We now know Microsoft will push both Silverlight and Flash Lite on smartphones powered by Windows Mobile. According to the Silverlight Mobile fact page, a first Developer CTP (Community Technology Preview) of Silverlight for Mobile will be available in 2nd quarter of 2008 targeting Windows Mobile 6. Similarly to its big brother from desktop computers, the mobile version of Silverlight will also take the form of a browser plug-in but featuring Silverlight 1.0 only, at least initially.
However, we know that Flash Lite also works as a stand-alone application, and at some point in the future (i.e. not too far), I wouldn’t be surprised to see Microsoft taking the same route Adobe has taken. In the meantime, as we approach the second quarter, Windows Mobile device manufacturers will probably push firmware upgrades towards consumers in order to take advantage of Silverlight Mobile. Or a separate downloadable app will be available. To be honest, we’re not sure at this stage, but firmware upgrades seem like an elegant, hassle-free solution for most users.
[Via: the::unwired]