Thumbs Up to Casual Gaming on Mobiles

A recent report by Park Associates says that consumers still want to see casual games on mobiles.

The report says that gamers don't see mobile phones as platforms for advanced gaming. More than 30% of those interested in mobile gaming want sports, action, and adventure games on portable players. 29% want to play driving or flying games and 27% want to play shooting games on portable devices, the report found.

Less than 10% of mobile Internet gamers are interested in using their mobile phones to play core or console-centric games, while 55% want to use their mobile phones for puzzles and card games. More than 30% want to use them for word games and arcade-style games, the report found.

"New 3-D and multiplayer mobile games look great in demos, but casual games are where the money is and will be for the next few years," Yuanzhe Cai, director of Broadband and Gaming for Parks Associates, said in a statement. "Portable game players will maintain strong growth momentum as they provide an experience yet to be matched by mobile phones. Next-generation players will likely include mobile broadband, which will enhance their value proposition."

This is great news for casual mobile game developers.

Launched the Christmas Elf Dance on the Chumby

The Christmas Elf Dance game that was launched last week for Nokia handsets, has now been ported for the Chumby and is now available as a widget under their Games Category



This is a first widget launched and I hope to launch more in the coming months under the banner of IGameStudio.

More Flash Lite games on Playyoo - Join Playyoo to play them and rate them well ;)

I've uploaded a couple of casual arcade game on Playyoo...some of them are from my old catalogue and some I developed recently. So you can log on to Playyoo to play them and of course rate them good ;)

Flash Lite Christmas Game - Christmas Elf Dance

My Flash Lite Christmas game called the Christmas Elf Dance has been up on the Nokia Software Market since a couple of days.

The game is a simple memory arcade game where you have to remember the sequence of the lights as they brighten up and then use the arrow keys to follow the sequence to make the elf dance. You can check out the game on the URL here.

BSQUARE to License Adobe Flash Lite to Mobile, Embedded Device OEMs

This news comes via Trading Markets.com -

Bsquare announced that it has purchased NEC Corporation of America's Adobe Flash Technology Consulting and Distribution business for an undisclosed sum. The company noted that as a result of the transaction, it is now a worldwide-authorized distributor of Adobe Flash Lite software, which supports Adobe Flash Player functionality for mobile and embedded devices.

Brian Crowley, president and CEO, BSQUARE said, "This acquisition broadens our product and service offerings in an area of particular interest to OEMs right now, given the increasing popularity of web content such as YouTube on mobile devices. Further, OEMs desire to build compelling user interfaces on devices utilizing Flash authoring tools."

Flash Lite on N95 using the Accelerometer API

Debashish Paul sent me a link to one of the apps developed by his friends and himself using Flash Lite and the N95 Accelerometer API. The content interaction is made using sensors.

Watch Flash Lite in action with the N95 Accelerometer API

Launching IGameStudio.com

Wait to know what IGameStudio is all about because its launching soon...

initRIA - A Rich Internet Applications Developer Conference

Bangalore is to witness a first of its kind RIA Developer Conference next weekend with Mrinal Wadhwa along with a couple of other members of the Bangalore Flex User Group, putting up the whole show.

The conference is called initRIA and is scheduled for 16th December 2007. It aims to provide a platform for RIA enthusiasts around the country to interact and learn.

They are currently inviting speakers and are accepting proposals till December 11. The agenda includes all RIA technologies, so be it Flash, Flex, AIR, JavaFx, Ajax, OpenLazzlo or Silverlight, you can pick a topic to cover.

They have also opened up registration for attendees, as they have a accommodation limit of 100. So if you are around the area (or even outside it!) and wish to learn and interact with the experts, make sure to be around.

Adobe.com gets a new look

Adobe.com website has donned a new look today with the website looking more sleeker in its gray and white look. The look is also reminiscent of the Developer Connection launched earlier during MAX.

The website seems to be adapted for wider screens, with expanded space for better and clear usage. Navigation looks clean, with content taking center-stage! And not to forget the small search box which rests on the top right corner of the screen.

On my monitor(set at 1280x800), some sections like the Forums or the Exchange look very empty from the right hand side with the entire weight being borne by the left side....or maybe I'd just spoilt myself by getting accustomed to looking at content at the center of the screen, so now with the focus having shifted to the left, the adjustment has not set in....

What I really liked was each product page being designed with its own color and icon. It just makes viewing a lot fresher for the eyes!

Check out the new website and post your comments!

Tower Of Giza - Flash Lite 1.1 Game

Tower Of Giza is one of my first games that I have submitted for the Playyoo Contest and the 2007 Flash Lite Game Contest. The game is a time based game which requires the player to build a pyramid within a decided set of years or face the wrath of Pharaoh Khufu.

The game is attempted with a 3D look and feel and an emulated "swapDepths" feature (absent in Flash Lite 1.1).

The game is developed in Flash Lite 1.1, as this version of Flash Lite is still available on a large number of handset models and is backward compatible with the newer phones too. The game was compiled using the Playyoo extension (extremely simple to use) and was later tested on Nokia and Sony Ericsson.

Flash Lite 2.1 Music Client developed by Brainbuxx and Arvato Mobile

A Flash Lite 2.1 Music Client was launched yesterday by developers BrainBuxx and Arvato Mobile. The application offers a shop to download music, and has an integrated music player. The application currently supports 200 mobile phone models.

The news comes in from a German blog.

Demo of Adobe’s FlashCast and FlashLite + YouTube Mobile

The Flash Lite market awareness sure seems to be going strong in India with Adobe reaching out to developers and rest of the non technical people via the Kamla Bhatt Show.

Debashish Paul of Adobe, Bangalore shares his YouTube application built with Flash Lite 3 in a series of videos. He talks about the basics of Flash Lite, its penetration in India and its proliferation globally, especially from the developer and market perspective. There is also a video showcasing the Flash Cast channels live on a handset.

Video Demo of Flash Lite Part 1
Video Demo of Flash Lite Part 2
Video Demo of Flash Cast

For those who'd like to know more about the Kamala Bhatt Show, it focuses on connecting the Indian diaspora across the world. There is also a technology-related show on Podtech where Kamla feature entrepreneurs, technologists, investors and many more among today’s generation of “Global Indians.”

