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Flash Lite Contest 2006

biskero | 18 October, 2006 06:51

The Adobe Mobile and Devices User Group of Boston, Australia and Brazil launched a Flash Lite Contest 2006. The deadline for submitting applications is 11 PM EST on February 28th 2007.

For more information

Prizes:

  • Best Overall Flash Lite content: A Nokia of your choice (up to 500 US$)
  • Best iRiver Flash Lite content: Adobe software of your choice (up to 2000 US$)
  • Best Application: iRiver
  • Best Animation: Adobe software of your choice (up to 2000 US$)
  • Best Flash Lite Site: Adobe software of your choice (up to 2000 US$)

Flash Lite Contest categories:

Mobile phones:

  • Applications
  • Animations: Wallpaper, Screensaver
  • Flash Lite 1.1 Web Sites

iRiver:

  • Flash Lite content for iRiver (games and applications)
Alessandro

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Flash Lite differences

biskero | 12 October, 2006 06:20

A lot of people getting into Flash Lite development get confused with the capabilities of Flash Lite 1.1 versus 2.x offer.
Disclaimer, this post targets Nokia devices, other devices might have some  differences in the Flash Lite player implementation. I will try to explain some of the differences.
  • Flash Lite 1.1 is based on Flash 4/5 and ActionScript 1.0
  • Flash Lite 2.x is based on Flash 7 and ActionScript 1.0/2.0
Now if you do not know Flash and ActionScript, this might not help you much. So here a summary of the main funcionality of Flash Lite 1.1 and 2.x

Flash Lite 1.1

Can do:
  • load text data over http/https
  • load swf (Flash 1.1 or 4 version) over http/https
  • invoke the SMS, MMS, Tel, Email mobile phone system and pass some parameters such as Telephone number or SMS body
  • invoke browser using getURL API
  • retrieve IMEI
  • retrieve some specific phone information via Fscommad2 API
Cannot do:
  • cannot save data (text or binary) to the phone
  • cannot directly load images (jpeg/png/gif), you need to embed the images into a swf (version FL1.1 or 4)
  • cannot directly load sound you need to embed the sound into a swf (version FL1.1 or 4), this is tricky since there are different type of sounds. So read this great tutorial wrtten by Hayden.
  • cannot define functions (there are some tricks to simulate functions!)
  • no arrays (there are some tricks to simulate arrays!)
  • no Video
check Adobe site for more infos on FL 1.1

Flash Lite 2.0

Can do: everything Flash Lite 1.1 can do plus,
  • save data as Mobile Shared Objects (pretty much cookies)
  • load text data over http/https
  • load images (jpeg, png, gif) via http/https
  • load sound (mp3, aac...) via http/https/local file/embedded (sounds is loaded into memory and then played back)
  • play video (3gp, mp4, mov) via streaming http/rtsp, local files/embedded (it uses the mobile phone video player inside the FL movie clip)
  • define functions and classes
  • define arrays
  • and more ....
Cannot do:
  • streaming audio
  • cannot save binary data
check the Adobe site for more infos on FL2

Flash Lite 2.1 add to everything supported by Flash Lite 2, inline text and XML Sockets

This is just a summary and if the Flash Lite experts out there find some missing infos, please let me know and I will update it.
In any case for specific API/features take a look at the official documentation in the IDE or the Adobe Flash Lite documentation.

All these functionalities are available in general on the Flash Lite standalone player, other implementations such as browser, wallpaper, screensaver etc. support a subset of them.

You might noticed that there are big differences between Flash Lite 1.1 and 2.x. Nevertheless Flash Lite developers created great content in Flash Lite 1.1. I guess is more challenging and more fun!!

Alessandro

PS. thanks to the Flash Lite gurus for the corrections!

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Flash Lite development

biskero | 04 October, 2006 04:03

After the introduction to Flash Lite technology, I would like to talk about Flash Lite development.

To start develope content for Flash Lite enabled phones you need the following tools:
Flash Lite player for Symbian S60 platform (Tip: if you get the Flash Lite 2.0 player, it will be able to run Flash Lite 1.1 content too)
Flash Lite player for other platforms:
On my blog, I maintain a list of tutorial/articles and resources (CDK and other tools).

Once you installed the IDE and the updates, you can begin to look at the CDK and the example that many of the articles and tutorials above provide. The IDE includes a mobile phone emulator which emulates the Flash Lite content in the phone. So you can debug your Flash Lite content. For more information on the differences between Flash Lite 1.1 and 2.0 visit the Adobe site. In short, Flash Lite 1.1 is based on Flash 4 (and some 5) and ActionScript 1 while Flash Lite 2.0 is based on Flash 7 and ActionScript 2 (not all). These are big differences but you will notice soon that Flash Lite 1.1 content development might be a bit more challanging (due to lack of functionalities) but some really great content is been developed.

If you just want to play with Flash Lite content visit the Flash Lite Exchange which contains about 160 Flash Lite applications and games, all free!!! Well you can also download my Kero Mobile Flash Lite 1.1 application (for Nokia 3rd editon coming soon!!)

Now you need a mobile phone. There are already Flash Lite 1.1 enabled phones in the market, for example all the N-Series are Flash Lite 1.1 enabled (except N70 and N90, well in few markets they are!!), which means that you can run Flash Lite 1.1 content in standalone mode and in the WAP browser. Also the Series 40 3rd edtion feature pack 1 are Flash Lite 1.1 enable and you can run Flash Lite 1.1 content in Standalone, Wallpaper, Screensaver and Sub-LCD mode.

If you want to experiment with Flash Lite 2.0 content, you need to purchase the Flash Lite 2.0 player from Adobe for the target devices. Currently those are mainly Nokia Series 60 2nd edition. Nokia has already announce few models which will be Flash Lite 2 enabled, and one of those phones is the Nokia N95 (this is an interesting device since it will have the new S60 Browser which will be Flash Lite 2 capable)

So, now you can start developing with Flash Lite content, and if you have any questions please let me know of post on the various Flahs Lite forums at Adobe site and at the Flash Lite Yahoo User Group.

Alessandro

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