Online video player Brightcove prices IPO at $10-12 a share, could raise $60M

Online video startup Brightcove has set the price range for its initial public offering at $10 to $12 a share and could raise up to $60 million, according to its latest S-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Brightcove makes it possible for large and small content providers to publish video content to the web completely using HTML5 rather than Adobe Flash. On top of standard video, the company also has live, on-demand, and … Continue Reading

HTML5 versus Adobe Flash (infographic)

One of Steve Jobs’ last major acts before passing was to launch an attack on Adobe Flash. Mobile Apple devices began blocking Flash-powered content, and Apple even went so far as to prevent iOS developers from using Flash — one of the most popular multimedia programming platforms — in their apps. Apple positioned HTML5 not as an alternative, but as a replacement. A few months later that decision was reversed based on “developer feedback” (i.e. … Continue Reading

Skyfire gets $8M to stream mobile videos without any wait

Mobile browsing and video optimization company Skyfire announced today it has raised $8 million in its third round of funding.  The round was facilitated by Verizon Investments, Matrix Partners, Trinity Ventures, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Skyfire gained popularity as an alternative to the stock browsers on Android and iOS devices. Since Apple does not provide Flash support for its mobile devices, many people flocked to Skyfire’s browser apps to watch in-browser Flash videos on their … Continue Reading

iSwifter’s Rover browser aims to change classroom learning

Startup iSwifter said that its Rover Browser for education has seen a quick start in downloads and rapid adoption among schools and teachers who want to use it to provide access to Flash-based internet content for classrooms. Since its introduction in December, the Rover Browser has climbed into the top 30 education apps in the Apple App Store.

Rajat Gupta, chief executive of Menlo Park, Calif.-based iSwifter, said the Rover Browser can run on the … Continue Reading

Apple reportedly eyeing flash memory company Anobit for $400-$500M

Showing the increasing importance of flash memory these days, Apple is said to be interested in purchasing Anobit, an Israeli company that makes specialized technology for flash memory, for somewhere between $400 million and $500 million.

If the report is true, the acquisition would give Apple a leg up when it comes to stuffing more flash storage — which is still among the most expensive bits of hardware — into its devices. Anobit has developed … Continue Reading

Adobe: Android 4.0 will get Flash by end of 2011, will be last version for Android

Adobe may be giving up on mobile Flash, but it’s going to get one more version out for Google’s upcoming Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” before it gives up the ghost.

The company confirmed today that it will release a version of Flash for Android 4.0 before the end of the year (can you believe that’s little more than a month away?), reports the mobile site Pocket-Lint. But, staying true to its word, Adobe said … Continue Reading

Sibblingz exploits Adobe’s retreat from mobile Flash with Spaceport 3.0

Sibblingz, the maker of a cross-platform game engine, is exploiting Adobe’s retreat from the mobile Flash plug-in business with the launch of the Spaceport 3.0 platform today.

Adobe created a hole in the market when it admitted finally that it will be unable to create a version of its Flash that can run on mobile devices. Sibblingz is stepping into that hole to provide game developers with a platform that enables them to create web … Continue Reading

Adobe confirms mobile Flash is dead, will focus on apps and HTML5

Adobe has confirmed that it will cease development of Flash on mobile devices, saying that it will instead focus on HTML5 and apps for mobile platforms.

News about mobile Flash’s demise hit last night from ZDNet, and Adobe confirmed the report in a blog post this morning.

The announcement comes after Apple boldly chose not to support Flash on the iPhone in 2007, citing concerns about the technology’s performance. Now it seems Steve Jobs was … Continue Reading

Following Apple’s lead, Metro-style Internet Explorer 10 won’t support Flash

Microsoft has big plans for Windows 8′s touch interface, but at the moment, those plans don’t include Adobe Flash.

The company said today that Windows 8 will include two versions of Internet Explorer, but its “Metro style” touch-specific version will not support plugins like Adobe Flash.

Instead, like Apple, Microsoft is betting on HTML5.

“For the web to move forward and for consumers to get the most out of touch-first browsing, the Metro style browser … Continue Reading

Apple wins: Adobe provides path to make Flash work on iOS

In what some are calling a win for Apple, Adobe announced its new Flash Media Server 4.5 Thursday, which will repackage flash content automatically for iOS mobile devices that currently lack support for the media format.