Technology Innovation Competition by Nokia

Nokia has announced a Technology Innovation Competition for start ups and midsize companies. By seeking out technology inventions in four design and HW focus areas, the aim is to further drive the aspects of miniaturization, enhanced performance and green technologies in the area of consumer devices. The four focus areas consist of:

1. Mobile Multimedia Experience: specifically driven by audio reproduction, camera and display technologies for exciting and professional performance.

2. Future Device Architecture: as enabler of enhanced device capabilities, faster processing and lower energy consumption for increased possibilities in customer usability .

3. User Interface: interest areas are very much in simplicity and human intuitiveness together with naturally required haptics.

4. Future Touch and Feel: is seeking after novel look & feel, form factor, durability and movement solutions which provide unique design possibilities and may even enable the capability for individual personalization with no compromises on the usability.

In order to submit proposals, you can visit http://www.mobilerules.org/technology/.

The winning companies will get an opportunity to negotiate solution development and resulting product creation with Nokia or the involved industry players. There will be four winners for each of the Technology Innovation Competition categories. Further more, there will be three finalists nominated in each of the categories.

These finalists will be invited to an Innovation Exhibition within the Nokia Head Quarter in Espoo, Finland to demonstrate the developments and may get discussion with Nokia decision makers. For the advantage of the finalists Nokia will also make a public announcement, naming the 12 finalists as the short listed companies of this competition.

The competition started on 29th November 2007, with a deadline of 25th January 2008.

The Open C Challenge has a Flash Lite winner!

Nokia announced the winners of the Open C Challenge during the Nokia World 2007 in Amsterdam yesterday. Open C allows development of applications and services for the S60 platform in a faster and more cost-efficient way. The Open C Challenge was a contest sponsored by Forum Nokia, along with Orange and the Symbian Developer Network

The winner of the contest is an application called MobiTubia developed by Sittiphol Phanvilai from Bangkok, Thailand. It is interesting to know that the application is a Flash Lite video player and YouTube portal application with real-time decoding for the S60 platform.

This is what they have to say about the application -

"MobiTubia is a Flash Lite video player and YouTube portal application with real-time decoding for the S60 platform, developed by Sittiphol Phanvilai of Bangkok, Thailand, a graduate student in the Master of Engineering program in Computers at Chulalongkorn University. MobiTubia enables mobile users to access flv clips using several different methods. Additionally, the application allows users to browse and search for specific content on YouTube. The developer ported 25,000 lines of code to the Open C environment to make the application compatible with S60 on Symbian OS."

You can follow these link to read about the Open C contest and its winners and view the MobiTubia video

The coming flood of Flash Phones

Flash phones don’t always mean Flash Lite enabled phones…and there are companies out to prove that!

Flash phones are actually a service offered, to make calls directly from the browser using VOIP. Unlike the earlier installable applications like Skype or Gizmo who provided the same services of making calls, Flash phones don’t require any installation as they run directly off a browser….and they are completely free.

Just last month I read about a Russian company starting a flashphone service, and now I there is India’s TringMe providing a Flash-based SIP phone which you can configure to use with any VOIP provider. TringMe is also working on a mobile VOIP service that will let you make SIP calls from your phone’s browser over a 3G data network, however it will be interesting to see if they do it in Flash Lite or not.

Another interesting read related to Flash phones is about Ribbit who are also soon to introduce an entire development platform for building Flash phones. Ribbit’s development platform is already in private beta and allows programmers to build Web phones that can make, receive, and record calls, send voice messages, and manage contacts. Ribbit runs the back-end VOIP service, and it supports applications built on both Adobe Flex and AIR.

A developer has already used Adobe AIR and Ribbit to create an Adobe AIR iPhone that looks just like a regular iPhone and can actually make calls from your desktop.

Flash Lite 3 Developer Edition available on Adobe Labs

December couldn't have started on a better note than this....the Flash Lite 3 Developer Edition is now available for download via the Adobe Labs! This news comes via Bill Perry and is seen as a starting point for some great content being developed with this new version of Flash Lite.

I installed it on a Nokia N95 and N73 as soon as the news got out because the installer did not require me to submit an IMEI number and could be directly downloaded in sis format for the supported handsets. If you refer to website you will see that the player is supported on almost all the latest models of the Nokia S60, although Adobe mentions they have certified it only on the Nokia N95 (non-US 3G version).

There is also a dedicated Developer Forum for Flash Lite 3 which should gain momentum in some time.

Happy Development to All :)

Mobile Facts - A New Segment

Sometimes I read or come across interesting market facts or news which I would like to share with the rest of the mobile community. For this, I have created a small space on the right hand panel of my blog for a segment called Mobile Facts.

I will try updating this as often as possible but to start with today - It is great to know that the big mobile game bubble is still floating well, with research done by Disney shows that the average time spent by an individual on a mobile game has increased from 11 minutes to 18 minutes...

Very encouraging for mobile game developers.

Help the Environment by playing a game

Clickgamer has started a campaign this holiday season to give back the best it can to the planet. Starting today through mid January, Clickgamer is giving away free downloads of its game - Snowed in 6, Deep Freeze.

If the number of free downloads reaches 1 million, Chillingo, the company behind Clickgamer, will donate $ 10,000 to a non-profit climate change organization. The game runs on all popular smartphone platforms.

This is what Chris Byatte, Managing Director of Chillingo has to say -

"Every Christmas, we have given away a new version of Snowed In to all our customers and site visitors as a thank you and goodwill gesture for their support. This year, in keeping with tradition, we are releasing Snowed In 6 - Deep Freeze but with a difference - we will donate $10,000 to a non-profit climate change organization when the download counter hits 1 million. The mobile content market has seen dramatic change over the last 6 years that we have been operating. As an independent mobile commerce business, we provide the mobile market with an alternative source for high quality content irrespective of mobile operators. Last but not least, I hope everyone enjoys this year's rendition of Snowed In - and 'play' a small part in stopping climate change!"

CSV in Flash Lite

Recently I'd been working on an application that required Flash Lite to import data from a CSV file format.

CSV stands for "Comma Separated Value". It is a standard means of exchanging data, and virtually all spreadsheets and databases can import data presented in this fashion. This is what a CSV spreadsheet will look like when opened in Excel.


For Flash Lite to import data from a CSV file format, you can make use of a middle language - PHP. Written below is a basic code showing interaction between Flash Lite and PHP for reading CSV files.

