Awesome news to share with everyone, Smashing Ideas now has their own Flash Lite game catalog live on Verizon Wireless!

The Smashing Games application is a BREW C++ catalog application that uses the Adobe Flash Lite for BREW extension to render SWF files. These SWF files are Flash Lite casual games and were developed and published using Flash CS3. Subscribers can get information about the games before purchasing them and there are different purchasing options available.

The game catalog has several games available including some from independent Flash Lite developers as well as a few from Cartoon Network. Two of the Cartoon Network games are "Flight of the Hamsters" and "Mac's Match Up".





Smashing Games is available on 12 different handsets:

• MOTORAZR V3c
• MOTORAZR V3m
• MOTOKRZR K1m
• LG VX8100
• LG VX8300
• LG VX8500 (Chocolate)
• LG VX9800
• LG VX9900
  
• Samsung SCH-a930
• Samsung SCH- a950
• Samsung SCH-a970
• Samsung SCH-a990

If you have one of these devices you can go to the Get It Now application on your handset and go to the Get Fun & Games category. There you'll find the Smashing Games catalog. Check it out!

Also if you're a Flash Lite developer and want to get your Flash Lite game into the Smashing Games catalog you can contact them directly and discuss your ideas with them. Who knows, mabye your Flash Lite game can be sold to more than 18 million Verizon Wireless subscribers that have one of these handsets and you'll make money.

There's a new technical article on the Adobe mobile and devices developer center that Michael Tuminello wrote in which he describes how to build a Flash Lite fretboard quiz app. This is a Flash Lite 2.1 application and if you're new to Flash Lite development this is a good article to get started with.

You can test your application using Device Central, or if you have a Nokia S60 3rd edition or later device you can download the Flash Lite 3 developer edition and test on your device.

The article includes the sample files so you can download and follow along. Let Michael know what you think of his article and if you create any variations of the fret application make sure you share them with the community. I can imagine a lot of creative variations of this application.

If you're using Flash CS3 Professional and are developing Flash Lite applications you can now download Flash Lite 2.1 for BREW Publisher for Flash CS3 Professional from the Adobe mobile and devices developer site. This is an updated version of the plug-in for Flash CS3 Professional that's already available for Flash Professional 8 users.

This free plug-in for Flash CS3 Professional will allow you to export your Flash Lite applications as native BREW files (.mod and .mif) for testing using the Qualcomm BREW SDK Simulator and to transfer to a supported BREW handset for device testing.

You can get more information about developing for BREW devices and VZW here:
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/brew.html
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/verizon.html

If you live in the US you can now create and sell your Flash Lite for BREW applications for 12 handsets. The following handsets have been certified by Adobe and Qualcomm and are available today to Verizon Wireless subscribers:

• LG VX8100
• LG VX8300
• LG VX8500
• LG VX9800
• LG VX9900
• Motorola RAZR V3c
• Motorola RAZR V3m
• Motorola KRZR K1m
• Samsung SCH-A930
• Samsung SCH-A950
• Samsung SCH-A970
• Samsung SCH-A990

In addition to these 12 handsets we're still certifying new handsets that will be available soon as well as some existing handsets which are already in market.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with how the Adobe Flash Lite for BREW extension works:

1. When a Verizon Wireless consumer requests to purchase a application from the Get It Now offerings that requires the Flash Lite for BREW extension, the consumers handset sends a request to BREW Delivery System (BDS).
2. BDS recognizes the consumer has requested an application which requires the Flash Lite for BREW extension.
3. BDS pings the consumers handset and asks "do you have the Adobe Flash Lite for BREW extension installed"?
4. The handset sends a response back to BDS: yes or no.
5. If the handset doesn't have it installed then BDS will send the Flash Lite for BREW extension to the consumers handset OTA (over the air) and install it behind the scenes so it's transparent to the consumer.
6. Once the Flash Lite for BREW extension has been installed the application which the consumer originally requested to purchase is then sent OTA and installed.
7. This is a one time install of the Flash Lite for BREW extension and any further attempts by the consumer to purchase another Flash Lite for BREW application will result in only the purchased application being sent OTA.
   

You can get more information about developing Flash Lite applications for Verizon Wireless here and details about Flash Lite for BREW development here. If you want to download the Flash Lite for BREW extension for any or all of these phones, you can do so from the Qualcomm BREW Developer Extranet (however you need to be a registered BREW developer to get access).

Back on the 25th of October we made a preview release of the Flash Lite 2.1 update for Flash Professional 8 available for developers to download and try out.

Thanks to everyone who spent time testing and providing feedback and to our internal engineering and QE teams, the final version is now available for download. You can download the installer to update your copy of Flash Professional 8 for testing and publishing Flash Lite 2.1 applications and content for Symbian, BREW and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices.

