A new article on Adobe DevNet from Ryan and Zak: Developing Flash Lite for BREW applications for Verizon Wireless.
This article will teach you how to develop Flash Lite for BREW content directly for Verizon Wireless. It will detail the process of becoming an authorized Qualcomm BREW developer, testing your Flash Lite for BREW content on a Verizon Wireless handset, and selling your content through Verizon Wireless.
Antony has a new post mentioning good points about being careful on using device resources when developing mobile applications.
Recently I had a strange problem with my Nokia E61 device. The device needs to be charged every day. I was quite sure that the battery was still okay. The device was relatively new, about 1 month old. Before it happened, I could use my device for 3 - 4 days without charging.
Some of the main points he mentioned also apply Flash Lite and KuneriLite development:
Continuous timers, ticking too frequently (for example, more than once every five seconds), can adversely affect power consumption.
Soon, when we release KuneriLite, you will figure out the great benefits and use areas of our Timer plug-in. When we designed Timer plug-in, we limited the sequential timer sets to minimum 5 seconds in core module. Good to see we had a point there :)
If an application is moved to the background, it should, where appropriate, be paused and timers should be stopped.
This is already fine for Flash Lite development, due Flash Lite player pauses when it’s sent to background. In KuneriLite, there is always a server running in background, which has to be terminated by Flash Lite. We have to mention these points for developers to think very well when designing their architecture.
The backlight shall not be kept on without a good reason. It is turned off after a short period of inactivity is to conserve power; therefore overriding the system defaults should only be done if there is a compelling reason.
Flash Lite already takes care of that problem automatically (on S60 at least).
Communication technologies, such as Bluetooth and WiFi, should be used carefully, as there is always some drain on the battery when any network interface is active.
This point is also worth to be careful about. Developers using KuneriLite should be aware of that and design their application architecture properly. However, I don’t think that there will be too much problem there, due I don’t see any point keeping Bluetooth on for long time.
The camera has to be powered off when it is no longer used. Even if the camera is not being actively used, it is still consuming power if it is not powered off.
That’s also a point that KuneriLite users can feel safe about.
New online live seminar from Adobe; Testing & Porting Flash Lite Content with Adobe Device Central on 25th April 2007 at 09:00 AM - 10:00 AM US/Pacific.
This eSeminar will provide an introduction to the process involved in developing a Flash Lite application for multiple mobile devices with different screen sizes and Flash Lite versions, using a consistent set of assets.
Agenda:
How visual assets are prepared for multiple screen sizes. Using Device Central with Photoshop and Flash to quickly and easily test visual assets for multiple mobile devices. Testing Flash Lite applications with Device Central, using the built-in features to test device specific functions and performance.
4 new video tutorials for Adobe Device Central CS3.
Using the Device Central workspace
Understand the Device Central workspace and learn how to set preferences, work with device profiles, and create new mobile documents. Find out how to search for devices and take advantage of device profiles and sets in the workspace, including how to create a new device set and use the Search Devices filter.
Using Device Central with Photoshop
Discover how to use Device Central with Photoshop to create new mobile files, modify mobile content, test it in Device Central, and return to Photoshop to further modify your work.
Creating mobile content in Flash
Find out how to create mobile content using Flash and how to test it in Device Central.
Creating mobile content in Illustrator
Learn how to create mobile content in Illustrator and preview it in Device Central, including how to make adjustments to the illustration, and test it using different settings.
Nokia launches Remote Device Access (RDA).
Remote Device Access (RDA) technology enables remote access to mobile devices over the Internet. The system consists of a device pool connected to a server, and users connecting to the server in order to remotely use the devices. Once a user has connected to a device, the screen of the device is transfered to the user’s desktop in real time. In addition, the user can install applications on the device, transfer files, and analyze log files in real time. This enables developers to test their mobile applications and services on various Nokia devices based on Symbian OS. RDA is an Internet-based solution, and the requirements for using the service are a standard Web browser and Javaâ„¢ Web Start (typically comes with Java Runtime Environment, JRE).
Don’t forget to check RDA usage instructions and Frequently Asked Questions.
Hartti posts his recent Flash Lite development experience and shares his concerns about fragmentation and Flash Lite on different devices.
So far I have believed the mantra that Flash Lite works the same way across the devices and that there is no fragmentation in Flash Lite. Well, based on my recent experiences, I need to re-think my stand on this…
Flash Lite surely eases mobile software development, but would be unrealistic to say it is the perfect solution for all.
Maybe you realized; today everyone is excited and talking about Adobe Device Central CS3. Cool, but what is Adobe Device Central? What is so exciting about it? Check out Winston Wang’s article: Introducing Adobe Device Central CS3 to learn more about Adobe Device Central CS3 until you can put your hands on.
In this article, I’ll examine the promise and challenges of mobile and device authoring, and introduce Adobe Device Central CS3—the new solution developed by Adobe specifically to help designers and developers minimize these challenges and focus on creating engaging mobile experiences.
There are two upcoming Flash Lite online live seminars in April; Preview new and exciting workflows in Creative Suite 3 and Testing and porting Flash Lite content with Device Central.
Preview new and exciting workflows in Creative Suite 3
Wednesday, April 4, 2007. 09:00-10:00 AM and 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM US/Pacific
Bill Perry, Manager, Adobe Mobile and Devices Developer Relations, will preview the features and benefits of Adobe Device Central CS3, the all-new, integrated mobile authoring component in the Adobe Creative Suite 3 family of products that provides an easy and intuitive way for users to understand device information and to create content based on specific devices.
How the mobile content creation workflows in Creative Suite 3 enable mobile developers, designers, creative professionals, and hobbyists to create and test various mobile content types What Adobe Device Central is and how to use it The differences in testing your mobile content with Adobe Device Central vs. on-devices testing
Testing & Porting Flash Lite Content with Adobe Device Central
Wednesday, April 25, 2007. 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM US/Pacific
This eSeminar will provide an introduction to the process involved in developing a Flash Lite application for multiple mobile devices with different screen sizes and Flash Lite versions, using a consistent set of assets.
How visual assets are prepared for multiple screen sizes. Using Device Central with Photoshop and Flash to quickly and easily test visual assets for multiple mobile devices. Testing Flash Lite applications with Device Central, using the built-in features to test device specific functions and performance. Speaker: Paul Lamonby, Technical Director, Blueskynorth
Check Adobe Online Events page for more details and registration.
New white paper from Adobe: Designing Engaging Mobile Experiences by Josh Ulm. Paper aims to help understanding the guiding principles that are critical to designing great experiences for today’s mobile device users.
Forum Nokia released an example of an isometric adventure game for S60 platform. Although it demonstrates content creation using standard C/C++ libraries, generic game architecture design considerations for mobile platforms are applicable to all game developers, or those interested in becoming (mobile) game developers. Package also includes a game design document.