PHP File

$file = $_POST['link'];
$row = 1;
$handle = fopen($file, "r");
while (($data = fgetcsv($handle, 1000, ",")) !== FALSE) {
   $num = count($data);
   $row++;
   for ($c=0; $c < $num; $c++) {
      echo "&data$row$c".$data[$c];
   }
}
fclose($handle);

The code above is accepting the CSV file URL from the 'link' variable sent from Flash, and tossing it into the 'fopen' command. It is then parsing the result using 'fgetcsv', and echoing the returned data value back into Flash.

Flash File

varSender = new LoadVars();
varReceiver = new LoadVars();
varSender.link = "http://myurl.com/test.csv";
varSender.sendAndLoad(url, varReceiver, "POST");
varReceiver.onLoad = function(){
   trace(varReceiver.data10);
};
stop();

The Flash file is sending the 'link' variable to the PHP file and receiving the 'echoed' values from PHP in the 'varReceiver' Object. The received values can then be used within the application.

Flash Lite interaction with CSV can be very useful in reading data for several games and applications. You can use this code and explore the possibilities of adding much more interaction to your content.

Spotlight - Flash Lite Game Development

Last week I had the opportunity to talk to Marco Lapi, admin of GotoAndPlay.it, about Flash Lite and mobile gaming. For those who may not know, GoToAndPlay.it has a huge resource of tutorials, sample files, and game files for web and mobile game developers.

Our conversation of last week has been compiled into an article and published on their website. To read it you can follow the link - http://www.gotoandplay.it/spotLight/mobileDevelopment/

Wishing you a Happy Diwali

Wishing you a Happy, Safe and Prosperous Diwali!

Game For More

An article on gaming careers was released in today’s edition of Education Times in the Times of India newspaper in India. Written and compiled by Praveena Lakshmanan, it talks indepth about the console and mobile gaming industry for new aspirants or for those just wanting to know more.

It was good to know that I was considered a crucial part of this industry in India and got an opportunity to contribute to it from the mobile perspective.

You can read the online version on this link for Game For More

Flash Lite 3 Development Session at MAX

With Flash Lite 3 being announced at MAX, it was great to see the features this new version was offering to the Flash Developer Community! I was present at Bill Perry's session on Flash Lite 3 Development and got an insight on the great content development a developer can challenge himself with.

Amongst all the noise made about Flash Lite 3 supporting video (FLV), it was great to see a live video demonstration captured through a motion camera which was then encoded using the Flash Media Encoder and then streamed live using Flash Lite 3 on the device.

Whats even better was the performance of the player. We saw an improvement in content rendering by almost 25-30%.

The presentation also showed a growth chart for Flash Lite right from version 1.0 to 3.0 with Flash Lite 3.0 being based on the Flash 8 engine, and still utilizing AS 2.0, although not supporting many Flash 8 features like bitmap caching.

Amongst all the demos displayed, it was great to see quasi 3D games developed by a company called Design Break, play so smoothly on the handset with Flash Lite 3.0 installed. It was very impressive and inspiring for a mobile game developer like me.

Finally, there was a representative from Chumby who announced their handheld device to be the first to launch with Flash Lite 3.0

So getting all excited, I finally downloaded the latest update for CS3 and also the update for Device Central to start my serious Flash Lite 3.0 development process.

Missing MAX already!

We're into Day 2 of MAX with almost half the day over...and I already seem to be missing it! The conference is going to be over tomorrow and then the wait begins for next year to attend the MAX NA 2008 Conference in San Francisco (the location of the next MAX has been announced...Yay!)

I just finished speaking at my final session for this year on Multiplayer Gaming with Flash Lite and I really enjoyed talking about it. It was great having a very interactive audience on both the days, because it helped me think a little more than what I had planned for. Infact I wished to have spoken more but unfortunately was not alloted more than 2 sessions. Hmmm..well the bright side is, with the Mobiles and Devices Boot Camp tomorrow, I will be introducing my User Group in India...so looking forward to doing that!

Talking about multiplayer games, I used the Exitgames Solution to support my game. The team at Exitgames have been extremely kind and supportive in guiding me to using their solution, and I want to thank them for that. Thanks Claas & Tobias!

To explore multiplayer gaming, please visit the Exitgames site and learn more about their solution which works not only for Flash Lite but also on J2ME, BREW, Java, Windows Mobile, Flash on Desktop and Flash on any handheld! Will keep posting...

Playyoo launched at MAX

Playyoo is a Flash Lite mobile games portal aiming at developers to join them and help them populate their portal with good quality Flash games for handhelds. Their idea is to get game developers to freely upload, exchange, rank and comment on the games created by other developers. They announced their portal during MAX yesterday and already have developers buzzing around the content they can submit and share.

Currently Playyoo is free! It is supported by light advertising included in the games downloads and on the web site. It costs nothing to register,play, create or download games.

Moreover they also have a contest running where developers can win prizes upto $10,000. You can learn more about their contest by following the link here

MAX 2007 - DAY 1

MAX in Chicago is probably one of the biggest Adobe shows that we might have seen in the past years. With more than 4000+ attendees, you can hardly feel the expanse of the McCormick Conference area. Space is utilized for developers to move around, network and connect and not just learn technology in their session rooms.

This year Adobe have also placed an AIR Park, which not only allows developers to brainstorm and share their AIR Applications, but can also view missed recorded sessions and hang around the Adobe Store. The Community Pavilion is also huge with sponsors, community experts, technology booths, comfortable lounges...all available to the developers attending MAX.

My experience so far has been great. I had my first session on multiplayer gaming this morning which i think went well. I then attended a couple of Flash Lite and Media Server related sessions besides hanging around the community lounge connecting with people who I knew and many who I do not know.

The session on Creating Flash Cast channels for Verizon was nice, with a panel consisting of a team from Verizon, Smashing Ideas, MTV and Adobe. They spoke about the technology and the ways a developer can launch his channel with Verizon. The good part is, Flash Cast is now being open to developers...so this served as a good news for those wanting to work with Flash Cast.

The day ended with a nice reception from the MAX sponsors. So this is all from my first day at MAX. Now moving on to Day 2.....

Developer Connection launched

Adobe has launched a newly renovated developer resource center called the Adobe Developer Connection. This developer center not only looks fresh with its new interface but also provides better and easier navigation. You can browse by technologies (alphabetically), resources, features, SDKs and more.

