Flash lite

Kuneri unveils KuneriLite for S60 applications

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Mobile design and development firm Kuneri introduced the public beta release of its KuneriLite application development toolkit, which promises faster, easier and cheaper S60 mobile applications creation regardless of Symbian programming knowledge. The out-of-the-box KuneriLite solution extends Adobe Flash Lite capabilities across the S60 platform, with support on all S60 third edition and newer devices--a set of plug-ins is available, and developers may work up their own plug-ins as well. KuneriLite comes in three editions: Basic, Professional and Commercial. "We have been developing for the S60 platform for a long time and see the potential of Flash Lite very clearly," said Kuneri CEO Ugur Kaner in a prepared statement. "We see a gap between strength and user experience in mobile development, and aim to help developers to close this gap by using our tool. We believe KuneriLite will be very popular among developers, as it is very easy to use and learn, and leads to impressing results--bringing imagination into concrete in shorter time."

For more on KuneriLite:
- read this release

Flyer extends Flash Lite on S60

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Flyer is an open-source project that extends the reach of Flash Lite 2.1 apps on S60 devices. Flyer, written with S60 Python interpreter, gives Flash Lite apps the ability to send files over BlueTooth, access the contact list, and take photos. A release slated for next month adds GPS and file upload support, among other features.

I guess Python for S60 isn't just a gimmick.

New mobile tools in Adobe CS3

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:01:38 -0400

Adobe announced Creative Suite 3 (CS3), the latest version of its bundle of graphics and development tools. CS3 includes several mobile-specific enhancements, the most interesting of which is a new tool called Device Central. Device Central is a sort of emulator that can simulate a Flash Lite program running on a variety of handsets and in a variety of conditions (no signal, low battery or even high outdoor glare). Device Central isn't perfect and it certainly won't replace testing on a real phone, but it does promise to shorten the development cycle. CS3 also includes templates for Photoshop that make it easy to create quick mock-ups of Flash Lite applications. Not the sort of feature that will turn heads, but it does show that Adobe is committed to the mobile developer. Adobe has a list of features and an FAQ for CS3 on its website.

Editor's Corner

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:01:39 -0500

Mobile Widgets
The allure of widgets is obvious: porting, compatibility testing and code signing are major headaches for developers just trying to create a simple application or piece of content. A well-designed widget architecture promises to take that all away.

I've touched on mobile widget platforms from Bling on Mojax when I wrote about mobile AJAX a few weeks ago, but since then Opera Software has announced Opera 9 Mobile, which will feature a mobile version of Opera Widgets. This is a pretty big deal as Opera already has a large library of desktop widgets and a sizable user base. (The other big new feature announced in Opera 9 Mobile is "intelligent zoom," which sounds a bit like the "pinch zoom" feature in the upcoming iPhone.)

And Opera isn't the only big name trying to get in on the action. Yahoo is trying to leverage its desktop Widget Engine (and the 1,500 existing desktop widgets available for download) with the latest version of Yahoo Go for Mobile. Go for Mobile 2.0 is a downloadable app that includes widgets for weather, breaking news, search and pictures through Flickr.

Another new entrant to the mobile widget arena is Canoo's UltraLightClient (ULC). ULC is best known as a Java-based platform for creating "rich Internet applications." The company just announced ULC Mobile, a J2ME version that can leverage ULC's existing codebase. There is one catch: while many products let developers create widgets for free in order to promote the platform, ULC Mobile has to charge for it. The client is free, but a developer license costs about $5,000.

Next Week: I'll be reporting live from the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. -Eli

Flash Lite adds video support

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:01:38 -0500

Adobe has announced that Flash Lite 3, due in the first half of 2007, will include support for Flash Video served by Adobe's Flash media server. And no, it won't let you surf YouTube on your phone. Not yet, anyway. Blog

IE Mobile improves embedded Flash support

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:01:36 -0500

The IE Mobile team passes along a nice, easy way to test a browser's Flash support. It takes advantage of a new Flash player 7 feature. Blog

Flash Lite 2.1 for Windows Mobile 5.0 and S60

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 19:01:36 -0500

Adobe has posted a Flash Lite 2.1 player and SDK for Windows Mobile as well as new player for Symbian S60. The downloads are free, but require an Adobe account. A Flash Lite 2.1 FAQ (.pdf) is also available. Website

Opinion: Is Flash Lite going mainstream?

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:01:38 -0500

Last week I wrote about Adobe's deal to bring Flash Lite to Verizon phones. This week Stephanie Rieger provides her take: "So the Verizon announcement is all well and good but when will Flash appear on mid-to-lower end, unlocked/un-walled handsets in international distribution?"

Editor's Corner

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Flash Lite
This isn't the first time I've written about Flash Lite, and from the looks of things it won't be the last either. The platform, which is already huge in Korea and Japan, is making serious new headway in the U.S.

I'm talking, of course, about the Verizon-Adobe initiative to bring Flash Lite for BREW to Verizon phones. The deal is apparently an extension of a pact Adobe signed with Verizon back in April, just after Adobe acquired Flash Lite creator Macromedia. The initial plan is to pre-install Flash Lite on four high-end Verizon phones and provide free OTA updates for existing owners of those phones. Presumably Flash Lite will eventually be deployed more compatible Verizon phones.

By its nature, Flash Lite is unlikely to power complex games or any sort of enterprise applications, but for simple, cross-platform mobile content it's hard to beat. As part of the deal, Verizon is offering Flash Lite content on its Get It Now service, which has spurred several well-known developers to create new Flash Lite apps and update existing titles. The Weather Channel has already created a Flash Lite version of its popular weather forecasting app, and India Games is offering special content from NBC's "The Office." - Eli

Moving from J2ME to Flash Lite

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 20:01:36 -0400

The Mobile Games Blog is tracking one developer's journey from J2ME to Flash Lite, with all the bumps and quirks along the way. Blog