Microsoft is teaming up with Nokia to develop mobile versions of its hugely popular software titles for Nokia devices. This sounds like a very promising union, and I’ll be excited to see what develops.
You can read the story here.
584 Flash Capable Windows Mobile Devices in World’s Largest PDA Database
I stumbled across the self-proclaimed “World’s Largest PDA Database,” and as soon as I did I thought, “I can finally get a tally of how many Windows Mobile 2002, 2003 or 5.0 devices are on the market!” In total I found 584 devices. Unfortunately, however, there is no data on the penetration of these devices.
Why is this important? Adobe offers installers for Flash Lite 2.1 for Windows Mobile 5.0, Flash Player 7 for Pocket PC 2003, and the Flash Player 6 for Windows Mobile 2002. Although this does not have the mass market appeal of Verizon Wireless, it is certainly notable.
Flash is pre-installed on:
- 70 Nokia Phones (includes N96)
- 58 Sony Ericsson Phones
- 13 BREW Phones
- 6 Sony CLIE PDAs
- All NTT Docomo handsets
- All KDDI handsets
Flash can be installed on:
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Phone Edition (166)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Premium Edition (52)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Professional Edition (10)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphone (61)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition (25)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Premium Edition (54)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Professional Edition (6)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Smartphone (11)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Pocket PC Phone Edition (57)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Pocket PC Premium Edition (41)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Pocket PC Professional Edition (4)
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Smartphone (35)
- Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition (20)
- Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 Premium Edition (33)
- Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 Professional Edition (2)
- Microsoft Smartphone 2002 (7)
Note from Adobe.com:
Note: This version of Flash Player is for the individual use of developers of Pocket PC devices. For more information about Adobe’s Flash Player distribution policy read the FAQ.
When you download the free player, it is provided “as-is”—which means that Adobe will support it only for Windows Mobile 5 and Pocket PC 2003 OS devices through available online resources on our website. If you experience any problems for non-certified devices, you should discuss them with other developers in various forums.
The World’s Largest Handheld Database
Samsung takes a stab at the iPhone with new F700
Via In an effort to keep up with the touchscreen buzz generated by Apple’s iPhone, Samsung as created the F700. The F700 is part of Samsung’s new Ultrasmart line of phones and sports 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, a 5 megapixel shooter, your typical media functionality, Bluetooth, 2.78 inch touchscreen display, and a slick looking interface designed by Adobe.
and
Via Electronista:
Samsung on Thursday unveiled what it says is one of the world’s most advanced smartphones. Closely resembling the minimalist design of the iPhone, the Ultra Smart F700 is conspicuously targeted at “the recent trend” in touchscreens, according to the Korean company. A 2.8-inch, 440×240 screen is used to control calling, Internet, and music functions. It further includes VibeTonz, a vibration system introduced in the recent W559 that simulates tactile feedback to touchscreen presses. A further resemblance to its American counterpart is a singular navigation button. In contrast to Apple’s device, however, the F700 also contains a slide-out physical keyboard for messaging and heavy-duty browsing.
Better photos can be found here.
Sad. Very sad. The iPhone may not be Flash enabled.
According to Pogue’s Posts (Tech editor for the NY Times), The iPhone does not and will not run Flash. It makes sense from a marketing perspective—keep out free games, apps, and videos—but this makes me sad.
Here is an excerpt from Pogue’s article (p.s. He actually played with one):
Can it be used with anything but Cingular? –No.
Can it run Mac OS X programs? –No.
Can I add new programs to it? –No. Apple wants to control the look and feel and behavior of every aspect of the phone.
Does it run programs from Palm, Symbian, Windows? –No.
Does it have games? –No.
Does it have GPS? –No.
Does the Web browser support Flash or Java? –No.
UPDATE:
Markoff: “What about all those plugins that live within Safari now, like Flash or like Java or like JavaScript?”
Jobs: “Well, JavaScript’s built into the Phone. Sure.”
Markoff: “And what are you thinking about Flash and Java?”
