I can’t wait for mobile Flash Video

Posted on April 9th, 2007 by admin.
Categories: Adobe, Amp'd, Flash Lite.

So as everyone probably knows by now, Flash Lite 3 will feature Flash Lite video support.

There are some pretty obvious applications of this new feature (youtube anyone?) but there is a lot more to it than that.

For me personally I am looking forward to the ability to easily overlay graphics on video. Real estate is at a premium on most mobile device screens and anything you can do to get two things to exist in the same space is a bonus. The first thing I’m going to do when Flash Video hits mobile is slap video controls and state messages (buffering, paused, playing) on top of the video so I can save some space. This is especially true for fullscreen video like we do for the Amp’d Motorola Q. The ability to bring up controls on top of the video in Flash is going to be killer.

Speaking of controls, the ability to control video should be greatly improved with FLV support. With the current device video solution in Flash Lite 2.1 you can only do so much. Want to scale your video? Good luck with that one. Want to scrub through the video? You’d better hope the seek() functionality is implemented on your target device. With FLV support we should have a whole new realm of options available, I only worry about performance. :) All indications point to the Flash Lite 3 client being quite a bit heavier than its predecessor, let’s hope that doesn’t hurt the player’s adoption rate.

[tags]Flash Lite, FLV, Amp’d, Adobe[/tags]

0 comments.

Calsoft, Flash, and TV in your car

Posted on March 30th, 2007 by admin.
Categories: Flash Lite.

There’s an interesting press release out from an engineering company called Calsoft.

California Software Company Limited (Calsoft) has partnered with U-Eyes, China to enhance one of its products, the electronic visor (sun-shield) of a car, by incorporating a flash player in the device.

This software enables the visor in vehicles to serve a dual role, to shield the sunrays, besides providing entertainment. While passengers of the cab can watch a film or a music video, there is room for useful information in the form of tailor made advertisements. This not only cheers up the traveler but also keeps him/her informed of any special offers or events. The best part is that the content can be updated or changed, depending on the requirement.

That’s right, a [tag]Flash[/tag] Player in the car sun visor. That’s definitely new territory for flash. :)

CalSoft licensed the Flash Player SDK and [tag]Flash Lite[/tag] years ago before Macromedia got gobbled up by Adobe. It’s cool to see that they have found some creative and useful ways to utilize the technology.

[tags]Adobe, Flash, Flash Lite, CalSoft, U-Eyes[/tags]

0 comments.

How many Flash developers are really out there?

Posted on March 29th, 2007 by admin.
Categories: Adobe, Flash Lite.

So I was reading this article on Flash Lite at RCR news and ran into this interesting line:

Perhaps most importantly, though, Flash has the benefit of a community of more than 1.3 million developers, many of them game-makers

Oh really? Hmm. I’ve seen Adobe say something like there are 2 million+ Flash developers out there, some estimates say over 3 million, but regardless of the number I wouldn’t say that “many” of them are “game-makers”. Most seem to be still doing web work for Agencies or interactive CD-ROMS, integrating Flash with PHP, doing Flash Video stuff, etc.

But I continued pondering these mysterious numbers and asked another question. How many mobile Flash developers are out there? Any guesses?

I think that as more carriers like Verizon and Docomo commit to Flash-based technologies the numbers will go up. Device Central and CS3 should also help with that, but ultimately I think that Adobe needs to convert some of those hardcore Java, BREW, and Symbian developers in order to really take over the mobile world.

[tags]Flash Lite, developers, Adobe[/tags]

0 comments.

ZdNetAsia Article on Flash Lite

Posted on March 27th, 2007 by admin.
Categories: Adobe, Flash Lite.

ZDNetAsia recently posted a great article about Flash Lite and Adobe’s continuing efforts to challenge Java as the ultimate write once, run anywhere platform. It’s a very long and well written article that includes quotes from quite a few big folks in the Flash community.

One quote comes from someone that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with several times, Anup Murarka - Adobe’s Director of Technical Marketing:

“If you look at the traditional developer community, the creative professionals that have used Adobe products for years and years, there is a real interest,” Murarka says. “They are trying to figure out what they should do in mobile. Flash is proving to be three to five times faster for the application and content development than most of the technologies they have used in the past. But I don’t think Flash is a direct competitor for Java, because they solve different needs — Java is meant for a programmer, and Flash is meant for a creative professional.”

There’s also a quote in there by Dale Rankine, founder of Moket and a big name in the mobile Flash community.

Overall it’s a great article that talks about a lot of factors that are shaping the mobile development platform today. Highly recommended reading. :)

Read the ZDNetAsia article on Flash Lite here.

[tags]Adobe, Flash Lite, BREW, J2ME, ZDNet, Dale Rankine, Mobile[/tags]

0 comments.

Is Windows Mobile best for budding Flash Lite users?

Posted on March 26th, 2007 by admin.
Categories: Flash Lite, windows mobile.

Having spent months with [tag]Windows Mobile[/tag] 5.0 for Smartphones, I’ve come to the conclusion that it may be the best way for Web [tag]Flash[/tag] developers and designers to move into the mobile market.



It somewhat pains me to say this since I will always be a Linux fan at heart (eagerly awaiting more Linux phones to be released, by the way), but WinMo has a lot of things going for it that kind of ease the transition from web to mobile:

  • Familiar operating system rules
  • Easy to put the Flash player on the device
  • Easy to install third-party apps on the device
  • Wide range of WinMo devices with fairly powerful processors and decent memory space
  • WinMo devices usually have great screen resolution
  • Availability of browser plugin for PocketPC versions



Symbian has been the front-runner in Flash Lite since that’s where the first versions of Flash Lite became available, but Nokia devices aren’t really the best place for novice mobile developers and designers to start. This is especially true for developers that live in areas where the cooler Nokia phones aren’t available for purchase. BREW certainly isn’t easy for beginners either, for reasons too painful to go into here. The only real problem with windows mobile is the relatively small number of devices available, which I think is fine for the purposes of a training platform. Also consider that Motorola Qs are getting cheaper every day. :)

[tags]Flash Lite, Windows Mobile, Smartphone, Symbian[/tags]

5 comments.

Amp’d announces Motorola Q with Flash Lite

Posted on March 25th, 2007 by admin.
Categories: Amp'd, Flash Lite.

Well, the news is finally out. After many months of super-secret development, the [tag]Flash[/tag] version of [tag]Amp’d[/tag] Live UI has officially been announced. It’s been fun and challenging getting that product out, and I’m still nervous about the upcoming reviews, but I can’t resist telling folks about it :)



So, look for the Amp’d Q in stores near you in a couple of weeks.



[tags]Motorola Q, Amp’d, Flash Lite[/tags]

7 comments.

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