XOOM (MMI) Getting Flash (ADBE) Next Week - Is That Good?

Depending on your thoughts on Adobe's (NASDAQ:ADBE) Flash, news that Motorola Mobility's XOOM (MMI) will be getting the software next week for the device is either good or bad.

Adobe said, "We have been working very closely with Google to ensure tight integration between Flash Player 10.2 and new OS and browser capabilities in Android 3.0. The March 18th beta release of Flash Player 10.2 in conjunction with Google's first system update to Android 3.0 (version 3.0.1) currently underway for the MOTOROLA XOOM™ will deliver the first phase of our work together. This will be followed by subsequent updates, which will complete the optimizations and result in a production GA release of Flash Player 10.2 for Android 3.0."

To say that Mozilla's Jay Sullivan is not a fan of Flash is to make an understatement, as it's weighed heavily on the performance of Firefox.

He said when asked if the believes Flash is going away, "I think so in the long run. A lot of it has to do with HTML5. With Firefox 4, Internet Explorer 9, and Chrome, to the extent that we provide functionality in enough browsers, then the developers will switch over to HTML5, especially in mobile, where you can't have Flash popping up on every page just to do some little animation. The idea that you'd have to embed an entire instance of the Flash player just to play a 30 second audio clip? It's crazy."

Others think it's an important differentiator from Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad.

Adobe was trading at $34.38, down $0.48, or 1.38 percent, as of 1:30 PM EST. Motorola Mobility was trading at $24.54, down $0.67, or 2.66 percent, as of 1:33 PM EST.

Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) IE Drops out of 1st Place in Europe, Mozilla Firefox Takes Lead

Mozilla Inc.'s Firefox has been nibbling away in the browser wars for years against Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and their tenacity has paid off as they've taken over the No.1 spot for browsers in Europe.

That's the first time in a decade that Microsoft hasn't been the No. 1 browser in the region.

According to StatCounter, Firefox had a share of 38.1 percent in Europe for December, while Microsoft's Explorer fell to 37.5 percent.

Globally Microsoft continues to hold a solid lead though, as they hold a 46.9 percent share as of December. Firefox was second with a 30.8 percent share, and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) had 14.9 percent global share.

Microsoft closed Tuesday at $28.09, gaining $0.11, or 0.38 percent.