Make sure you check it out here.

Mobile and Devices Boot Camp at MAX Chicago

Adobe MAX 2007 is about a week away. This year in addition to the Flash Lite and Mobile sessions, there will be a special session : The Mobile and Devices Boot Camp, on Wednesday 9AM-12:30PM.

The managers of the seven Adobe Mobile and Devices User Groups have put together the event with some great content and presenters. The idea behind the "MaD Boot Camp" is to allow anyone interested in Mobile and Flash Lite to ask questions and share their ideas. The format of this session will be pretty informal with presentations, discussions and Q/A. We think that its going to be great and we invite anyone to join us and bring your Flash Lite content to show others.

Here is the tentative agenda -

1. Mobile and Devices Boot Camp Introduction
2. Adobe Mobile and Devices User Group Introductions
3. Content Showcases
4. Tools and Integration
5. Adobe MAX Awards Mobiles and Devices finalists
6. Flash Lite content aggregators
7. OEM: Nokia and Chumby
8. Adobe Mobile and Devices Team
9. Open Discussion Forum
10. Q/A

Hope to see you there!

Mobile Sessions at MAX 2007 NA

With only 16 days left for the Adobe MAX conference, its necessary that our session planning leaves us with space to attend as many good presentations as we can. There are 9 great mobile sessions happening at MAX along with a 3 hour Boot Camp for all the Flash and mobile developers/designers out there. Make sure you attend them because they are planned across the 3 days in a manner that one can attend all.

Session Name - XD: Designing Engaging Mobile Experiences
Level - Beginner
Description - This session will cover the guiding principles for designing engaging mobile experiences, an entirely new class of mobile services. Engaging mobile experiences put the user experience first. As a result, these experiences prioritize usability, offer new services, and deliver content instantaneously. More importantly, they build a powerful affinity with the user. They provide experiences that are expressive, memorable, and more desirable. Come learn the fundamental aspects of such experiences.

Session Name - Flash Lite 3 Development
Level - Beginner
Description - The newest version of Flash Lite introduces support for FLV and many other exciting new features. Learn how to create compelling content for multiple devices, from smart phones to consumer electronics devices. Be the first to see Flash Lite 3 demos on the latest and greatest handsets.

Session Name - Flash Lite Success Story
Level - Beginner
Description - Design Assembly, one of the top Flash Lite studios in Europe, has published several high-quality Flash Lite games enjoyed by consumers worldwide. Find out how this small company with a passion for Flash created a growing business on Flash Lite, and discover the many go-to-market opportunities available to Flash Lite developers.

Session Name - From Desktop to Mobile: New Revenue Opportunities
Level - Beginner
Description - Learn how you can make money by selling your Flash Lite content through various mobile content aggregators worldwide. If you already know Flash, then you have the potential to create Flash Lite content and generate recurring revenue for your creativity and ideas. In this session, we'll explore the entire workflow for mobile content creation, from concept development and design to determining addressable devices, selling your content, and getting paid on a recurring basis.

Session Name - Mobile Workflows with Creative Suite 3 Web Premium
Level - Beginner
Description - Discover how to create and reuse web content such as video and images for mobile devices using Adobe Device Central CS3, the all-new mobile authoring and device intelligence tool that’s integrated across Creative Suite 3. We'll touch on Flash CS3 Professional, Photoshop CS3, Dreamweaver CS3, and more. Learn tips and tricks to design, preview, and test engaging mobile content across various handsets.


Session Name - 20 Tricks to Improve Flash Lite Development
Level - Intermediate
Description - Boost your efficiency and speed time to market with these 20 tips and tricks for improving Flash Lite development. Flash Lite experts will teach you how to optimize content, streamline workflows, and take full advantage of Adobe Device Central CS3, the new mobile authoring and device intelligence tool integrated across Adobe Creative Suite 3.

Session Name - Introduction to Flash Lite 2
Level - Intermediate
Description - This session is a deep-diving workshop on developing Flash Lite content and applications. We'll begin with a general Flash Lite tutorial and then move on to more detailed information on how to develop content for mobile operators, including Verizon Wireless.

Session Name - Creating Flash Lite Multiplayer Games
Level - Intermediate
Description - The market for multiplayer games is growing. Learn how you can take your existing desktop Flash skills and leverage them to create multiplayer Flash Lite games using Flash Lite 2.1. You’ll learn the process involved in developing, testing, and deploying your multiplayer games to consumers worldwide.

Session Name - Creating Flash Cast Channels for Verizon Wireless
Level - Intermediate
Description - Be among the first to build and monetize Flash Cast channels for Verizon Wireless. Use Flash CS3 Professional to deliver compelling content to North America’s second largest mobile operator. Learn the process for creating and testing Flash Cast channels and how Verizon Wireless plans to enable a Flash Cast ecosystem in North America.

Session Name - Boot Camp for Mobile and Devices
Level - All
Description - Boot Camp provides a mixture of short presentations, workshops, and free-form coding. The Mobile and Devices User Group managers are planning an exciting and interesting three-hour collaborative session. Make sure to bring your laptop, your best questions, your most desired features, your coolest projects to share, and be ready to learn something new.

Old Misleading Google Alerts

What is it with Google Alerts and and really old news being sent out even today?

This afternoon I received a Google Alert talking about a tie up between Macromedia and Calsoft Labs. Reading the news got me smiling because it spoke about embedding Flash Lite on handsets in India and the other countries. And then it got me thinking...why Macromedia and not Adobe doing the Flash Lite deals.... Reality struck when I read the date of the news, which was sometime in October-November 2005.

This is not the first time that Google Alerts has sent an old news, its happened in the past as well. I really wish they could give the latest blog entries as it appears in their results.

Miniclip CEO talks to Gamasutra on their Social and Advergaming approach...Flash Lite and Wii

As a regular player of Flash games on the Miniclip Gaming Site, I was always facinated by the creativity with which they developed and managed a mammoth database of games (260 games so far). At the same time was curious to know how they managed to sustain in times of hardcore downloadable PC games in the likes of those available on MSN, Shockwave, or Yahoo.

So when the Gamasutra News Portal interviewed Robert Small, Ceo of Miniclip Games, I read through the complete page in utmost reverence.