If you already have the Flash Lite 2.0 update for Flash Professional 8 installed, you can install this on top of that. If you don't have the Flash Lite 2.0 update installed, you can just install the Flash Lite 2.1 update. Note: it's currently only available for PCs.

I'm very happy to announce that we now have a preview release of Flash Lite 2.1 for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices - including Smartphones and Pocket PCs. You can get all of the details on Adobe Labs including release and developer notes, documentation and installers.

We also have created a new discussion forum, Flash Lite: Windows Mobile where you can post your questions about developing Flash Lite content for these devices.

Some things you should know:
- This is a preview release of Flash Lite 2.1 for Windows Mobile 5.0. We're providing this to the broad developer community to allow you to test and provide feedback before it becomes final.
- We're working on some new device profiles for Flash Professional 8 to allow you to test your content. These should be available within the next few weeks.
- Both standalone and ActiveX plug-in are supported so you can view SWF content either way.
- We're working on some sample files for you to reference and will have those available soon.

The biggest questions will come from Flash developers who have used the Flash Player 7 or 6 for Pocket PC devices. Now there are 2 choices for developers - Flash Lite 2.1 or Flash Player 7. Each have their pros and cons and by next week we'll have a detailed comparison chart of the features of each so as a developer you can determine which version is the best choice for your application or development needs.

In a broader view what we've done is enabled Flash Lite developers to start targeting their application development for more than one platform using the same source files but changing things such as the stage size, video/audio formats and other related visual elements. Developers can reuse their ActionScript code with no or minimal changes. Now developers can create Flash Lite 2.1 content for BREW and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. Within 2 weeks I will be posting some sample files that better demonstrate this process to help get the point across.

If you have any additional questions please post them in the discussion forum so everyone can benefit from the threads.

For over 15 months we (Macromedia/Adobe) have been talking and showing examples of phones that use Flash Lite for the UI. Today there are quite a few Samsung and LG handsets in Korea that already are using Flash Lite to improve the user experience and they're great examples of how creativity and functionality can come together.

Now those of you living in the US can see and own this technology thanks to the new Verizon Wireless LG VX8500 phone, or otherwise known as the "Chocolate". This phone was originally released by LG in Korea last year and 2 weeks ago it was released here for Verizon Wireless. The phone itself is a great form factor- it's thinner and lighter than my Nokia N80, nice glossy black finish and the heat-sensitive controls on the face of the phone are cool.


Here's a quick video clip I shot demonstrating the various ways that Flash Lite is being used as UI elements of the chocolate phone: wallpaper and levels 1-3 of the phone menus.

In addition to using Flash Lite for these UI elements, this phone will also support the Flash Lite for BREW extension - we're currently testing this handset and will release more details in the future. So when I'm able to get Flash Lite 2.1 applications running on this phone I'll let everyone know.

Following up on my online discussion last Saturday (8 July) I've now compiled and made available the first FAQ for developers creating Flash Lite applications and/or content for BREW devices. You can download it here - it's a zip file that contains a PDF version of the FAQ.

If you have any additional questions that you would like me to answer please post them in the Adobe Flash Lite: BREW discussion forum or you can leave comments here. Around the first week of August I'll create a version 2 of the FAQ.

This Saturday, I'll be hosting a live Q&A discussion to answer any questions you may have about developing Flash Lite 2.1 for BREW mobile phones.

Here's the details:

• When: 9am - 10:30am PST, Saturday, 8th of July
• Where: http://seminars.breezecentral.com/flashdev/ (via breeze)
• Who: anyone interested
• Format: Q&A and possibly some demos of using the tools
• Cost: free

Update: on Saturday make sure you login as a guest and I will try to create an FAQ from the discussion.

I'm now back from my vacation and wanted to give everyone some updates on things. You may have already heard the good news but in case you haven't there is a new platform for developers to create Flash Lite content for - BREW mobile phones.

Flash Lite 2.1 for BREW is now available via Adobe Labs and you can download the following bits:

• Post-Processor Plug-in for Flash Professional 8
• Flash Lite 2.1 for BREW Extension
• Developer Documentation

You can also post questions and discuss ideas in the Adobe Flash Lite: BREW forums.

I'll be frequenting the Flash Lite: BREW forum as well as the other Mobile and Devices forums to help those of you with questions.

If you were unable to attend the BREW 2006 Conference 2 weeks ago in San Diego and are interested in learning more about our initatives around Flash Lite for BREW, you can now download and view the presentations and recorded video sessions. These are available from the Qualcomm BREW 2006 press room site:

Creating Flash Applications on BREW Handsets
(Rupen Chanda, Founding Engineer, Mobile and Devices, Adobe)

• Video (55 min WMV file)
  
• Presentation (900kb PDF)

Flash & BREW: Improve Revenue with Rich Content
(Anup Murarka, Director, Technical Marketing, Adobe)

• Video (42 min WMV file) **at the 24:50 mark you can see some prototype applications that were developed by some of our key partners.
  