To be clear, the news doesn’t mean Flash is directly supported on iOS devices. It does mean that the media server will be able to export Flash content as HTML5, which eventually will be supported on iOS when web … Continue Reading

iSwifter is the first to bring Flash-based Google+ games to the iPad

iSwifter’s innovative app for streaming Flash content to the iPad now supports Google+ games, making it the first app to do so, the company announced today.

The Youweb-incubated company has already found success streaming Flash-based Facebook games to the iPad, nabbing its app over 500,000 users so far. The app remains the only way that iPad users can play Flash-based games, since Apple doesn’t support Flash on iOS.

Support for Google+ games is included in … Continue Reading

Apple declares war on Adobe, as Lion disables Flash, Photoshop features (updated)

Steve Jobs’ crusade to rid Apple products of all traces of Flash continues with word that Lion, the new Mac OS X, has many issues with Adobe programs, including disabled Flash Player hardware acceleration.

In the past, Jobs has publicly derided Flash and suggested that the platform is in decline. iOS has not supported Flash since its inception, so it’s not surprising that Lion — which pushes the Mac OS closer to iOS — offers … Continue Reading

iPhone 5 may get upgraded flash, T-Mobile says it has 1M unlocked iPhones

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5 could get a revamped dual-LED camera flash, according to Taiwanese news site Digitimes. And in other iPhone news, T-Mobile revealed that it has over 1 million unlocked iPhones running on its network, according to 9 to 5 Mac.

The camera upgrade is seemingly minor, but if true, it will help the iPhone 5 better compete against other phones sporting brighter flash capabilities.

Digitimes says that Taiwanese LED firms Everlight Electronics, Lite-On … Continue Reading

Adobe has Apple’s iOS in its sights with updated Flash Builder and Flex

Adobe on Monday announced that updated versions of its Flash Builder and Flex applications are now available. The apps now support iPhone, iPad, and BlackBerry PlayBook. Previously, Flash developers were only able to port their apps over to the Android Market.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has publicly derided Flash and talked about the platform declining. So it’s fascinating to see the ways Adobe keeps Flash relevant in an age where Flash isn’t accessible through the … Continue Reading

Pure Storage secures $28M more for enterprise flash storage

Pure Storage, a company trying to revolutionize the enterprise storage industry using flash memory, is preparing to raise another $28 million, according to a SEC filing.

The company is focused on using flash memory, typically found in consumer technology like USB flash drives or MP3 players, to make enterprise storage more efficient. Currently, many enterprises use storage that seeks and spins disks to access information. With flash, enterprises could theoretically save money as there is … Continue Reading

Adobe CEO says the Flash debate is over

Judging from the press coverage of Adobe, you’d think that the big issue for the company is the fate of its Flash technology. However, chief executive Shantanu Narayen said today that the debate is over.

Narayen spoke at the D9 conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., and he mostly repeated points that Adobe has made in the past. However, his appearance seemed to be Adobe’s clearest attempt so far to put the issue behind it.… Continue Reading

Howard Marks' Gamzee will focus on social-mobile HTML5 games

Howard Marks has developed pretty good cred in video games. Over the course of 25 years, he helped revive an ailing Activision, which is now the biggest video game publisher. He bought the Acclaim name out of bankruptcy, started working on a number of online games, and sold the company to Playdom in 2010. Now he has turned his focus on a new game start-up, Gamzee.

Gamzee (pronounced game-zee) is focused on making cross-platform games … Continue Reading

Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 adds subscriptions and tablet apps

Adobe just revealed the details of Creative Suite 5.5, the software package that includes many of its flagship design and development products, including Photoshop, InDesign, and Flash Builder. Although the number suggests a humdrum release, CS5.5 actually includes some significant changes to how Adobe plans to release and make money from its products.

For one thing, as an alternative to the traditionally-priced version of Creative Suite, Adobe customers can now purchase CS5.5 through a subscription … Continue Reading

Windows Phone 7 finally has cut and paste, who's impressed?

Microsoft is starting slowly with the Windows Phone 7 operating system, which launched in November. The company released yesterday the first major update to the operating system with features that should have been there from the start.

The update, called “NoDo”, includes cut and paste capabilities, and enables Windows Phone 7 to run on CDMA networks like Verizon’s. But many crucial features are still missing. Lacking behind in features doesn’t help Microsoft in stealing away … Continue Reading