Senior member and developer over at XDA named faiyyaz has developed Flash Blink, and it works with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich too. The app doubles as a torch or “flashlight” app like we’ve seen before, but using the LED for notifications is pretty neat. Obviously the developer or Android Community can’t be held responsible if your LED burns out, but we did want to mention it just in case.

The app seems to be in the early stages but is moving along quite quickly. Some users with the DEFY are reporting the LED stays on after you answer the call, so that could be irritating. Annoying vibrations that are sometimes too weak, or ringtones that aren’t loud enough can be a pain. If you want to know for sure that your phone is going off let that bright LED notify you instead.

The developer states that the app is in the early stages like we mentioned above, and he will be adding tons more features in the future, as well as hopefully fixing any device bugs or adding additional support. For now head to the XDA links below to give it a try yourself. Would you use this, or is it a little extreme for a notification?

XDA Flash Blink thread

[via XDA]

The full information of bug and security fixes can be found here. Adobe specifically mentions added support for Android 4.0 ICS devices, as well as improvements with video while pausing on Ice Cream Sandwich. Apparently there were some vulnerabilities to Adobe Flash that could cause a potential attacker to take over, so that has also been addressed.

Basically we have a few small bug fixes, performance enhancements, and they’ve solved some security issues they found in-house, that weren’t yet a problem. With Flash not supported in Chrome for Android, and them slowly stopping support for Android 4.0 devices we have a feeling Adobe Flash wont be around our parts much longer. Either way the update has some security patches so I’d be updating right about now. Get it from the link below.

Market Link

[via Adobe]

I’ve been watching Firefox for Android since about version 6 and while they are making huge improvements I still don’t see myself ever using it. The stock browser is excellent, not to mention the Android 4.0 ICS browser is awesome. I don’t even use a 3rd party browser these days. However, with Firefox 10 page scrolling and zoom seems to be steadily improved and is actually more fluid than stock — but that is about all I’m enjoying.

I swear I remember release plans and even release notes saying Flash would be here with FF10 but it still seems to be missing, although it was added to a beta last year. The latest update still requires a missing plug-in as shown below and we are stuck with ugly grey boxes instead of videos in Firefox. Everything isn’t all bad and they’ve added a few important changes. Anti-Aliasing for WebGL is now implemented and probably has a lot to do with that extremely smooth scrolling, not to mention accelerated layers in OpenGL ES and faster firefox-sync.

I did still have a random crash even though I only used FF for around 15 minutes this afternoon — so that was a bit disappointing. For fans or those that must have all the plug-ins and add-ons head to the Android Market via the link below and get it today. More details on the change-log can be found here.

Market Link

No mention of Ice Cream Sandwich was made, and it’s an interesting omission. Will the update make Flash compatible with all of the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich devices, like the Asus Transformer Prime? Will Flash need to be adjusted for each major hardware release after the main development has ended? We’ve contacted Adobe for clarification, and are awaiting a response.

UPDATE: An Adobe representative informed us that the planned update will work with all upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich devices and upgrades, not just the Galaxy Nexus. Huzzah!

Adobe’s last major revision of Flash hit the Android Market earlier this month. Moving forward the company will offer small stability and security updates, and in one case at least, support for high-profile new hardware. After that, the company will shift focus to its HTML5 tools, essentially giving a mea culpa to its headline-grabbing fight with Apple last year. The decision has not been well-received by Android enthusiasts or Flash developers.

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : GALAXY Nexus

Manufactuer : Samsung

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : October 18, 2011

Release Date : December 15, 2011

Also Known As : Nexus Prime

Display

• Screen Size : 4.65 Inch
• Resolution : 1280x720
• Screen Type : Super AMOLED

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 5.33 Inch
• Width : 2.67 Inch
• Depth : 0.35 Inch
• Weight : 135 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1750 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : NA

Software

Android OS:
• 4.0.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• AAC+
• AMR
• MID
• MP3
• WAV
• WMA

Video Playback:
• h.263
• h.264 / AVC
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : OMAP 4460

CPU Clock Speed : 1200 Mhz

Core : 2

Ram : 1000 MB

Internal Storage : 32 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 1080p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM
• CDMA

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 3.0

Location Features:
• Compass
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

[via Phandroid]

Flash for Android 4.0 is expected by the end of the year. The company will continue to offer patches and security updates for existing versions of Flash after the Android 4.0 version is offered. This will get all the folks planning to get a Galaxy Nexus that lacks Flash support for content using flash.