• Presentation (7.5MB PDF)

Yes, you read that right "Flash Lite 2.1 for BREW" is being shown today at the BREW Developer Conference today through Friday and we're very excited about showing some examples of what will be possible with Flash Lite on the BREW platform.

For me this has been and continues to be one of the best mobile Flash implementations I've been involved with over the past several years and I'm very interested in getting feedback from the broader developer community as to what they think.

Over the past month we've worked with a select group of key partners who created some really impressive prototype applications using Flash Lite 2.1 for BREW and the great thing is they also work on Nokia S60 handsets with very minimal changes. That's one advantage of developing applications with Flash Lite.

So you're probably interested in learning more about Flash Lite 2.1 for BREW and what it means to you, well we have quite a few links for you to take a look which just went live this morning:

• Flash Lite for BREW Product Page
  
• Flash Lite Development Center for BREW Developers
• Flash Lite for BREW Datasheet
• Flash Lite for BREW FAQ

We'll be providing some additional information on our Flash Lite dev center for BREW developers over the next several weeks but there should be enough data points for you to get a sense of what this means to you.

Take a look at the FAQ for some commonly asked questions and if you still have questions you can leave a comment and I'll reply as soon as I have time this week. Also we've set up a new email alias for anyone to contact us directly with questions about Flash Lite for BREW: flashlitebrew@adobe.com.

Oh and one more thing, we'll be having a Flash Lite for BREW public beta starting on July 3, 2006! If you're interested in participating please send an email to flashlitebrew@adobe.com with the subject "Flash Lite for BREW public beta".

As I mentioned yesterday I'll try to blog from the conference today to provide updates on things.

Woohoo!!! This is awesome news and I wanted to let everyone know, especially developers in North America:

"Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced a strategic alliance with Verizon Wireless to start a mobile ecosystem built around Flash technology that will allow developers to create new interactive mobile content experiences for Verizon Wireless customers. Through this agreement, Verizon Wireless is expected to become the first wireless operator in North America to introduce Flash enabled handsets that use the technology to deliver a customized user experience. Developers will be able to create and offer new rich content, applications and data services based on Flash and targeted at these handsets."

Granted this is straight from the press release but I wanted to copy it here because it does a great job of describing what this new alliance between Verizon Wireless and Adobe means for Flash mobile developers.

So you probably have questions about this announcement and you can find more information at these links:

• Flash Lite Development Center for Verizon Wireless
• FAQ

If you have any questions after reading the FAQ post them here and I'll be sure to answer them as best as I can.

It's what you've been waiting for, the Flash Lite 2 Update for Flash Professional 8 Preview Release is now available through Adobe Labs. You can learn more about it here and download the developer bits after registering.

Quick overview of what's currently available:

• Flash Lite 2 Update for Flash Professional 8 Preview Release (allows you to publish Flash Lite 2 content and test in the mobile emulator)
  
• Device profile update 2
• Flash Lite Player 2 download (for supported handsets)
  

We also have the following developer resources available to you:

• Dedicated Flash Lite 2 Developer Forum
• Adobe Labs Wiki for Flash Lite 2
  
• Code examples and sample content

We will be adding new examples, sample content and resources over the next few weeks as well as monitoring the Flash Lite 2 developer forum for any questions you may have.

For those of you who missed my online seminar this past Thursday (15 Dec) you can now watch the recorded seminar here. It's about 1 hour long and I provide a sneak peek at what the Flash mobile authoring environment has in store for Flash Lite 2 developers including building a Flash Lite 2 video application from scratch and transfering it to a Nokia 6680 handset.

Enjoy.

I wanted to let everyone know that we are releasing the Flash Lite Player 2 “early” to enable developers and enthusiasts to begin playing with Flash Lite 2 over the holidays.

This is in anticipation of releasing more "preview release" developer materials in January via Adobe Labs to support Flash Lite 2 development. These other materials will include:

• an updated publishing profile for Flash Lite 2 content
• an update to the mobile emulator in Flash Professional 8 for testing Flash Lite 2 content
• documentation (APIs)
• sample files
• other resources and benefits

You can purchase an IMEI locked version of the player through the Adobe online store for $10 USD for the following supported Nokia handsets: 3230, 6260, 6620, 6630, 6670, 6680, 6681, 6682, 7610, N70, and N90.

Just so you know, you won't be able to publish any Flash Lite 2 content until we release the rest of the Flash Lite 2 developer bits in January but you can view any of the existing Flash Lite 1.1 content available in the Adobe Flash Lite Exchange or create your own Flash Lite 1.1 content. Over the next two weeks if I have some time I may post some Flash Lite 2 content for you to download and check out.

If you have any questions leave a comment and I'll reply.