Opera Software officials confirmed today that it is developing native video functionality for its mobile browser that will replace the ubiquitous Adobe Flash plug-in. "What we are doing is adding video capability directly into the Web browser so you can use text, and video, and javascript and directly execute video inside of the Web," said Tatsuki Tomita, senior vice president for consumer products at Opera Software.
Behind the move is a desire to increase the functionality of mobile Web browsers, according to Tomita. The Flash plug-in is extremely processor- and memory-intensive and on mobile devices, or any other hardware-constrained device such as even a set-top box, it is not an ideal solution. "You cannot execute and provide a good user experience," Tomita said. In addition, Flash requires more battery life than a native application.