The interview begins with a history of Miniclip followed by their strategies to stand out amongst the rest and their future plans....all related to Flash gaming. For those who have played their games, will know that a majority of their games stand unique in concept and game-play thus leading to millions of game-clicks. It is also important to observe their evolution of developing games with Flash 4 through Flash 9 and AS 3.0

A note to be made during the interview is their expansion plan, i.e. taking their online games beyond the web to the Nintendo Wii and mobiles with Flash Lite.

This story is a great read for anybody interested in Flash gaming...because it only reads success for those who don't treat it as a profession but a passion they want to realize.

You can catch the complete interview here

Flash Lite article - Packing Lite: A mobile media interface design primer

Launched recently on the Adobe Developer Center is a new article called Packing Lite: A mobile media interface design primer, written by David Carroll, professor of media design at Parsons The New School for Design in New York City.

The article has an indepth explaination of testing and tranferring Flash Lite content on Nokia S60 handsets. It is extensively written to cover content testing in Flash 8 and Flash CS3 for management on both the Mac and the Windows platform.

The article also explains best methods for adapting your content to the 4 way directional pad on mobiles with a quick 4-way menu example.

You can read the article here.

Creating a Flash Lite Game : A detailed tutorial for game developers

Giving new Flash Lite developers a headstart in creating games, Riyadh Al Balushi has written an indepth tutorial on creating a simple game using Flash Lite 1.1.

The tutorial is very informative and talks of various steps involved in Flash Lite gaming.

Flash Lite Gaming Tutorial : Continuous KeyPress for Moving Characters in Side-Scrollers

Action or adventure based games may require characters to move around the screen. We use the Key Object for interacting with the game characters. While keypresses and keyreleases respond quickly when the swf file runs on the desktop, these events work differently for swfs running on a mobile. A valid reason is that mobiles have lesser processing speeds thus making it slower for them to recognize keypresses or keyreleases before implementing them.

Thus, when you try to move a character with a keypress, you will observe a slight pause before the character starts moving. A solution that I mostly use is, making the keypress event interact with a loaded Movieclip.

The Key Events

var keyList:Object = new Object();
var dir:Number = 0;
var keyDownState:Boolean = false;

We begin by declaring 3 variables –
keyList of Object type to receive the KeyDown and KeyUp notifications,
dir of type Number to store the direction of the character based on the keys pressed
keyDownState of type Boolean to check whether the key is pressed down or up.

keyList.onKeyDown = function(){
  if(not keyDownState){
    var keyCode = Key.getCode();
    if(keyCode == 37){
      dir = -1;
    }else if(keyCode == 39){
      dir = 1;
    }
    keyMover.gotoAndPlay(2);
    char.gotoAndPlay(2);
    char._xscale = 100*dir;
    keyDownState = true;
  }
}

keyList.onKeyUp = function(){
  dir = 0;
  keyDownState = false;
  char.gotoAndStop(1);
  keyMover.gotoAndPlay(1);
}

The code above declares 2 events – The KeyDown event and the KeyUp event.

A KeyDown event is executed when a key is pressed. This event runs a block of code as long as the key remains pressed. Our code on the other hand, runs the statements only once and not continuously because the condition (if not keyDownState) fails to be recognized as false after its first run. The reason why we have set this condition is, because we don’t want to loop through the same code multiple times for the same key pressed.

var keyCode = Key.getCode();

The getCode() method return the key code value of the last key pressed. Based on the value returned, the direction of the character is set. This code checks for only 2 keys – the Left key and the Right key. Any other key pressed is ignored.
keyMover.gotoAndPlay(2);
char.gotoAndPlay(2);
char._xscale = 100*dir;

If you look at the script above, in the first line keyMover refers to a loaded MovieClip on the stage that contains the script to move the character.

The second line refers to the character MovieClip. This MC initially has the character in a standing posture on frame 1. When a key is pressed the character moves to the next frame which has it animating.

Lastly, we need to flip the character based on the key pressed. So we use the _xscale property to flip the character based on the key pressed.

A KeyUp event is called when a key is released. In our code, all the variables are reset to their original value and Movieclips proceed to halt on the first frame of their timeline at the time of a KeyUp event.

KeyMover Movie Clip

The KeyMover MovieClip consists of 3 frames

Frame 1
var mc:MovieClip = _root.char;
var dir:Number = 0;
var speed:Number = 3;
stop();

The first frame sets the necessary variables and also sets a reference to the character MovieClip on stage.

Frame 2
dir = _root.dir;
if(mc._x < mc._width/2 and dir < 0){
  dir = 0;
}else if(mc._x > (Stage.width – mc._width/2) and dir > 0){
  dir = 0;
}
mc._x += speed*dir;


The second frame sets a condition to check to see if the character is moving outside the screen area. If the condition is met to true then the direction is set to 0

Finally the character moves at a value which is direction X velocity

Frame 3
gotoAndPlay(2);

The third frame loops the Movieclip between frame 2 and 3.

The Final Run

Now when you play this in the emulator or the device the character will respond immediately to the keypressed without any pause.

The source file has been uploaded for your reference here

Time to MAX in Chicago with Adobe

That time of the year has come when I will be spending more time creating presentation files than game files. Yes, the Adobe MAX Conference is another 3 months away and I’m really excited to be going there this year too. Preparations are already underway and I want to make sure that I am able to do a great if not a good presentation :D

This is my third stint at a MAX conference as a speaker and it always keeps getting better. My topic for this year is “Creating Flash Lite Multiplayer Games” with Flash Lite 2.1. Although this area is not well explored in Flash Lite for various hiccups that a developer and user may face during execution and playing, it is relatively better researched and implemented with other technologies. Through this presentation I hope to discuss various points relating to the development of multiplayer games along with a live game demo and maybe even a demo which is cross-platform-cross-technology ….interesting….just writing this got me a little more pepped up!

I would also be a part of the MaD Boot Camp which will be lead by all our Mobile and Devices UG Managers. It will be an unstructured and open session for anyone to ask questions or make comments, share coding problems, discuss workflow issues, share demos, and more. The community experts will provide guidance, tips, tricks, mobile industry knowledge, and anything else to help those who are new and those who are already developing applications and content for mobile devices.

I will also be helping out James Talbot for his pre-event training session with Flash Lite 2….and attending many sessions during the conference when I am not taking them.

