Thomas Joos | mobile application developer

Yesterday I came across this very interesting article: PapervisionX : what it is and what it is not. In this article the guys from the Papervision crew explain what this new version is and why they are building it:

What?

PapervisionX is the next version of Papervision3D built from the ground up based on Flash10’s new 3D api.  Ralph and Tim are leading the initial efforts on the core of the engine at the time of this writing (3.16.2009).

Why?

Flash 10 added a set of native 3D features to the 3D engine. To optimally use them, PapervisionX will be a rearchitectured (from the ground up) version of Papervision3D. This way we can retain the API as much as possible, while taking full advantage of the 3D features of Flash Player 10

The first thing that popped up in my head was: ” As they are focussing on fp10, does this mean the PapervisionX engine will be mobile optimized as well? Is it time for a Flash Mobile developer to start dreaming of smooth 3D transitions, with fp10 coming to a set of powerful devices?

Yesterday I gave a session at the Mobile Madness Event, hosted by the Adobe Usergroup Netherlands. My session, which was titled ‘from concept to development’ focussed on everything that happens before we start programming our mobile application here at Boulevart. Attendees got an inside look on how we prepare, create and finetune a mobile concept, how important a good application flow and user profile is etc.. I really had a great time in Amsterdam, big thumbs up for the AUG Netherlands for organizing such a quality Usergroup meeting. There were over 300 registrations which resulted in the biggest AUG Meeting ever in the Netherlands! For the first time there was live interaction with the audience, having 2 big screens streaming twitter, flickr and sms feeds coming from the attendees, which resulted in live interaction, reporting and immediate feedback, super cool! I was second in line after Serge and I hope I manged to inspire you to get started with that killer mobile application! I uploaded my slides for those who missed the session or want to have a second look at them :) Feel free to give me any kind of feedback, just drop me a note in the comments or send me an e-mail.

[crossposted from gnstudio]

Intelligere Flash Lite Server (FLS) is a c++ openn source component that gives to you the possibility to interact with the API of a symbian device from Flash Lite.
Using FLS you can  extend the capabilities of your Flash Lite application making some simple HTTP calls sending commands and getting back data in ths SWF file.

The workflow of the application can be summarized as following

The main features of FLS are

-    Launch native video  player in full screen mode (launchVP)
-    Download a file from the NET (download)
-    Check the percentage of the download in progress (status)
-    Create the APN without opening the native selector (createAP) -> certificate is requested
-    Read variables without opening the APN selector (loadVariables)
-    Stop all the downloads (stop)
-    Close the whole application (exit)
-    Create a file (create)
-    Delete a file (delete)
-    Write content into a file deleting everything before (write)
-    Append content to a file (append)
-    Clear all the contents of a file (clear)
-    Rename a file (rename)
-    Check if a file exist (exist)
-    Get all the content of a directory (dir)
-    Create a directory (mkdir)
-    Delete a directory (rmdir)

In the RC2 version planned by the end of June 2009 the following feature will be added

-    Get a picture from the camera (mkPict)

You can get the source code from here.

I’m using an iPhone for a while now and like most iPhone-users I browse through the Appstore a lot. There are several  ‘top 10 iPhone applications’ out there but I thought it would be cool to give you an overview of 10 applications I use daily. Popular or not, I am very happy with these applications mostly because they add value or are just very cool. Let’s have a look and maybe you get inspired to try some of them out as well :)

1) Darkroom (SteadyCam)

Very useful application which helps you taking pictures that aren’t blurry! Via the iPhone’s accelerometer it detects when your device is stable and it immediately takes a picture. Just turn it up, hold still and you have a sharp picture taken in no time. Darkroom is a free application although there is a premium version you can purchase if you like.

2) TwitterFon

For those who don’t know, you can follow me on Twitter ( @thomasjoos ) and using your iPhone to take a quick look at your timeline or fire a quick tweet yourself is cool. There are several twitter applications for the iPhone but TwitterFon suits me the best. Clean, light and an easy to read interface and I have not really encountered any bugs yet. Quickly check your direct messages and @replies. You can even check out the latest twitter trends… This app offers everything I want from a mobile twitter client and I like using it. TwitterFon is a free application, nothing stops you from giving it a try.

3) Facebook

If you are a facebook-user and you have an iPhone, I suggest you try the Facebook application. Quickly update your status, check notifications or write something at your best friend’s wall.. What I really like is that I can quickly and directly add a picture taken from my iPhone. Facebook is a free application so give it a spin!

