Netflix has been working on a mobile app for Android devices for some time, but hasn’t released anything yet due to the lack of system-wide DRM (digital rights management) on Android phones and tablets. Now the company is showing off Netflix streaming on Android devices using Qualcomm’s next-generation processors.
VentureBeat covers the deal that seems to suggest Qualcomm chips are the first ones that will be fast enough to reliably stream content, but that’s not exactly true. Netflix apps work pretty well on iOS and Windows Phone 7 devices. But Qualcomm is building DRM and security features directly into its next-generation chips which will make it possible for Netflix to stream content without worrying about piracy.
MobileCrunch has a video of the app in action after the break… or rather, in inaction, since the wireless network at Mobile World Congress wasn’t reliable enough to actually stream any video. But you can check out the demo of the user interface. Not surprisingly, the app looks a lot like the Netflix app for the iPhone. Read the rest of this entry »
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This is all well and good, but the real questions are:
1. Is this going to be available for *all* Snapdragon devices, or only ones using a specific 'next-generation' Snapdragon? If it's the latter, that's going to leave out a TON of Android users.
2. WHEN is this going to be available? The iOS/WP7 versions of Netflix have been available for a while now, and we're starting to see some serious contenders in the Android arena from 3rd parties. How much longer is Netflix going to take?
Yeah, the lack of timing is conspicuous. Regarding device support, who knows. But it could be more fragmentation bad news. Hopefully it's broader support and this is just a marketing/bizdev angle they're trying to capitalize on with the announcements. We shall see.
Been using Netflix on Android for a couple weeks now. It's nice to have next to Hulu and SlingPlayer.