The five days in Chicago are going to be simply great and I’m looking forward to being there. Hope to catch you there too!

Inauguration of the Flash Lite player on the Nokia N95..with what else but a game

Following all the talk on blogs and websites about a recently touted multimedia computer phone, I finally gifted myself a Nokia N95 last weekend... and was I the envy of all around me!

My first expression after getting a grip of the phone was - "What can I do to inaugurate the phone?", and the answer was very simple....to do what I am good at, ie. develop a game in Flash Lite and play it on the phone!

So thats what I have been working on for the past 2 days, a simple game called Bust the Blocks developed in Flash Lite version 2.x. The game concept is very simple where the user has to bust 3 similar colored blocks by moving them around the grid.

I wouldn't consider this one of my best games, because most of them involves a team effort, but this one is good enough to be downloaded and played. I have provided the link below to download and play it on the phone for entertainment purpose only.

Link to Bust the Blocks
Distribution of this game/other developer's game on any website without the author's permission is illegal and should be reported immediately.

Some pointers for the game -

1. Developed in a resolution of 240X320 (will upload a version in resolution of 176X208)
   
2. Works on phones supporting FL 2.x
3. Features are yet to be added...suggestions are welcome (will upload new file in a few days)
   
4. Designers are welcome to help make the game more visually appealing :)

Flash Lite on Handango – A Reality Check

I have been following the Flash Lite content spill on Handango and have observed a number of points which I hope will get noticed for the benefit of the community and the technology –

1. Pricing of content needs immediate attention.
While browsing through the content I noticed that while there are some games priced at a range of $5-10, there are some also priced at $0.50. The pricing of wallpapers is even more shocking with some of them being priced at $4.99!!

With uneven pricing of content, I wonder if users are really paying to download content, or rather even having faith in the content?

According to me, a good price for games on Handango (which are not even a Single A Titles) should be approximately between $1-3 and wallpapers around $0.25-0.50, which can be maintained across the content.

2. No monitoring on content quality
There is no monitoring on the quality of content going up on Handango. Developers are coming up with varied content and pushing it on the portal with the intension of getting great downloads. Serious quality content developers are then getting lost amongst the populaters.

3. High downloads for free content and humble downloads for paid content
Free content on Handango is seeing more acceptance and testing, than content that is paid. Could this also stem from the fact that the content quality and pricing are not monitored?


I feel that if developers are serious about the technology and want it to be accepted positively on a wider scale, they should try forming a community and coming to a consensus about their sale strategy, instead of just building Flash Lite content and putting it up at Handango at a price convenient to them! Infact the team at Handango can help developers build such community on their portal itself.

It would be great if I could get some feedback on this topic because I have been thinking about it since a long time.

Survival of the fittest – Flash Lite, Silverlight Embedded or JavaFX Mobile?

There seems to be a splurge of new technologies being introduced in the recent months by the biggies. Just when serious debates had actually begun making rounds comparing Microsoft’s Silverlight technology to Adobe’s Flash technology, yesterday there was yet another announcement made by Sun Microsystems at the JavaOne Conference in San Francisco.

Sun introduced the JavaFX platform focused exclusively for rich application development (RIA), placing it on the same platform as Adobe’s Flash/Flex and Microsoft’s Silverlight development environment.

According to the announcement made, the first product which would be introduced of the JavaFX family would be the JavaFX Mobile. Sun plans to sell the JavaFX Mobile directly to the handset manufacturers and at the same time also give away its open-source JavaFX Script for developers to use to create applications for the 5 billion devices that already run Java.

Read this article for more news

As a developer I’d only like to comment by saying that there is absolutely no doubt that Java ME has always ruled on mobiles. Although it has had a successful round of 6 years, and is now considered to be graying, launching of the JavaFX Mobile may be a great move by Sun to inject a new life into it. A move to also prevent developer conversion and divert the media attention from Flash Lite. They might also be hoping to attract developers to get back to developing better and richer mobile content with a technology they are most familiar with.

Silverlight Embedded still has a long way to go in proving itself, but Flash Lite which is currently in news will have to penetrate much more across regions for consumers to gain faith in it. Apart from US and Japan, Flash Lite is yet to see a carrier and consumer adoption on a large scale like Java on mobiles.

In Conversation with Ian Livingstone

I had the opportunity to meet and hear one of the biggest author and entrepreneur in the field of gaming - Ian Livingstone.

Ian was in Mumbai celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the world famous icon - Lara Croft, a character he and his team have been associated with since a long time. The videos of the Tomb Raider Anniversary looked really awesome!

His presentation titled "Life is a Game" spoke in depth about his life, starting right from the time he and his friends who were right out of college created fliers about games they played, to the opening of his store - Games Workshop, and then his role as an author for books like Fighting Fantasy and the extremely popular Deathtrap Dungeon.

Today he is a Creative Director at Eidos in UK and is completely involved in promoting one of their biggest IPs - Lara Croft. There were a number of points he made during his presentation about game development which he felt has made him very successful -

1. Always be original and never copy ideas. A character like Lara Croft was concieved when the gaming space was completely dominated by male character based games. The innovation lied in creating a tough, confident yet sexy character for a game that would appeal to all genders.
2. Gameplay is the most important aspect of any game. A lot of game developers give a weightage to graphics but experience has shown that if a gameplay is weak even the best looking game will fail.
3. Market analysis was not considered very important a couple of years back, but today it is a very important aspect of game development. Every game you create should go through some focus test to know its viability in the market and amongst the masses.
4. Its always best to create your own successful IP (Intellectual Property) than licence one. Lara Croft is a good example of a simple game character getting successful. There are Lara Croft games created on a variey of consoles, she represents brands in advertisements, she has made it across to the movies, she has branded merchandise....and she has made billions for her creators.
5. Sticking to conventions. Lara Croft was known to be a character who lives at exotic locales and tradional tombs, so getting her to the modern streets of Paris failed with the audiences.
6. Quality is more important than Quantity. You would never hear a person saying that the movie was bad but atleast it 10 hours long!
7. A game or any software the most important thing. Nobody will purchase a hardware or console if there is no great software.

When Ian was asked the question of who would he select from Bollywood (The Indian Film Industry) for the role of Lara Croft, his prompt reply was Shilpa Shetty because she was the only actress he knew from the Big Brother controversy in UK.

