Adobe Flash apps come to iPhone--sort of
In a surprise announcement, Adobe Systems said Monday that Flash programmers now can bring their applications to Apple's iPhone, a domain of high interest that's been off limits for the programming technology.
Because of Apple restrictions, though, Flash isn't coming in the form in which most people experience it, a Web browser plug-in. Instead, programmers will be able to change Flash applications into native iPhone applications using Adobe's Flash Professional CS5 developer tool, currently in beta testing, then offer their programs as an Apple App Store download.
"This is a great first step in the right direction," said Heidi Voltmer, Adobe's product marketing manager for Flash.
The approach spotlights the tension between Apple, which controls the iPhone tightly in an effort to ensure a good user experience, and others, which want a place on the premier mobile device on the marketplace today.
Chroma Circuit is a Flash game now available as a native iPhone app.
(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)Adobe's back-door approach still is a significant move for the company, though, which wants to ensure that Flash is a major foundation for Internet-based applications. Programmers familiar with Flash could find the Adobe method an easier way to bring their applications to the iPhone world if they're not experts in coding for the phone and its close cousin, the iPod Touch.
Apple didn't immediately comment for this story.
Some Flash Professional CS5 beta testers are taking advantage of the technique, including BlueskyNorth, Breakdesign, FlashGameLicense.com, Muchosmedia, PushButton Labs, and Bowler Hat Games.
"With the ability to create applications for iPhone in the Flash Professional CS5 beta, I don't need to learn a new programming language or the plethora of development tools that inevitably come with it," said Josh Tynjala, founder of Bowler Hat Games, in a statement. "Instead, I'm able to spend more time exploring ways to make my games like Chroma Circuit more fun on mobile devices like the iPhone and increase my business revenue."
Adobe's ultimate goal remains the same: to get Flash on the iPhone integrated with its Safari browser. "My view is there is only one Web," said Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch in an interview. Adobe demonstrated the Flash applications at its Max developer conference in Los Angeles Monday, where Lynch gave the keynote address.
Flash Player 10.1, due in beta form later this year and final form in the first half of 2010, is spreading to just about all the other smartphones out there: Google Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm WebOS, and Nokia Symbian.
Why not the iPhone, too? "The Apple iPhone SDK (software developer kit) license terms do not allow runtime interpreted code, so Adobe is not able to deliver Flash Player in Safari on the iPhone without support from Apple," Adobe said in a statement.
Voltmer didn't comment on the state of present discussions with Apple to build Flash Player directly into the iPhone. But she did say people visit Adobe's Web site looking for it.
It's not immediately clear how easily Flash applications translate to the iPhone, and most folks won't get a chance to try it until the beta is released publicly later this year. There are some limitations, Voltmer said.
For one thing, the Flash software must be written in ActionScript 3, not the earlier ActionScript 2. For another, they can't use video because of Apple restrictions, she said.
There also could be practical limits on memory, processing power, and graphics. Last year's PC running Flash Player has a lot more computing capability than a modern iPhone 3GS.
The iPhone and iPod Touch have some features that are well-suited to mobile gaming, though, and programmers will be able to use them. That includes the multitouch interface and accelerometer that detects device orientation, said Adrian Ludwig, a Flash team member at Adobe.
Updated at 1:48 p.m. PDT with further comment from Adobe and no comment from Apple.
Adobe developer tools let Flash programmers turn their applications into native iPhone software. This is a Flash game called Chroma Circuit.
(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)
Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank. 
Hello Android.
Really.
That's good enough to get you on Leno!
Talk about crashing machines left and right and being bloated.........
Apple wins here.
There have Zeeis Embedded Flash Player is the low-cost and royalty-free flash play for embedded devices with source code.
The main purpose of sales and marketing is to sell products and get spread the word on their products... no matter how bad they are. They will never honestly say, our product is actually inferior to the competition. So the whole industry is based on lies and deceit.
You guys want to be against something! So, when there are 20 different formats, you will be whining that your device won't support all these formats. So Adobe made a cross-platform.. oh no!! it's adobe... avoid them.
Stop being so negative about it because you have to be prepared for your next complain: HTML 5.
Having iPhone interpret Adobe's Flash Action Script code will be a nightmare for Apple to manage and maintain. You can almost guarantee that there will be flaws, incompatibilities, and issues with this
backdoor method of translating Flash Action Script to the iPhone. Especially when Adobe introduces and releases new libraries, functions, methods, that are not yet recognized in the iPhone translation process. It will be added overhead and headache for Apple and developers that buy into this backdoor translation solution.
Flash is awesome and Palm Pre, Android, Windows Mobile smartphones that support Flash without requiring translation tasks on the side will inherit the same benefit.
Many use technologies other than Flash for those purposes which makes them cooler than those that do. :)
Note that Apple has nothing to do with this developer's kit.
What Adobe is saying is that "you can use ActionScript to create an iPhone executable just like Cocoa and Objective-C". But, it will be a native iPhone application, not interpreted code, which is a no-no on the iPhone
For adverts maybe
"Cool or not, it is basically required to browse the web anywhere you go."
Not it isn't
"Oh, it has flash player in the title - let me hurry up and write a comment how much I hate flash"?
- This is nothing to do with the browser - it is about creating standalone apps. So HTML5 is completely irrelevant here.
- If you don't like flash just don't download the apps. Nobody is forcing you to install them on your iphone.
- I am amazed how there is no yet "where's my x64 player" and "flash player sucks on mac" comments. Again this is not about the plugin so you better save some bandwidth and start posting something relevant.
Personally I think it will be a great tool for many flash developers who can't afford to spend resources to rewrite their apps specifically for iphone.
:)
It seems like it's exactly the sort of thing they like to shut down. People want the feature, someone other than Apple comes out with it, and Apple then shuts it down before magically releasing their own version a bit later.
- by AppleSuxLeo October 5, 2009 7:02 PM PDT
- Even if you don`t like MSFT...Silverlight is free, supports all OS/Browser , much less CPU intensive , and lets Mac users "watch now" on Netflix.
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