Once those Android 5.0 handsets start to hit, Google will need to move to HTML 5 support or work something out on its own for Flash support. Android 5.0 is thought to be called Jelly Bean. That name is unconfirmed at this point.

[via Pocket-lint]

Naturally the implementation is a little buggy, and it doesn’t help that Firefox Mobile isn’t a speed demon in the best of conditions. But it works, sort of, and if you live in Firefox and rely on that one extension or Sync’s bookmarks, you’re one step closer to a single browser solution. Flash is expected to be available for the full (Android Market) version of Firefox sometime in 2012.

Android fans and Flash devs were livid when Adobe announced that they would end support as part of a restructuring. The last major update for the Android version is in the Market now, though Adobe has stated that they’ll continue with periodic bug and stability updates. Adobe will begin shifting its mobile focus to HTML5 tools and AIR, while the desktop version of Flash is still – for the moment – in active development.

11.1 will be the very last version update, unless Adobe changes its mobile strategy. Smaller bug fixes and security updates will follow, and a good thing too, since Flash is historically insecure. But there will be no more features added to Flash for Android, since Adobe has decided to focus on its AIR platform and HTML 5. The move has drawn ire from Flash developers and derision from Apple advocates, who recall the extremely public spat between Steve Jobs and adobe over iOS’ lack of Flash support last year.

The move came after a major restructure at Adobe, which saw hundreds of employees laid off. In this economic environment, Adobe simple doesn’t have the resources to pursue as many software vectors as it did before. (I note however, with a distinct lack of surprise, that the price on the Adobe Creative Suite hasn’t dropped in these lean times.) According to a former Flash manager, a lot of the issues Adobe faced came from a late start, after underestimating the iPhone and Android’s impact on the smartphone market.

According to Icaza, Adobe dropped the ball and failed to realize the disruptive power of the iPhone and other smartphones, choosing instead to focus their efforts on cheaper and (at the time) more ubiquitous feature phones. The company believed that large-screen touch phones would be a niche. It would be three years later before Flash showed up on Android devices, and even then, support and performance left many underwhelmed. After attacking the Android space with Flash and adobe’s encapsulate app platform AIR, which they’re focusing their efforts on now, Adobe has yet to make any meaningful dent in the mobile market.

Icaza goes on to say that Flash took a backseat within the company to more profitable development tools, and as a result, development on the more widely-used Flash stuttered and eventually died. If early reactions are anything to go on, consumers, developers and not least Adobe investors are upset at the whole process. Many see this as a mea culpa for Adobe not just on the mobile platform, but for Flash on the desktop as well, making the company’s extremely public feud with Apple over Flash and HTML5 a poor decision in hindsight. Adobe will continue to offer bug fixes and security patches for mobile flash, but the next version to be released will be the last major update.

While the developers are still hard at work getting this safely and easily flashable for users to enjoy we are now starting to at least see some screenshots as well as instructions for those that dare take the early plunge. The developers at xda globatron posted a few screenshots seen above and was nice enough to also provide instructions for flashing Honeycomb on your own Flyer. I wont give details here as the process is very involved and not very stable at the moment but Paul O’Brien and other devs should have things running in no time.

So far things looks great and according to globatron, most apps and games work fine but the device would rather be in portrait mode and a few apps are being cut off in landscape. Remember this is a leaked development build and in no way the final product from HTC although things look very similar to the recently released HTC Jetstream.

It appears we will have a flashable zip for users to try soon enough, and the update will probably be coming from HTC here in the next month or two, we hope. Stay tuned for more details as this all gets uncovered.

