Verizon Wireless has announced a partnership with Adobe and Qualcomm to bring Flash Lite for BREW technology to the carriers' handsets and applications, a first for a big carrier in the U.S. The AP put it best: Flash will "boost the visual sparkle of graphics," which sounds subtle but it may go a long way toward convincing consumers that mobile content is worth their money. Initially only four high-end phones will be compatible with Flash, and they can be upgraded over the air.
Verizon also announced a whole slew of Flash-enabled mobile content offerings along with the release: There's a new Weather Channel application; NBC's "The Office" mobile game had a Flash makeover; Sky Zone is offering Flash games like Hangman; Zingy is offering Flash movies; and Shockwave.com has created a whole new Flash games category for Verizon Wireless subscribers. It's worth noting that YouTube makes use of Flash, as do many Web-based entertainment sites--maybe this is a first step toward a mobile YouTube?
For more on Verizon's Flash launch:
- see this article from the AP
Related: The mobile repercussions of Google's acquisition of YouTube. Article