4) Deezer

Tired of your personal created playlists? If you are in the mood for a particular style and want to discover new stuff, Deezer does the trick. Using its smart radio stations you quickly find yourself streaming music based on a selected genre. I like to hang in my chair, reading a newspaper, blogs or magazines and turn on the jazz channel. Perfect for background music. If you want to listen to one particular artists just use the ’search’ feature and Deezer will stream one song after another. What I like about this app is that you quickly find the type of music or artists you are interested in and you don’t get bothered with commercials. Seems like the perfect background music if you want to take a break from you own playlists. Deezer is a free application, have a go!

5) Radio.BE

Although this is only relevant for Belgian people, I use this application a lot so definately worth mentioning. Got yourself installed with your iPhone and your headphones or speakers? You no longer need to turn on the radio if you want to listen to Stubru, Radio 1 or Klara. Radio.BE streams all popular Belgian radiostations. It’s a free application and comes in very handy every once and a while.

6) Shazam

If you have not heard of Shazam before you should go online more often. Hearing a song on the radio you like? Asking yourself questions like ” What’s that song called again?” or “Who is the artist of this great song?”. Launch Shazam, have it scanned the song for 10 seconds and it returns all related song info. If the song is available in iTunes you can purchase it directly. I am using it regularly and I see lot’s of iPhone colleagues doing the same. It is a free application but can turn out expensive if you buy 20 songs a day! Music industry crisis? No way :)

7) Remote

Using iTunes to play or stream your favourite music? At work, at home, .. a remote could come in handy right? This applications takes care of that for you. Remote connects to your iTunes library ( via Wifi ) and you can start using your iPhone as a remote. Play, pause, next, previous, … but you are also capable of browsing through your playlist and select the song of your choice. It’s free so maybe a good time to upgrade your coolness level?

8) Memory Stick

It does not always have to be MobileMe, Evernote or any other task/note/information manager right? Memory Stick is a simple application that just acts like a memory stick. Via Wifi you can browse to your iPhone’s ip-adres (or url) and quickly upload files. I use this mostly to backup important documents. It supports pdf, doc, xls, csv, ppt, html, txt, bmp, gif, png, jpg, and a few more filetypes. As you noticed already, you can preview a lot of files with this application. Memory Stick costs €1,59 but it’s worth it in my opinion.

9) Backgrounds

Backgrounds is a free application that guides you through iPhone optimized background photo’s via Flickr. Filter via categories based on genre, popularity etc.. and download cool photo’s in order to change your iPhone’s background.

10) Nimbuzz

Want to go online and have a chat with your friends while waiting for the train, bus, or anything else? Nimbuzz gathers all your online contacts from several networks like MSN, Skype, Facebook, Hyves, ICQ, Google Talk and a lot more. Chatting is not the only option you have here. Using the internet Nimbuzz allows you to call your online contacts, you can share music, pictures and even your location in order to find each other! You can even ‘buzz’ your offline contacts. If they are also using Nimbuzz they will be notified that you want to get in touch. I am using this app mostly to have a quick chat and sharing iPhone pictures with my girlfriend. It’s a free application… download and see for yourself!

On the 11th of March, the Adobe Usergroup Netherlands is organizing another meeting in Amsterdam called ‘Mobile Madness’. This month’s edition is, as you probably figured out yourself, totally focussed on mobile. I am giving a session, talking about everything that happens before we start developing a mobile application. I will give you an inside look on how we prepare, create and finetune a mobile concept, application flow, interface design etc.. in order to start coding and have a good ( and worked out ) idea of where we are going!

The meeting is hosted on 11/03 at Pakhuis Willem de Zwijger – Piet Heinkade 179 @Amsterdam, starting at 12.30. If you are attending feel free to drop a note in the comments :)

See you there!

Last week I attended FITC Amsterdam09 giving a session on Flash Lite optimization. Although I had some tough competition there were more people in my session than I expected. Thanks everybody for showing up after a wonderful party at the FITC boat! ( yes with open bar and everything ). For those who missed the session I uploaded my slides so feel free to have look! I had good feedback on this ‘first-timer’ and I hope to be doing this more often, starting with a session at the ‘Mobile Madness’ – event hosted by the Adobe Usergroup Netherlands on the 11th of March. Feel free to drop me a comment or send me an e-mail if you are attending as well!

