Jun
23
Why does being a geek automatically make you tech support?
June 23, 2005 | 5 Comments
The past week has been draining (mostly due to my wife, parents, and in-laws running Windows). Why is it that if you work in the computer/software/Web industry that you automatically become tech support to your friends, family, and neighbors, etc…? My wife’s cousin is a mechanic, and I don’t ask him to fix everything that is wrong with my car.
Between working on a Java turned .NET project at work, patching, installing, and upgrading machines, and working on another project for a company I frequently talk about on this blog, I have not had any time to post. Tomorrow is finally Friday!
I have some Flash Lite posts in the works. Maybe tomorrow, probably more likely early next week. I need to look back into the last.fm services I started writing a Flash client for before as well. Never enough time. Sorry for the rant.
Jun
6
Flash on mobile ecosystem details
June 6, 2005 | 1 Comment
Macromedia has made several press announcements this morning regarding the Flash platform. One of those announcements was in regard to Flash Lite gaining ground in the mobile industry. It’s a recap if you are unfamiliar with the advancements Macromedia has made into the mobile industry, particularly the handset manufacturers in the past year. There will be a bit of a tipping point for US readers, one that Japan has already experienced. We have to wait for the phones to arrive here in the states first. There are quite a few Nokia Series 60 devices being offered by US carriers, so if you don’t want to wait to purchase a phone with the Flash Lite player on it right out of the box, Macromedia has made the player available in advance via their online store. Go grab it for $10 and then hit the Flash Lite exchange and experience some Flash Lite applications to see what all is possible.
Jun
3
Flash Lite finally on BREW
June 3, 2005 | 10 Comments
Going through the aggregator this morning I ran across this press release from Macromedia finally announcing a deal with Qualcomm and their BREW network. There were rumors about this a long time ago and nothing panned out. But this is a great deal for both Qualcomm and Macromedia. BREW apps can now have that visual richness that Flash Lite provides and Macromedia now has the player out there on millions more handsets and a way to get Flash Lite enabled apps distributed by the Operators.
I looked at BREW a couple of years ago, but was discouraged by the price point. It’s expensive for an independent developer to become a certified developer ($400) create an app and pay to have it tested/certified($unknown) so it can be sold on the network. I am wondering if Macromedia was able to create some kind of deal with Qualcomm where Flash Lite apps are certified in a different manner and won’t have to suffer the high cost. The BREW network is a great thing, but the cost makes it a little unreachable for the small guys and almost all Flash Lite developers right now are smaller, independent people or agencies. It is a great way for Flash Lite developers to finally get their apps in front of the Operators though. That has huge potential, but you have to way it against the upfront cost.
Maybe the Flash Lite runtime will be the app and will require the certification/testing, but the Flash Lite content will not. This is probably wishful thinking. 
This is of course another step in the evolution of Flash Lite being recognized as a valid mainstream application development environment and runtime for mobile devices. I’ll post when more information comes out of Macromedia regarding this agreement.