Adobe and ARM announced today that they’re working together to bring optimized versions Flash Player 10, the latest version of Adobe’s ubiquitous platform for web applications and media, as well as AIR, Adobe’s environment for hybrid web/desktop applications, to devices using ARM-designed chips. This pushes Adobe’s attempts to bring Flash onto every mobile device further forward than most partnership announcements — the fact that ARM chips power a majority of mobile devices (as well as set-top boxes, media players and more) and are known for their low power consumption should be a nice counterbalance to concerns that Flash uses too much power and other resources.
The two companies will collaborate as part of the Open Screen Project. That’s the Adobe-backed initiative to bring Flash and AIR to as many web-enabled devices as possible, and to make it possible to develop Flash and AIR apps that work across all those devices. ARM is already listed as an Open Screen partner, but this announcement offers details on a concrete collaboration, not just a nebulous partnership. It will also lead to the first prototype of Flash Player 10 on the smartphone.