This afternoon Serge Jespers published a list of Adobeans on twitter. I was surprised to see that not a single Adobe mobile related person or product is on Twitter!  I attended Max Milan in December and Adobe announced more mobile focus in 2009. With recent MWC announcements regarding the distributable player and the openscreen funding, they were not just telling stories. I like to follow more active Flash on Mobile guys on twitter so I decided to make up a list of people I already follow. Feel free to add other active Flash Mobile people in the comments so we can have more mobile discussion opportunities on twitter!

Alessandro Pace : http://twitter.com/biskero
Scott Janousek : http://twitter.com/scottjanousek
Bill Perry : http://twitter.com/bperry
Kumar Vivek : http://twitter.com/treevivek
Weyert De Boer : http://twitter.com/wdeboer
Faisal Iqbal : http://twitter.com/chall3ng3r
Dale Rankine : http://twitter.com/dalerankine
Mariam Dholkawala : http://twitter.com/mariamdh
Luca Mezzalira : http://twitter.com/lucamezzalira
Marco Casario : http://twitter.com/marcocasario
Mathieu Deraeve : http://twitter.com/Belasito

And of course you can always follow me: http://twitter.com/thomasjoos

UPDATE:

James Eberhardt : http://twitter.com/james_eberhardt
Anthony Onumonu : http://twitter.com/cisnky
Liz Meyers : http://twitter.com/lizmyers
David Williamson: http://twitter.com/BitTube
Mark Doherty : http://twitter.com/markadoherty
Ugur Kaner : http://twitter.com/ugurkaner
Felipe Andrade : http://twitter.com/felipeandrade
Darren Osadchuk : http://twitter.com/DarrenOsadchuk
Kirk Ballou : http://twitter.com/kirkballou
Marcos González : http://twitter.com/qmarcos
Olof Bendt : http://twitter.com/obendt
Niklas Wolkert : http://twitter.com/niklasw
Mike Stead : http://twitter.com/mikestead
Matt Politt : http://twitter.com/mattPolls
mills™ : http://twitter.com/millsustwo
Peter Moelker : http://twitter.com/PeterMoelker

The Open Screen Fund
The Open Screen Project Fund is a $10 million market development fund that will provide grants to developers in order to accelerate the creation of apps, content and services that leverage the Adobe Flash Platform and run across mobile, desktop and consumer electronics devices.

Developers around the world are invited to submit their ideas. Proposals will be reviewed by an Open Screen Project Fund steering committee. They are seeking applications that work across devices, and showcase the key features of Flash Lite, Flash Player and AIR. While the apps do not have to run across all three screens (desktop, mobile and CE devices), at a minimum a mobile version is required. Additional criteria can be found in the FAQ on the website.

You can apply here.

Flash Lite Developer’s Challenge

Adobe also announced a Flash Lite Developer Challenge, with entrants competing for a chance to win cash prizes (15.000$ for every winner), software and distribution deals with leading aggregators.

Head on over to www.flashlitedeveloperchallenge.com to find out more. Definately worth giving a try if you find the time ( or convince your boss you are THAT good ;) )

Adobe seems on a roll with some exciting new releases and initiatives for Flash on Mobile developers. The Flash Lite Distributable Player finally made it into Adobe’s labs. This solution allows Flash Lite developers to:

• target the latest version of the Flash Lite player (3.1), leveraging the content-triggered download model people are familiar with on the web, but for standalone applications.
• reach millions of open OS smart phones through direct-to-consumer distribution, new off-deck aggregator partners (GetJar, Thumbplay and Zed), or existing distribution channels.

Every upside has a downside though, the player is currently only available in US, UK, India, Spain and Italy. Of course you can download and install a beta version from Adobe Labs, but let’s hope other countries follow quickly. There’s more information here on how to get started creating, packaging and distributing Flash Lite 3.1 applications.

Next to the distributable player, Adobe launched m.adobe.com with some featured mobile applications available for download. The featured applications currently on the site include:

• Adobe Mobile World Congress “Concierge”
• Tower Bloxx
• Bone Comics
• Dolce & Gabbana
• Finetune
• Nespresso
• Disney Digicomics
• Zed Catalogue
• and more localised content for some regions

I’m patiently waiting to here more news regarding the AppZone. The Distributable Player is a good start but the distribution system for Flash Mobile content is far from perfect!