Overall it was a great experience, and I am glad I got to be a part of it.

Mariam

BlueskyNorth recounts its success story with The Journal

In this short story covered by the icNewCastle, Paul Lamonby of BlueskyNorth (a leading Flash Lite content development company) talks about the growth of his company, his team and their plans for game releases with operators across Europe.

One of their expected launches is a game called Fickle Blocks on the Orange Mobile Phone networks.

Airtel - India's largest telecom service provider launches Flash Lite

Airtel which is India's largest telecom service provider today launched Flash Lite content via their WAP portal - Airtel Live!

They have a upto 4 pages of Flash Lite games listed which are priced at the Indian Currency of Rupees 50, - a good enough rate for single A titles. Currently the games are supported on S60 2nd Edition and 3rd Edition phones. For those users holding older devices, instructions are provided to visit the Adobe website to download the player before playing the games.

The launch may see its set of teething problems but atleast it reflects the Indian community's acceptance of Flash Lite content for their Flash enabled handsets.

Flash Lite Article - Introducing Adobe Device Central CS3

With the launch of CS3, Adobe has a new article up on their Dev Centre Introducing the Adobe Device Central CS3 authored by Winston Wang, Senior Product Manager for Mobile Authoring at Adobe.

The article lists the features of the Device Central and also gives interesting points on the challenges and promises of working with mobiles.

Device Central CS3 will help simplify mobile content creation

The Creative Suite 3 will be one of the better launches by Adobe this year, especially for mobile content creators like us.

Many developers currently using the Flash Lite emulator might have thought if the code they're writing will run with the same consistency and speed on the device as it would on the PC. And 90% of the times this proved to be true.

But with the Device Central, developers will be able to preview their work and test mobile content instantly within their authoring environments. They would also be able to interact with the content in the same way as they would on a real phone.

According to an article on MacWorld, Device Central will feature a built-in library of more than 200 mobile device profiles from Nokia and Sony Ericsson, among others and operators such as Verizon, so users can view at-a-glance details on the capabilities, constraints and features of individual devices. The profiles will be continuously updated by Adobe as new phones come out.

Says Anup Murarka, Adobe’s Director for Technical Marketing, Mobile and Devices about the CS3 launch, “In many ways it’s an extension of what we are doing in the rest of the company. How do people reach their customers in print, Web and increasingly on mobile phones. It extends everything Adobe has done on other media to mobile."

Apple iPhones being sold on eBay although shipping is scheduled for June 2007

I read this crazy news today which stated that E-bay had the exclusive Apple iPhones up for sale on their website, and nearly 23 people fell for the scam by agreeing to purchase the phones for large sums. The highest bidder of this transaction agreed to pay $1125 for 1 of the 6 phones that had been put up for sale.

This is probably one of the best examples of the frenzy that the iPhone has got the people into. I can equate this sitaution to a Harry Potter book where people are willing to pay huge amounts just to get hold of the initial unedited copy....

Can't imagine what the actual phone launch will do in June!

Sony Ericsson anounces new Walkman phones at CTIA

Via biskero, Sony Ericsson announced new Walkman phone W580 at CTIA which are Flash Lite enabled - W580i and W888c.

The slim music phones are said to deliver a full walkman experience along with gaming, imaging and fitness applications.

Says Najmi Jarwala, president, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (USA) Inc. "The W580, the latest in our extensive line of Walkman phones, is exceptionally cool looking. But most importantly it was designed first and foremost for the needs of North American consumers who want to listen to their favorite music on the go with the one device they always carry with them -- their mobile phone."

Amp'd reinvents Motorola Q with a Flash Lite UI

According to the news on GearLog

"Youth-oriented mobile carrier Amp'd got their first smartphone today in the Motorola Q - but this isn't quite the Q you know from Verizon and Sprint. Amp'd has completely redone the user interface in Adobe's Flash Lite, into an animated carnival of ... well, it looks a lot like Amp'd's animated Amp'd Live interface on their other phones. The Q also plays Amp'd TV and all of Amp'd's content - a real breath of fresh air compared to other carriers who don't have versions of their popular entertainment apps for smartphones. And it's still a Q, which means that you can send e-mail, sync with your PC, and maybe even get some work done."

The magic word is Flash Lite which makes up the phone's UI. I remember Amp'd hiring Flash Lite UI designers sometime last year...and I guess we now know why.

The phone would go on sale sometime in April for $199 on the Amp'd website.

Flash Lite games launch in APAC

Sometime back I had posted an entry talking about Iguana Mobiles launching Flash Lite content in Singapore. Well, they are finally out with the games on their website and this time the games can be puchased online in countries like Brunei Darussalam, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

The games are downloaded through GPRS over WAP on the users phone. It feels good to see the Flash Lite Ecosystem operating in full swing in APAC.

Link to the Iguana Mobile Flash page for Indiagames
Link to the Iguana Mobile Flash page for CELL

You can also check the list of other publishers who have a catalogue of Flash and Java games.

Adobe MAX 2007 - Call for Topics

The MAX Conference in North America is going to be held in Chicago this year during the first week of October. The good news for developers living in other regions like Europe and Japan is that they are going to be having their own MAX too.

Adobe wants developers/designers to suggest topics for this conference. Please visit http://www.adobemax2007.com/topics/ and suggest a topic.

I guess the topics suggested will apply uniformly to all regions, so take your pick and and be assured that if Adobe finds your topic convincing enough, it will definitely be a part of the MAX agenda this year.

Iguana Mobile Singapore launches Indiagames Flash Lite Content via Nokia's Flash Channel on NCD

Our working closely with the Iguana Mobile and the Nokia team to launch our Flash Lite content in APAC finally bore its fruit this week when I received a mail saying that our games for Nokia S60 and wallpapers/screensavers for Nokia S40 had launched.

The games would be available though the Nokia Content Discoverer(NCD), which is an on-device content portal displaying a catalogue of varied wireless content. The Flash Lite category is the latest addition to this mobile portal.

To be precise, we launched 9 of our games for all the Flash Lite supported handsets on Nokia S60 and around 5 wallpapers/screensavers for each sceen resolution of Nokia S40.

Currently the games are available locally in Singapore. But we are hoping that the game downloads will pick up momentum and we will see our catalogue available with more carriers worldwide.

