Adobe Gives Up On Apple, Works Around iOS’ Flash Video Limitations

Chris Velazco is a mobile enthusiast and writer who studied English and Marketing at Rutgers University. Once upon a time, he was the news intern for MobileCrunch, and in between posts, he worked in wireless sales at Best Buy. After graduating, he returned to the new TechCrunch to as a full-time mobile writer. He counts advertising, running, musical theater,... ? Learn More

Ardent iOS supporters have been clamoring for true Flash support for years, and with the announcement of their new version of Flash Media Server, Adobe completely fails to deliver. Instead, they’ve managed to update their media server with a way to get streaming Flash video running on Apple’s myriad iOS devices.

Alas, while you can’t start working through your backlog of artsy Flash games, Flash Media Server 4.5 allows content producers to easily to get their Flash content onto iOS devices without any additional headache.

While older versions of the media server served up video streams in the F4F format, the update has added support for the HTTP Live Streaming format, which iPads and the like can handle just fine.

The media server system, according to ZDNet, detects the device’s level of Flash-capability and will switch over to using the HLS format when it sees an iOS device. It’s actually pretty ironic: in order to make Flash video streaming work, the new version of Media Server actually has to un-Flash the content and wrap it in another, more iOS-friendly container.

While it isn’t the Holy Grail of iOS Flash support, it’s a solution that works, and will make life easier for those in the unenviable position of managing live video streams. Hopefully Adobe has a team sequestered in a bunker working getting actual Flash support working now that they’ve managed to cross “streaming video” off the list.

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Car Rental Marketplace Getaround Gets Around $3.4 Million

Alexia Tsotsis currently works for TechCrunch as a writer. She is also a blogger who attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. She majored in Writing and Art, moving to New York City shortly after graduation to work in the Entertainment/Media industry. After four years of living in New York City and attending courses at New York... ? Learn More

Car rental community Getaround is announcing a $3.4 million seed round today, with participation from Netflix founder Marc Randolph, Powerset founder Barney Pell, WordPress’ Matt Mullenweg, Redpoint Ventures, General Catalyst, Michael Arrington‘s Crunchfund and others.

Co-founder Sam Zaid tells me that investor momentum for Getaround, which is in the same peer to peer carsharing space as Relay Rides, picked up “like gangbusters” after its debut and eventual win at TechCrunch Disrupt New York. The seed round ended up being massively exaggerated, raising almost 3x over initial intent.

Zaid tells me that since its launch in May, the service has brought on “tens of thousands” of users and that car owner signups have exceeded 5,000 nationwide. According to Zaid, top Getaround car owners are now grossing between $6,000 to $10,000 a year, and some are even covering their car payments through renting out their cars. The average revenue per car in the Bay Area is $340 a month.

The company also recently streamlined their iPhone app, which notably allows renters to both reserve and access their Getaround cars.

Getaround is currently available in the South Bay, East Bay and San Francisco, and Zaid tells me he is eyeing Seattle and Portland as contenders for possible expansion. The free service monetizes by taking a 40% transaction fee, which includes roadside assistance, insurance and support.

Zaid says that the primary advantage of launching Getaround at TechCrunch Disrupt New York was that the conference validated both the startup and the market, “It’s really brought a lot of credibility to both Getaround and the peer to peer car sharing market as a whole. Because it’s a very new market, that’s of tremendous value.”

Note: As noted above, TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington is investing in Getaround via Crunchfund. You can read more about his investment policy here.

Getaround provides a peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace that enables car owners to rent their cars - from Priuses to Teslas - to a community of trusted drivers by hour, day, or week using just their smartphones. Car owners invest huge amounts of time and money into an asset they barely use. The average car is idle 92% of the time, while potential drivers walk past block after block of underutilized cars. We are here to connect the dots… to help people...

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