[via XDA]

There’s also support for an external docking station, the addition of new international cities in the Weather app, and a few new languages supported.

The OTA update should be automatically offered in the notification area. Meanwhile, if you’re more into raw speed then it’s worth checking out the 1.4GHz/1.6GHz overclock we wrote about yesterday.

[Thanks n900mixalot!]

Press Release:

gTablet Software Update April 14, 2011

A software update has been released and is available by Over-the-Air (OTA) update. Highlights of the upgraded software include:

Adobe Flash support
External docking station support
USB keyboard and mouse support
International cities available in Weather
Spanish and French language support
Energy saving screen lock
A notification will appear next time you reboot or power on the GTablet. Simply tap the icon in the notification area to proceed. The update will download and install automatically. To install the update manually, select the Updates icon from the program launcher.

It replaces the Android 2.1 Eclair OS the AC100 launched with back in the second half of 2010, and will hopefully add up to a new turn of speed for the 10-inch ultraportable. Without a touchscreen, many of the original complaints about the AC100 will still stand, but at least it shows that Toshiba hasn’t forgotten completely about the device.

[via SlashGear]

Considering the XOOM is expected to go on sale this coming Thursday, February 24, that suggests Flash Player 10.2 for Honeycomb is on course for a release in mid-March. A few weeks without the support, then, but nowhere near as long as iPad owners have been waiting.

Adobe had already said that it was working on Flash Player 10.2 for Honeycomb, so it seems that Android 3.0 won’t launch with Flash Player 10.1 as is available for current Android smartphones. Considering Flash support is an oft-cited advantage of Android over iOS on the iPad, that decision could well come back to haunt Adobe, Google and OEMs.

[via Engadget]

“It is definitely noticeable,” said Adobe’s Anup Murarka, “we’re seeing higher frame rates, we’re seeing more responsiveness in terms of graphics. We’re going to see this really rapid development of mobile capabilities. With a dual-core Snapdragon processor, we’re able to decode 1080p video on a mobile device. And even though the Snapdragon processor is scaling the 1080p video, we’re actually still seeing 30 frames per second playback.”

In addition to higher frame rates,  Murarka said that Flash 10.2 also dramatically cuts down on CPU processor time – which has always been Apple’s chief beef against it.  Using Stage Video’s H.264 hardware acceleration, Android platforms will enjjoy better quality video without taking a hard hit on battery life as before.

Flash 10.2 is also currently being tested on Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) plastforms … both the Motorola Xoom and Blackberry Playbook with full 3D APIs and rendering scheduled to be released later this year.

[via DialToSave]

The apps should work on any ROM which has allowed gojimi to post 7 of the applications so far. The currently ported apps include: Notion Ink Canvas app, Calculator app, stock Browser app, Calendar, Keyboard, Sniffer app, Notion Ink Mail and the tablet version of QuickOffice.

Only a few issues are present with the current suite of apps. One of which involves the Calendar application – currently it is very slow to start up the first time and may require a force close, but after that it should be in working order. Also, the Mail app comes as a an update.zip file which will need to be flashed like a ROM.

[Via XDA]

These RSA keys sometimes can get corrupted after flashing recoveries and applying ROMs and all you have to do is make sure they’re in place to get your connection back.

XDA member joeykrim has developed a simple app that will determine if the RSA keys are still present or if they were wiped out in all your flashing fun. Getting them back isn’t impossible, but it isn’t simple, either – but the first step is to find out if the RSA keys are even corrupted or missing.

You can download the application, as well as get further information, in the XDA application thread.

[Via XDA]

Existing owners with the uncertified Flash Player 10.1 plugin may find their slates aren’t as efficient at Flash video playback as they should be, Advent warns, and they’ll also be able to install the certified version when it’s available. We imagine the uncertified app will be broadly available through unofficial channels in the meantime, since Vega owners will likely prefer unoptimized functionality over no functionality whatsoever.

