14 DAY TRIAL // Currently available on a wide range of mobile operating systems out there, Netflix is expected to become available for handsets running under Google's Android operating system in early 2011, the company announced officially via a recent blog post.
Windows Phone 7 devices already got the solution, while iPhone users were able to enjoy it before too, an it appears that Android will also receive Netflix in the not too far future.
“Notably absent from current supported mobile devices is Android and I wanted to provide an update on where things stand with this important platform,” Greg Peters, from Netflix product development, notes in a recent post on the company's blog.
According to him, the first Android handsets are expected to taste Netflix sometime in early 2011.
“We live to get Netflix on new devices, so the current lack of an Android-generic approach to quickly get to all Android devices is frustrating. But I’m happy to announce we’ll launch select Android devices that will instantly stream from Netflix early next year,” he stated.
While the company is looking forward to have its technology available on Android too, it appears that some issues with the lack of a generic platform security on Android. A content protection mechanism is not available for Android either.
“The same security issues that have led to piracy concerns on the Android platform have made it difficult for us to secure a common Digital Rights Management (DRM) system on these devices,” Greg Peters continues.
He continues saying that the company does not have a common platform security mechanism and DRM, but that Netflix worked with various mobile phone makers to add content protection to their devices.
However, the process is a slow one, and would result in different experiences being offered on various Android devices out there, especially since not all mobile phones will receive the technology.
“This clearly is not the preferred solution, and we regret the confusion it might create for consumers. However, we believe that providing the service for some Android device owners is better than denying it to everyone,” the blog post continues.
The company is set to continue working with the Android community, including mobile phone makers, carriers and others, for the delivery of a standard, platform-wide solution that would offer content providers the possibility to provide Android users with their services.