Archive for February, 2009
Day 1 – Mobile World Congress Complete
Posted by Mark Doherty in on February 17, 2009
Well its almost 1am here in Barcelona and I’ve just come out of the Symbian Foundation party. Ustwo were there dancing away and I spotted many from Nokia, some from Trolltech and I also managed to find Jürgen Scheible who is a world renowned artist and creator of MobiSpray.
So we might be in for a bit of a treat tomorrow when he visits the Adobe stand 
Adobe at the Mobile World Congress 2009
Posted by Mark Doherty in on February 16, 2009
What’s being announced?
- Flash shipped on 1 Billion devices (cummulative): Flash Lite shipped on 40% of all new handsets in 2008
- Public beta of the Distributable Player solution – the ability to distribute mobile apps with the latest Flash Lite runtime
- Launch of m.adobe.com with leading content providers
- The Flash Lite Developer Challenge – a contest with cash prizes totaling $100,000
- The Open Screen Project Fund – a $10 Million market development fund open to developers worldwide
- Palm joins the Open Screen Project – “Palm joins the Open Screen Project and intends to ship Flash 10 on devices”
What is the Distributable Player? For the first time, developers can:
· Target the latest version of the Flash Lite player, leveraging the content-triggered download model people are familiar with on the web, but for standalone applications.
· Reach millions of open OS smart phones through direct-to-consumer distribution, new off-deck aggregator partners (GetJar, Thumbplay & Zed), or existing distribution channels. OTA is available in US, UK, India, Spain and Italy with more following quickly, anyone can download the player from Adobe Labs if OTA is not available.
Developers get 67% (Thumbplay) and 70% (Zed) of net revenues when selling their applications, an typical application sells for $4. Applications distributed by GetJar are free and can be supported by advertising, useful for projects where free/wide distribution is required.
Call to action:
· Click here <http://www.adobe.com/go/distribute> to get started creating, packaging and distributing Flash Lite 3.1 apps today!
· Submit apps to the Flash Lite Developer Challenge <http://www.flashlitedeveloperchallenge.com/> contest for a chance to win cash prizes, software and distribution deals with leading aggregators
What is the Open Screen Project Fund?
The Open Screen Project Fund is a $10 million market development fund that will provide grants to developers in order to accelerate the creation of apps, content and services that leverage the Adobe Flash Platform and run across mobile, desktop and consumer electronics devices.
Developers around the world are invited to submit their ideas. Proposals will be reviewed by an Open Screen Project Fund steering committee. We are seeking applications that work across devices, and showcase the key features of Flash Lite, Flash Player and AIR. While the apps do not have to run across all three screens (desktop, mobile and CE devices), at a minimum a mobile version is required. Additional criteria can be found in the FAQ on the website.
Call to action:
· Apply today in order to receive funding
BirdStep SmartConnect for S60
Posted by Mark Doherty in Industry News, Mobile Content on February 6, 2009
Flying around as I do it suddenly dawned on me just how much I have to fiddle with my E71. I’m constantly changing networks, syncing email, surfing and using Google Maps.
The problem with S60 FP1 devices is that there’s a presumption, largely among application developers that we only ever use a single access point. Of course this used to be true when we didn’t have WIFI in our homes and offices, but now its simply painful.
So searching around I discovered BirdStep SmartConnect for S60 available on Nokia Download! (for free). Installation was seamless as expected and on launch I get to set up a group, this group defines a profile that I want to use for a given application.
Once the group is defined I can add access points, my home WIFI, office WIFI and GPRS connections in priority order. So when I’m at home my email synchronises using my WIFI and when I’m outdoors it’s by GPRS.
It’s such a simple utility but it has saved me alot of hassle, and money I’m sure. The good news is that Nokia have added this into later S60 releases for devices like the N96 and 5800, and it’s called “Destinations”, which is a little strange?
Go get it for your N-Series device via the Download! application.