Flash Lite

Documentation
Tools
Code
Distribution
Discussion Board
Blogs

Flash Lite technology overview

With Nokia, Flash technology becomes more broadly available, because it’s supported across all Nokia platforms and is widely integrated with Nokia’s mobile WebKit browser. Nokia makes publishing Flash content easy, too, via packaging solutions and tools for Symbian and the Series 40 platform. You can also access the features of Nokia Symbian devices, such as location information and calendar data in ActionScript using platform services APIs and through the extendable plug-in architecture of the APIBridge component.

If you’re a web or media developer, Flash Lite could offer the quickest and most effective way of building on your existing skill set to create mobile content.

From desktop to mobile

Adobe Flash Lite has been available on Symbian and the Series 40 platform for some time, and there are various versions of the Flash Lite Player integrated with those platforms. Flash Lite content can be broken down into four types — screen saver, wallpaper, stand-alone, and browser-embedded — and each is handled differently. Flash Lite dramatically accelerates the delivery of rich content and browsing as well as customised user interfaces. Nokia has shipped more the 400 million devices with Flash technology.

Nokia was the first to deliver the complete web-video experience to people on the go, thanks to the integration of Flash video with the S60 Browser. Users of the browser can view Flash websites and Flash video content, such as YouTube videos, just as they would on their desktops. Flash Lite 3 enables simple desktop Flash 8 content to be viewed through the mobile browser.

Flash Lite expands this audience further by delivering the same rich graphical interactivity to a universe of mobile users. It also adds features that are uniquely mobile, including the ability to vibrate mobile devices and send text messages. For Flash developers, embracing Flash Lite involves an easy transition: They can use the same powerful Adobe tools to create Flash content for mobile devices as they do for desktop computers. Here's what Flash Lite delivers:

• A customised player integrated with Nokia’s platforms.
• Implementation speed and flexibility.
• A large developer base and a mature toolset.
• Great connectivity options.
• Extensibility on Symbian devices through the Platform Services ActionScript API and the APIBridge component.

For web and media designers, Flash Lite offers a great opportunity to tap huge new markets. For mobile developers, it offers a mature and popular authoring tool that can cut development time and deliver an engaging experience to mobile users.

Tools

Adobe’s Flash-authoring tool offers great features to assist in mobile development, through the Device Central element. Device Central is a testing environment that enables a developer to select a target platform or device and to test content on it. Nokia and Adobe work closely to deliver specifications and regular updates for this tool.

The process of packaging and distributing Flash Lite applications has become much easier with the introduction of the Nokia Flash Lite (NFL) format for Series 40 devices. The Flash Packager tool is available to help developers package their products — and two solid formats that cover Symbian (SIS) and Series 40 (NFL) devices. Casual Flash content created for the desktop can be viewed in the WebKit browser, and Flash content can be embedded in Web Runtime (WRT) widgets. Nokia recommends that content embedded in web pages or widgets be simple and that the browser engine not be used to deliver full applications.

Nokia recommends that application testing be undertaken using Adobe Device Central, the Forum Nokia Remote Device Access or Virtual Developer Lab services, or, on devices. Limited testing can be undertaken using the Flash Lite player included in the emulator shipped with several of the Series 40 SDKs. Use of these emulators is not recommended for full testing.

Documentation

Flash Lite general and introductory documents are published in Forum Nokia’s Flash Lite Documentation section. These resources will introduce you to valuable information about UI-design guidelines, example applications, content creation, and many other topics. Flash Lite developers can ask questions and engage in discussions on the Forum Nokia Discussion Boards. The Forum Nokia developer community also contributes rich Flash Lite code examples and technical articles to the Forum Nokia Wiki

Publishing to Ovi

Distributing software is easy. Nokia offers consumers the Ovi Store for easy application discovery, and the Maemo™ website describes for users the full range of fun services and downloads — from early ideas of innovators to the commercially focused content of the Ovi Store. With a simple process and low-cost publishing through the Ovi Store, Flash Lite content developers can reach more than 180 countries overnight. Publishing is very simple: Just follow the link before, sign up as an Ovi Store publisher, pay a low registration fee, and you’re ready to go.
Learn more about publishing to Ovi

Calling All Innovators 2009 Flash winners

Grand Prize: Reuters Slideshow
The Reuters Slideshow application, from U.K.-based Tui interactive media, is a hybrid application (combining Flash and WRT-widget functionality) that delivers a constantly updated feed of pictures and news. Users can easily scroll through images, smoothly call up associated text, and click through to full stories. The application, which also features a mini-view for use on S60 5th Edition devices, offers an engaging way to catch up on the latest news.

2nd Prize: ActiveChinese This educational application, comprises 10 Flash-animated lessons for English speakers to begin to learn how to speak Chinese. A series of built-in flash cards provides the most useful words and phrases and includes the Chinese character, Chinese pronunciation, Pinyin, and English translations. The Traveler Edition introduces the cultural differences in daily life that a visitor might encounter while travelling in China.

3rd Prize: FLORIN The FLORIN Flash-based application from the U.K.’s BlueskyNorth is a highly capable but easy-to-use personal finance tracker for Nokia S60 5th Edition devices.

Visit the Calling All Innovators site for details