Netflix has just released some exciting news on the mobile app front. Some Android phones now have the Netflix app available to them. Some is the key word, as it seems Netflix will only be working on Android phones manufactured by HTC and Samsung, with Android 2.2 or higher.
The Netflix app will run only on the following phones:
• HTC Incredible with Android 2.2
• HTC Nexus One with Android 2.2, 2.3
• HTC Evo 4G with Android 2.2
• HTC G2 with Android 2.2
• Samsung Nexus S with Android 2.3.
It would also seem as though Netflix will not be working on the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. However, the Netflix camp promises that they will aggressively be qualifying more mobile devices on the Android platform.
As one of the few apps that was released on the Windows Phone 7 before Android, Netflix has faced some challenges with Android, which explains why the app isn’t available for all Android phones. Roma De from the Netflix’s product team has this to say:
“One of these challenges is the lack of standard streaming playback features that the Netflix application can use to gain broad penetration across all available Android phones. In the absence of standardization, we have to test each individual handset and launch only on those that can support playback.”
Sadly, my brand new, and beautiful Motorola Atrix and Xoom is blocked from downloading this app. As some of the most powerful Android devices out there, I can only hope for something in the near future.
