Good news for those of you who have been following our Flash Cast announcements around Verizon Wireless - you can now start participating!

We're really excited about being able to provide more details to developers around creating channels for Dashboard - which is the current name of their implementation of Flash Cast.

There is now more details available about Dashboard, the tools for creating and testing channel content and how to contact Verizon Wireless about getting started. Once a developer is accepted by Verizon Wireless to participate in the Dashboard program, they will then receive access to our new tools, testing server, documentation, discussion forums and other information.

Verizon Wireless has updated their developer center TheZON with a new section for Dashboard and we've also updated our Flash for Verizon Wireless developer page on our site with additional details.

So you probably have some initial questions:

• When will Dashboard be available? Mid-2008.
• What devices will it be available on? We can't share that information at this time but we're recommending the LG VX8700 handset as a reference device for development and testing based on the hardware and screen characteristics.
  
• What's a channel? It's the rich experience that brands and developers create which renders a data feed. You can think of them as being similar to widgets but channels are more expressive. Dashboard users will be able to have multiple channels available to them on their handset.
  
• What do I need to do to get started? Read the information on the Verizon Wireless Dashboard Developer site and contact Verizon Wireless to apply to be a channel developer.
  
• What is Mobile AppBuilder? Mobile AppBuilder is is the new PC-based tool created to streamline the workflow for channel development. Use Flash CS3 Professional, together with Mobile AppBuilder, to create, assemble, test, and preview channels locally on your desktop. Mobile AppBuilder includes a Flash Cast client emulator that runs on your desktop as well as Flash Cast device profiles.
• What is the difference between Flash Cast and Flash Lite? Flash Cast is a client+server solution and Flash Lite is a client only solution.

Here are some links to help you get started and to provide more information:

• Verizon Wireless Dashboard Developer Site
• Dashboard Flash Cast Content Guide
• Dashboard FAQs
• Overall Process for Developing a Channel
  

If you have any questions please email me or leave a comment.