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.
Flash Lite 3 to be Shipped on all Windows Mobile Devices
Yesterday, Bill from Adobe announced that Microsoft has licensed Flash Lite 3 and Reader LE for future Windows Mobile based devices. Flash Lite 3 will be pre-installed in the Internet Explorer Mobile browser on future Windows Mobile devices. Additionally, Reader LE will be pre-installed to allow consumers to open and view PDF documents while they’re away from their computer.
How many Windows Mobile devices
Recent information for Windows Mobile devices states that devices were 11 million shipped in 2007 and 20 million are expected in 2008. Also, according to Strategy Analytics, in 2007 1/3 of Windows Mobile devices shipped in North America (33%) with other regions representing other values: Western Europe (29%), APAC (20%) and the rest of the world (18%). Visit Microsoft to provide guidance on future handset shipments but you can visit their site to get a sense of the range of devices they have in market today. This deal is different than other licensing agreements Adobe has with OEMs. Because the license agreement is with Microsoft, it will be part of their Windows Mobile OS in the future meaning any OEM that will ship a Windows Mobile device will have Flash Lite 3 pre-installed. Today these OEMs include HTC, iMate, Samsung and others.
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
I never write 2 posts about the same topic but Microsoft’s Milan is just amazing.
You can actually:
1. Take a photo on a digital camera
2. Place the camera on the table
3. Place you cell phone on the table
4. Drag the visual image of the photo from the camera to the phone
Via Popular Mechanics
Link sent from Phil
If you are at all interested in interface design, this is a MUST see product.
Via crave.cnet.com, After 5+ years of development, Microsoft shows off a top-secret multi touch screen kiosk device. Apple really has to be hoping that this technology does not get introduced into Windows mobile devices, because Microsoft could possibly blow away the iPhone (p.s. I never thought that I would say that).
The kiosk implications are endless—let’s just hope that it can use Flash.
Read the full article and see the video
A similar device
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