Jobs: “Java’s not worth building in. Nobody uses Java anymore. It’s this big heavyweight ball and chain.”
Markoff: “Flash?”
Jobs: “Well, you might see that.”
Markoff: “What about YouTube–”
Jobs: “Yeah, YouTube—of course. But you don’t need to have Flash to show YouTube. All you need to do is deal with YouTube. And plus, we could get ‘em to up their video resolution at the same time, by using h.264 instead of the old codec.”
——-
So the DEFINITIVE answer now is: NO Java, MAYBE Flash.
FAQ List Part 2
The Essential Mobile WAP and Web Site Development Tools and Resources
If anyone is interested in designing or developing WAP sites for mobile phones, I have found some very useful information and put together this list of 11 essential tools for mobile Web development. You can also learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s mobile WAP and Web Site development capabilities.
Tools and Resources:
1. Mobi Ready score
Get your free page analysis and Mobi Ready score. This report tests the mobile-readiness of your site using industry best practices & standards
2. XHTML mobile phone emulator
Type in your .com / .net / .org / .biz, etc. site address and you can check how your site looks to a typical mobile phone user. Available handsets are the Nokia n70 and a Sony K750.
3. Submit Your Mobile Site to yahoo.com
This form lets you submit a mobile site to yahoo.com so that the mobile site will be included in search results when someone searches via their mobile handset at http://wap.yahoo.com.
4. The Mobile Domainatron
The Mobile Domainatron demonstrates a domain name’s mobile usability including: Calculating total keystrokes required to input the domain name on a typical i-mode mobile.
5. Mimic
Mimic (formerly i-Mimic) emulates either an N400i (European) or N505i (Japanese) i-mode mobile. Simply enter a URL and select the mobile you want to emulate.
6. YOSPACE.com phone emulators
You can either use the free online emulator for the 40+ handsets or you can use the standalone developer version on your PC. From here you can download the standalone version with a restriction of 5 minutes of use. Alternatively, you can buy a single user license is £299 + UK VAT.
7. WURFL – the Wireless Universal Resource File
The WURFL is an XML configuration file which contains information about capabilities and features of several wireless devices. The main scope of the file is to collect as much information as possible about all the existing wireless devices that access WAP pages so that developers will be able to build better applications and better services for the users.
8. Article :: The Mobile Web Top 10
Pukupi’s top 10 hints for building interoperable mobile web sites really spells out much of what has been questioned regarding mobile Web site development.
9. Article :: Making Small Devices Look Great
Opera has put together this wonderful resource that gives code examples, tips, and emulator advice for developing mobile XHTML pages.
10. Article :: Global Authoring Practices for the Mobile Web
This document gives general guidelines for web developers and content authors who are searching for directions to help create sites for the mobile web.
11. Blog :: http://www.handheldusability.com/
Handheld Usability is the first book to cover the emerging field of handheld product design. The book covers everything from product design cycles to optimum menu length and audicon (audio-icon) characteristics. Read the first chapter and preview other sections here.
PunchkickInteractive.com is live
After several weeks of development, punchkickinteractive.com is officially live.
Punchkick Interactive is an advertising agency that works exclusively with mobile devices. Specializing in mobile technology and development, Punchkick Interactive utilizes a team of programmers and designers to create engaging mobile content. Underlying all that we do is a passion for combining fresh ideas and technical know-how with incredible design.
Founded in Cleveland, Ohio, Punchkick Interactive began as a freelance Web-development company headed by then design student Ryan Unger and his frequent collaborator, Zak Dabbas. Over time, Punchkick Interactive evolved into a mobile design firm, thereby keeping in line with the company’s objective of constantly creating within the cutting edge.
Our business relationships and the quality of our craft are possibly the two most important elements of who we are. It’s the relationships we make that fuel our creativity and keep us going—we suppose you could call it a compulsion to please. But quality of craft—that can never be compromised. Ever. We don’t do “half-finished.” And we don’t do “acceptable.” And we certainly don’t do “just fine.”
