Alerts for Video Not Optimized for Mobile Web – If you’re watching video that is not optimized for mobile playback, an alert pops on the screen, but your video will continue to play regardless. That’s most likely a warning from Adobe. It lets users know that continued viewing of that particular video may drain battery life more than a web-optimized version, giving them the option to turn it off or damn the juice-related consequences.
- Support for Games – You can play Flash games on the web or open them up to full-screen.
The video is a very cool walk-through, but it begs for more testing results, like maybe analysis on what effect the continued use of Flash content will take on battery life, one of Apple’s many complaints against Adobe’s video and multimedia solution.
Either way, hardcore Android’s anticipation for Froyo is likely stoked. Here’s to hoping some definitive news on the next generation of Android will come from Google’s developer conference later this month. Check out the walk-through below.
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May 12th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
When one is on a mobile device or the iPad, there is no mouse and no keyboard. This means that the interaction much be with the content directly: http://www.veeple.com/link/R1PEvMPRkAw%253D
May 12th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
So, not only is it 4.5 times faster than 2.1, it can now do Flash. Take THAT, iPhone!
May 13th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
I don’t think he is a self-described “Adobe Evangelist” … I think that is his actual job title. He works for Adobe showcasing their mobile products. He did a demonstration where someone asked about Eco Zoo and he brought the site up and it crashed … and in this updated version you notice the first site he goes to is Eco Zoo – to showcase the improvements being made.