Adobe Flash support in the mobile Enterprise
I often get questions about Adobe Flash in the context of web sites that don't work on particular Windows Mobile devices. These are usually consumer web sites, but with the popularity of the Adobe Flash technology also inside the corporate walls and thus becoming a business requirement.
For a long time (the last few years in computer terms) the standalone Adobe Flash Player 6 and 7 for PocketPC were the best add-on solutions to be installed on the Windows Mobile devices. But the experience with the Mobile Internet Explorer was poor and the desktop Flash version still had more support.
Last year a new Flash version called Adobe Flash Lite came to light, also on the Windows Mobile platform. A full comparison of the features and support is available here. The latest release, v3.1, has a even smaller size and faster rendering.
On the horizon, announced at the recent Adobe MAX conference, there appears to be a roadmap for full Adobe Flash 10 support coming to Windows Mobile devices in the late 2009 timeframe!
In the more short term, early 2009, there is a freely Flash Lite distributable player planned to be released. Update support to be provided Over-The-Air (OTA). That hopefully can be controlled for the enterprise, who wants to have better control on what is installed on the devices. A private beta can be joined to get access to the bits here.
To see the newer Flash Lite v3.1 in action on a Window Mobile device download the sample MAX Mobile Guide for the Adobe conference here: http://adobe.untravelmedia.com/. Once installed it will install the necessary Flash bits OTA.
Only currently supported on Samsung Blackjack 1, Samsung Blackjack 2, Motorola Q, Motorola Q9m, and Samsung SPH-i780. Believe me, I tried to get it to work on a few of my other devices with no luck. :-)
Update Jan 6, 2008: Found a new article on Flash Lite 3.1 with more details and non-supported/official download links: http://www.smartphonemag.com/cms/blog/9/tutorial-everything-you-need-know-about-flash-lite-3-and-playing-back-flash-web-videos
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