Flash Lite article - Porting J2ME game to Flash Lite

My new article on Porting a J2ME game to Flash Lite went live on the Adobe Developer Center today.

This is the third of my articles after the ones done on Persistent Data : Shared Objects and Best Practices for Mobile Game Development.

This new article is a real view of one of our J2ME games which we ported for Flash Lite on the Nokia S60 handset. It talks of the challenges we faced during porting and what methods we adopted to ease future porting.

I have tried making it as comprehensive as possible, but it would be great if anybody who has been involved in this kind of a porting process contribute to it through this post.

FlashCast showcased at 3GSM

Adobe and Viacom's MTV Networks are showcasing the new mobile media applications on mobiles at the 3GSM event this year according to this press release.

According to Greg Clayman, Senior Vice President of MTV Networks' Mobile Media -
“The MTV, VH1, COMEDY CENTRAL and Logo FlashCast channels that we are jointly demonstrating at 3GSM are indicative of the rich experiences that can be created on the handset when the power of programming meets the power of technology. With FlashCast technology, we’re able to create innovative mobile experiences that allow our viewers to connect with the music, comedy and entertainment programming they love.”

Last year during MAX there were several partners for the Flash Lite launch on Verizon including us with the release of "The Office Games", based on NBC's sitcom The Office.

This year too Adobe as partnered and introduced a new technology of content development with FlashCast for the 3GSM.

Omega Mobile Launches Winter Themed Wallpapers and Screensavers

Omega Mobile is in news once again! Yes....but this time its for a launch of its winter themed wallapapers and screensavers called Hyper Screenz.

The content is dynamic and changes according to the time of the day, signal strength or battery level. Omega has not mentioned the handset it is targetting but says it is open for anybody who wishes to license and deploy the content. They also mention that the content can be customized to suit any brand if it wishes to.

Read more about Hyper Screenz......here


Flash Lite wallpapers and screensavers are really big on the Nokia S40 handsets. Sony Ericssons too support Flash Lite content in browser mode. Verizon too has support for Flash Lite screensavers....

Its a big open market for varied content and Omega Mobile is at it!

2007, the year of mobile widgets?

Recently I read a small brief written by Anders Borg, CEO and Consultant for Abiro and spoke about the AJAX technology and its possibility of coming on mobiles.

According to Anders "The main competitor to "AJAX" solutions is no doubt Flash Lite yet most (all?) mobile widget platforms run on top of MIDP, which is a benefit compared to Flash Lite, that's typically embedded (and hence must come with the phone)."

I wonder what the AJAX and Flash Lite developers have to say about this?

Omega Mobile Launches a Complimentary 3GSM Conference Buddy Mobile Flash Lite Application

Omega Mobile, a leading mobile content developer has launched a new Flash Lite Application specifically for the 3GSM Conference to be held in Barcelona, Spain this year.

The application is called " 3GSM Conference Buddy" and is created for the Wireless World Forum by Omega Mobile to be distributed to the conference attandees to stay connected with others at the conference. W2Forum wants to distribute this application free of cost at its booth and has also made it available for download from their website.

The application has features such as prewritten text messages, pre-programmed calls to services in Barcelona and even a message to send to a loved one on Valentine's Day.

An interesting combination of features......

Its good to know that Flash Lite will be accessed by many 3GSM attendees during the conference. While travelling to a new city for a conference, its always good to have emergency numbers on you, and the Conference Buddy will help people do just that.

Unfortunately I will not be able to make it to 3GSM this year, but for those those who do attend it, please download this application for your own utilization. And for those who will not attend it...well its available to you as well....so go ahead and download it.

Adobe's Narayen sees growth in video, mobile arena

Infoworld conducted an interview with Adobe's President and CEO talking about all the plans that have been envisioned for the worldwide developer community.

What is really interesting is Narayen's views on Flash Lite and the to be launched Flash Cast technology. What he also mentions is in the future Apollo, the runtime will also be mobile-aware.

An very interestig interview to read.

Flash Lite: Flavor of the Month

2007 started with a bang with the PocketGamer’s site listing Flash Lite as one of the trends to take off this year.

Then it was Eli Dickinson of Fierce Wireless' predictions. He figured Flash Lite as one of the foremost technologies to take off in 2007 in a big way.

And the final great news to come was the news of Flash Lite 2.0 winning the Developer.com contest in the Wireless/Mobile Development Tool or Add In Category.

Great News in every aspect!

Personally from what I foresee, Flash Lite will take off in a big way this year. Many operators in EMEA and the APAC are very keen to launch Flash Lite content. However what most of them lack is the knowledge of Flash Lite and how this technology can be established into a fluid model of delivery for the consumers. Operators do consider Flash Lite as a lucrative business option as compared to Java and the mess it has created in the mobile content space, especially gaming. But they are not confidence enough and it is developers like us who need to inform and educate them with to accept business models.

Once the ball starts rolling I am sure there will be no stopping to Flash Lite in the mobile space.

Sony Ericsson launches Developers' Guidelines for Flash Lite 1.1

Sony Ericsson had introduced Flash Lite 1.1 on many of its Walkman series and i-mode handsets. Till now it was an untapped area, but now its good to see that they are coming out with development guidelines for their handsets.

This whitepaper gives an overview of Macromedia's Flash Lite implementation on Sony Ericsson mobile phones. It also highlights the issues faced by developers and has a detailed grid of the features supported in each phone.

You can catch the news on the Sony Ericsson Developer Website and also download the document from here.

Vodafone to launch new services

Vodafone is slated launch new service at the CeBit Trade Show in Hanover which will enable users to upload videos taken from their phone cameras to a Live portal via MMS or WAP. Seems like a great news especially since the service will help the users monetize their efforts.

Another interesting service they announced to launch in March is one where users can build their own Flash mobile websites.

I will keep you posted on more about this, meanwhile you can read the complete Vodafone press release online.

Starting to Blog

I have been thinking about blogging since a long time and I am glad I finally got to doing it today!

Yes, another one added to the list of the already existing ones, but what's the harm. I enjoy writing, indulging in knowledge sharing, creating tutorials and interacting with people, so this seems to be the best medium for me to do all of this.

Getting down to business, through this blog I hope to share my knowledge of Flash Lite and the progression of Flash on Mobiles technologies in India and worldwide. I will look forward to receiving comments so that the topic be debated if need may be.

Looking forward to a great new year!