Pocket Flash

Read the press release here, then take a look at the all new version comparison chart.

Here’s just a coupe of new features:

• External API for browser scripting
• Forward lock
• Enhanced local file security
• Metadata support
• Flash Media Server connectivity (RTMP streaming)

Here’s a quick list of what’s not in version 3.0, to give you an idea:

• 8-bit alpha channel video
• Flash Media Server connectivity (Remote Shared Object)
• SVG-T 1.1

So on the face of it, it’s looking good for Adobe and there lovable Flash Lite Player. Shame about the lack of remote shared object, I had some good ideas about that one.

Ironically I was reading AdMob’s blog when I cam across this post about Googles Mobile AdSense.

I’m really interested in the idea of generating revenue for via mobile and how this could affect Flash Lite developers. I’ve not looked into it enough (yet) so I don’t even know if it’s possible.

Pitch currently offers free downloadable content for all those who agree to receive marketing messages, which I must say actually works, partly because it’s very upfront about the whole trading eye-balls for content and partly because Pitch understand the importance of “Permission marketing” and how it’s the only way marketeers can cut through the noise they have themselves created.

Well this would be good if it wasn’t for the fact it’s only on O2. Personally I think this is suicide for a company that wants to sell 10 million phones. Not to mention that I’m on vodafone so I’m a bit pissed off I can’t just upgrade with my number, now I’m faced with the idea of A) get a new contract alongside my current vodafone, B) wait until April and transfer my number to O2 or C) wait and see if unlocked devices become available to third party distributors, like carephonewarehouse etc. Anyway, I’ll always be the mac-boy-fan-boy

Check out the new iPod touch. It didn’t take Apple long to take the (in my opinion) beautiful multi-touch technology and cram it into an iPod. There are two flavours, 8 and 16Gb, to be honest I would have expected a lot more, but I guess size is everything to some people.

iPod touch 16GB - Black iPod touch 16GB - Black

Youtube video of Google’s CEO Eric Schindt schwiped straight from abduzeedo, check it here.

I think if Adobe can nail a realistic distribution model for Flash Lite apps that would enable developers to get content out there, then Flash developers (and by that I mean Flash, Flash Lite, Flex and AIR) can really define “web 3.0″ apps in the way Eric mentions in this video. I’ve always thought that Ruby on Rails and Flash (of any sort) make absolutely beautiful partnership for developing RIAs as Rails offers a low entry for such a powerful set of technologies.

On another, note Flash has always been synonymous with viral marketing and as I truly believe, Flash Lite one day find itself hand in hand with mobile and therefore viral marketing.

WURFL integrates Flash Lite capabilities, taken from Biskero.org

“So… What is WURFL?
The WURFL is an XML configuration file which contains information about capabilities and features of many mobile devices.” WURFL

Seven months ago I got really excited about the iPhone, I still am just not as much. I watched the keynotes and and like most of us drooled over the idea of a phone that might actually work the way you would imagine it to. However I did notice something that put me off, even then, no Flash plugin icon. At the time I guessed as much as Mr Jobs seemed to dodge the question when asked directly stating that youtube would be available. Well a lot of time has passed, enough time to re-encode the whole of youtube to Quicktime anyway. And enough time for Adobes‘ Bill Perry to stand in a 12 hour line for his very own iPhone, before finding out the hard way that there’s no support for Flash.

I’ve been playing around with WiiFlash and Papervision 3D for a little while, partly because they’re the coolest projects I’ve seen in quite a while, and partly as I may be able to squeeze both of them simultaneously into a very interesting project.

Papervision 3D now has a couple of components for Flash CS3 which make life a little easier, the API is written beautifully enough to be able to render things like this controllable X-wing with just a few lines of code. The integration of the WiiFlash API with Papervision 3D is a match made in heaven. The access to more obvious properties and methods like pitch, roll and rotation allows you to get a 3D object onto your screen in no time, but it’s the depth of the engine behind it all that really interests me. The more I play with the two technologies the more I want to see how far I can push them together and develop something truly interactive.

It’s no secret that I love multi-touch technology, it’s one of the few things I like about the iPhone. After playing with WiiFlash and Papervision 3D for a little while, it dawned on me that I could create a variant of a multi-touch system using multiple wiimotes. I could include gestural movements to perform commands similar to those in Microsofts’ Surface but have the ability to create 3D interactive environments that map your every movement rather than just tapping on a flat 2D (so to speak) screen.

I’ve been asked by the BBC to create a slideshow application for their 14 foot ‘Big Screens’, which is where my thoughts where when I came up with some of these ideas. Multi-touch is great, but it’s limited by size and by your own reach. How great would it be to stand in front of a 14 x 9 foot screen waving two wiimotes around, controlling all manner of interactive applications. Hopefully I’ll be able to let you know one day, for now here’s my first attempt at controlling a 3D X-wiing spining around at the flick of a wrist.

We’ve all had mobiles for a few years now, even my mum in her 50’s sends me regular text messages. We know where the letter ‘g’ or ‘k’ is going to be without looking. So how on earth did this happen? Who thought it would be a good idea to completely throw out the standard alphanumeric keypad layout that’s been used on mobile phones for over two decades and replace it with this. I actually really liked the phone, I found the touchscreen a bit quirky, but very responsive and more importantly accurate. It’s a shame that LG spent so long getting the touchscreen technology right, only to make finding someone in your contacts list such an absolute nightmare that you go back to your old phone and sell it on eBay.

Sir Alan Sugar has sold Amstrad to BSKYB today for £125 million, personally netting a cool £35m for his 27.9% of the companies shares. Before the deal, 75% of Amstrads’ revenue came from making set-top-boxes for BSkyB.

This in the same week as Sony announce a deal with BSKYB to deliver a video download service for the PSP which will be available to those in UK and Ireland. This is to be part of their multiplatform ‘Anytime‘ service, which allows Sky subscribers to watch shows on-demand, already available on 3G mobile phones in addition to PC’s and of course TV.

This must be a bit of a stick in the eye to BT who signed a four year deal with Sony this May to offer “video calls, voice calls and messaging” through the Sony PSP, as BT Vision competes directly with Sky and their tv-on-demand /anytime service. Surely BT must be pig sick having to watch this service go to Sky.