Google’s Andy Rubin has revealed this week that the upcoming Android firmware, version 2.2 (froyo) will have built-in full Flash support.
Rubin managed to take a subtle shot at Apple during the interview with the NYTimes, in regards to the “openness” of the Android operating system.
When asked if consumers acutally cared whether a smartphone OS is open, he compared closed platforms, like that of the iPhone OS to totalitarian governments.
“When they can’t have something, people do care. Look at the way politics work. I just don’t want to live in North Korea,” Rubin says.
He adds: “Sometimes being open means not being militant about the things consumer are actually enjoying.”
It is unclear when 2.2 will begin hitting smartphones, but it is expected, at least on the Nexus One and other top-end phones within the next couple of months.
Result for: totalitarian governments
The broadband provider Comcast has been served with three class-action lawsuits this week for its former practice of throttling BitTorrent file transfers for some of its users.
Late last year, users from Comcast’s 14 million broadband subscribers were outraged to learn that the provider was interfering with their file sharing traffic, most notably with torrents. The FCC then got involved and there have so far been a few investigations and public hearings into the matter.
The three lawsuits, filed in California, Illinois and New Jersey each claim that the company “misled consumers when it promised to offer unfettered access to all the content, services, and applications that the Internet has to offer.”
“Comcast’s clandestine techniques are similar to those used by totalitarian governments to censor the use of the Internet,” states the Illinois complaint.
“No doubt Comcast would characterize the behavior as illegal and malicious hacking if perpetrated by others on Comcast and its customers.”
