Flash on Android Is Put to the Test [VIDEO]

Credit:

Flash 10.1 is still in beta, so it isn't fair to make any conclusive judgments. That said, it does look like fears regarding speed and battery life may not have been unfounded after all.

Gizmodo's first overview acknowledges that while there are many things to like about Flash on the Nexus One, battery life -- especially in the beta version -- is adversely affected.

PocketNow performed a pretty exhaustive speed test comparing the Nexus One running Froyo and Flash 10.1 beta, the iPhone 3GS and the HTC HD2. In his tests, the Nexus One slowed down considerably when loading Flash content, though with Flash turned off, the browser was blazing.

Check out the video:

Meanwhile, over at Engadget, a comparison test between Flash 10.1 beta and Flash Lite running on Android 2.1 proved that the new Flash is a big step up in terms of speed and overall video quality.

It's easy to be overly pessimistic about Flash on a smartphone even in beta, but as we noted with the Hulu browser workaround, the fact that Flash content can run decently on a mobile phone at all is nothing short of cool.

Mashable's Ben Parr has been testing Flash 10.1 beta and will be posting his own thoughts later in the day. Based on what you've seen, what do you think of Flash on mobile devices? Let us know.

[via Business Insider]