Press Release:

Important update on the Advent Vega

The Advent Vega has an nVidia Tegra 2 dual core 1GHz processor, but we have just learned that the version of Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 installed on the tablet has not completed the required certification tests by Adobe.

Adobe certification is a process of testing the Adobe Flash Player on the device to ensure a consistently high user experience and compatibility with common websites e.g. iPlayer and 4 on Demand.

We would like to reassure customers who have already purchased an Advent Vega, which included an uncertified version of the Adobe Flash Player 10.1; that we stand behind the quality of these tablets. However, we do need to obtain a properly certified version of the Adobe Flash Player 10.1 before pre-installing it onto further models.

The certification process is currently underway and we estimate this will be complete in the early part of 2011.

New stocks of Advent Vegas purchased after 13th December 2010 will not have Adobe Flash Player 10.1 pre-installed, but we will be providing a seamless and free-of-charge download of the certified version as soon as it is available. This download will also be available as an update to users who have already obtained the Advent Vega which includes the uncertified Flash Player 10.1.

1. What does this mean for me?

a) If you have purchased an Advent Vega prior to 13th December 2010

Your device has an uncertified version of Adobe Flash Player 10.1. As a result, it may have not exhibit the optimal performance that the nVidia Tegra 2 processor is capable of running with certain Flash website content.

Once we obtain a certified version of Flash Player 10.1 for the Advent Vega, we will provide a seamless, free-of-charge download to this version. The certified software will be available to download from our website. http://www.myadventvega.co.uk

b) If you are planning to purchase an Advent Vega from 13th December 2010 onwards

Your device will be shipped without the Adobe Flash Player 10.1 pre-installed. As soon as we obtain certification for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 we will provide a seamless, free-of- charge download from our website. http://www.myadventvega.co.uk

2. What do I do next?

For all customers we recommend registering your Advent Vega at

http://www.myadventvega.co.uk.

Registering your Advent Vega will ensure we have your email address and contact details up to date. Once we have a certified version of Flash Player 10.1 available we will email all customers with an easy to follow set of instructions to install the new software and enable hardware accelerated Flash Player 10.1 support on your Advent Vega.

Installation Instructions:

Note:Uninstall updates to Market, Google Voice Search, Google Search Bar, and Gmail if they’re there under Settings->Applications->Manage Applications first (1.2.1 upgraders only)

• Place file on your sdcard. Bootstrap recovery and reboot recovery
• Navigate to mounts and storage. FORMAT data, and cache
• Return to previous menu and install .zip from sd card
• Choose ApeX and install!

Another option for installation would be to place the above file on your SD Card, install the ROM from ROM Manager, wipe your data and cache.

NOTE: It is highly advised that you know what you are doing before you attempt this process. Motorola phones are some of the easiest to brick and, if done wrong, you will end up with a broken device.

[Via TheDroidGuy]

As discovered by DroidLife the Adobe Flash Player 10.1 update page reads as follows:

ATTENTION: Please install the upcoming 11/9 update (ver. 10.1.105.x) to ensure that Flash Player loads properly with future OS updates.

Could this be a hit that we will be seeing Gingerbread soon? Rumor is that the SDK may hit November 11th and this is yet another sign that it’s close!

[Via DroidLife]

We have a confirmed date of November 9th for the update that will patch this vulnerability. Once attacked your device could possibly crash and be controlled by the third party responsible, similar to the other vulnerabilities with Flash in the past.

So for 2 weeks, just be careful with your mobile browsing and be sure to update as soon as it’s available.

Here’s the official summary from Adobe

“A critical vulnerability exists in Adobe Flash Player 10.1.85.3 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Solaris operating systems; Adobe Flash Player 10.1.95.2 and earlier versions for Android; and the authplay.dll component that ships with Adobe Reader 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX operating systems, and Adobe Acrobat 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows and Macintosh operating systems.

We are in the process of finalizing a fix for the issue and expect to provide an update for Flash Player 10.x for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Android by November 9, 2010. We expect to make available an update for Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.4 and earlier 9.x versions during the week of November 15, 2010.”

[Via Adobe Support]