Google May Build Huge Wireless Network Using Floating Balloons
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is considering either a partnership or a full-on buyout of Space Data Corp—a company that provides balloon-based wireless networks. If you think that seems a little strange, consider this: the balloons can help bring wireless service to individuals in rural areas and they can be launched on the cheap—about $50 to launch the balloon, $1500 for the receiver, and a $100 finder’s fee for recovery after the balloon returns to earth.
Additionally, a BusinessWeek article from last month revealed that Space Data believes it can cover the whole country with a WiMax broadband network with just 370 balloons. Compare that with the 22,000 or so towers that would be necessary using traditional methods.
Sources: Gizmodo and WSJ and BusinessWeek via TechCrunch and Broadband Reports
Reuters Reports that Toshiba to Give Up on HD DVD — Ending the Format War
A company source within Toshiba told Reuters that Toshiba was in the final stages of planning to exit the HD DVD business and that an official decision would be made soon. Given all the hype surrounding the format war between HD and Blue Ray, I’ll bet that most people already assumed there was an official announcement. We’ll file this under the category of, “Sorry to see you lose hundreds of millions, Toshiba.”
All that said, I guess it’s about time for Sony to have a win in the format war. Let’s recap the list of proprietary losers in the companies past:
- Betamax — Beat by VHS
- MiniDisc — Never had a chance
- ATRAC Audio Format — Beat by MP3
- SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound) — Beat by Dolby Digital 5.1
- Memory Stick — Beat SD cards
- Super Audio CD — Beat by good old fashioned CDs
- Universal Media Disc for movies — LOL
- 1GB Hi-MD discs — Have you even heard of these?
- 125 MB Magneto-optical discs — Again, have you even heard of these?
Punchkick Interactive has authored it’s first article for Adobe.com. Zak Dabbas and myself (Ryan Unger) co-authored Developing Flash Lite for BREW applications for Verizon Wireless. This article covers not only the technical side of developing applications for BREW for Verizon Wireless, but also the marketing aspects of distributing content directly to Verizon Wireless or to a content catalog partner such as Atom Entertainment, FunMobility, or Smashing Ideas.
The article has three main sections:
1. Understanding the Flash Lite for BREW marketplace
2. Becoming an authorized Qualcomm BREW developer
3. Testing content on a Verizon Wireless handset
Read the full article on Adobe.com
Introduction
At the October 2006 Adobe MAX conference, Adobe and Verizon Wireless announced a partnership that would make Flash Lite content available to over 37.5 million Verizon Wireless subscribers. Flash Lite developers were understandably excited about the announcement, and teaching developers how to create content for Verizon Wireless became a central focus of the MAX conference.This article will teach you how to develop Flash Lite for BREW content directly for Verizon Wireless. It will detail the process of becoming an authorized Qualcomm BREW developer, testing your Flash Lite for BREW content on a Verizon Wireless handset, and selling your content through Verizon Wireless.
In addition to understanding the technical specifics of creating Flash Lite for BREW content, this article will also discuss the pros and cons of using the direct model for developing and distributing Flash Lite for BREW content—including the real costs and anticipated returns on your development investment. It will also briefly cover the process of selling content through an content catalog partner, and the pros and cons associated with doing so.
Also, we would like to thank Phil Pastore for helping out with the headshots.
Learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s Flash Lite development capabilities.
Adobe MAX 2007 now accepting award submissions
Via Biskero: Adobe MAX 2007 has now opened the floodgates to designers and developers who want to submit content.
Once again, mobility and devices is an available category. Submit content here by August 3rd, 2007.
We have released our Mobile Ocean ™ Flash Lite screensaver/wallpaper to Handago.com today. Mobile Ocean is the perfect cell phone screensaver/wallpaper for any marine lover. This product features seven tropical fish, four underwater scenes, and a digital clock.
Learn more about Punchkick Interactive’s mobile screensaver design capabilities.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.punchkickinteractive.com/content/handango/MobileOcean_DEMO.swf" width="176" height="208"/]
Detailed Product Features:
- Built using Adobe Flash Lite 1.1 technology
- Seven tropical fish swimming across four unique underwater scenes
- An ideal mobile wallpaper or screensaver
- Includes an AM/PM digital clock
- For maximum Symbian phone compatibility, five different .swf file sizes are included: 96×65, 128×160, 176×208, 176×220, and 240×320
Purchase Mobile Ocean here for $1.99.
Mobile Ocean is the property of Punchkick Interactive Inc. Copyright © 2006-2007. All rights reserved.
This may be old news but I just came across a very clean Flash widget for the Web that counts down to a specific event (no big deal). However, in this case it the event is the MAX North America conference. I originally found this on the MAX blog. This widget was customized based on the countdown widget from YourMinis.com. To copy this widget into your site, simply rollover the widget on the right and click the ‘copy me’ button.
Bluestreak Technology, Inc., the developer of the award-winning MachBlue™ platform for mobile phones and digital television, announced this week that MachBlue Mobile will be commercially available for J2ME-compatible mobile phones.
MachBlue Mobile implements a subset of the Flash 7 specification, supplemented with the MachBlue Mobile API enabling enhanced handset control and integration.
MachBlue’s unique APIs give complete control over device functionality, without the need for low-level coding. The platform also minimizes memory usage, maximizes execution speed, and retains application portability.
Developers use MachBlue Studio, in tandem with Adobe Flash to quickly create mobile applications. And the same developers can easily use MachBlue Studio to create companion applications for digital TV set-top boxes.
MachBlue™ Studio, Mobile Edition
- Enables live, one-click testing from the developer’s PC to the target handset
- Fully integrated with Flash® authoring tools, available from Adobe Systems
- Includes tutorials, integrated help, and code samples
- Includes Windows® emulator for easy content testing
- Supports standard image types, including GIF, PNG, and JPEG
- Includes robust extensibility layer for easy access to new hardware and software features
MachBlue™, MachBlue™ Studio, and the Bluestreak logo are trademarks of Bluestreak Technology, Inc. Adobe and Flash are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Source: Flash Lite Yahoo User Group
Sprint Nextel consider Nokia as WiMax supplier
An article on Mobile Monday discussed the likely possibility that Sprint will join forces with Nokia in a big way for it’s new WiMax network that is expected to roll out by 2008. Does this mean more Flash Lite in North America? Possibly. However, bringing Nokia on as a major phone supplier would not be enough on it’s own.
Currently, Verizon Wireless and Sprint both use Qualcomm’s network. The difference is that Sprint has not signed a licensing agreement to use BREW for content distribution—so no Flash Lite.
Although the differences of WiMax and Sprint’s existing setup are not entirely clear to me, this may open the door for Flash Lite and Sprint.
As far as I can tell there is no way for a regular consumer to buy screensavers through their handsets. I’ve built working screensavers for my BREW enabled Motorola V3m with Verizon and loaded them using Qualcomm’s AppLoader—but I am not a regular consumer. That said, does anyone know for sure if Verizon supports Flash Lite screensavers and wallpapers for any of it’s phones? There was a great deal of talk about this at MAX last October, but it was never clarified if screensavers and wallpapers for BREW phones are a thing of the future-or possible today.
Sadly… no Chumby For Me
A new device was previewed at MAX called the Chumby. Several Chumbies were given away during a session at MAX, but sadly, I missed it. Better luck next year.
QUOTE: Introducing the chumby, a compact device that can act like a clock radio, but is way more flexible and fun. It uses the wireless internet connection you already have to fetch cool stuff from the web: music, the latest news, box scores, animations, celebrity gossip…whatever you choose. And a chumby can exchange photos and messages with your friends. Since it’s always on, you’ll never miss anything.
