Adobe officially announced at Mobile World Congress the Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR for Android. Kevin Hoyt recorded a video overview of some demos on the Motorola Droid. The demo shows some of the capabilities of Flash on mobile devices.  It looks  pretty good so far the way The Flash Technology is moving into other devices so far. Check the video

This 17th of November adobe has made available at Adobe Labs the prerelease of  Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and the beta of  Adobe  AIR 2.0 and the attendees of Adobe Latin Flash Tour MX received these news from the hands of Lee Brimelow and Mike Chambers who showed us some of the great things to come in the new versions of these runtimes.

Adobe Flash Player version 10.1 is the first runtime release of the new Open Screen Project that will enable to have the same user experience across multiple devices be it browsers, tv, mobile phones and more. Some of the new features of the the Flash Player 10.1 are ubiquitous reach witch means that the full Flash Player will be the same on your smartphone as your browser enabling you to make your content and user experience equal across many devices. The new Global Error Handling will enable You developer to write a single handler to process all runtime errors that weren’t part of a try/catch statement. Improve application  reliability and user experience by catching and handling unexpected runtime errors and present custom error messages, what does this mean is that your user will never get that window saying there’s an error and you will not see the output panel throwing you those errors everytime you test your application. Multitouch support a Microphone class that will let you capture sound from the microphone the new Text Layout format and various other features that i’m sure that i’m missing so to The Flash Player 10.1 prerelease page at Adobe Labs and start playing with it.

Some useful links:

Release notes

What’s New in Flash Player 10.1

Download the updated global SWC to create content using the new APIs

Download the memory monitoring component to optimize your content for mobile

Watch Flash Player 10.1 video demonstrations

ActionScript 3.0 Developers Guide

ActionScript 3.0 Reference for the Adobe Flash Platform

Adobe AIR 2.0

Some of the features of AIR 2.0 were showed to us by Mike Chambers like the support for the detection of mass storage devices , comunication with the system and that you can now export as a native system application allowing you to use native code integration this lets you do some other things like opening default applications here’s a list of some of it’s new features.

Some useful links:

Release Notes.

Introducing Adobe AIR 2 beta

What’s Coming in Adobe AIR 2.

What are You waiting for go there and start playing.

Happy Flashing

Adobe has revealed  at AdobeMax2009 that starting from Flash CS5 developers will be able to build applications for the iPhone and that those apps will be available at the Apple Store. So if you haven’t already jumped in the Objective-C  bandwagon to develop some iPhone Apps you can now write in your beloved ActionScript 3 and use all the goodies from the  iPhone like web access , multitouch, accelerometers, GPS  and compass. Besides all the well know Flash abilities. It’s important to note that althought these will run as applications Flash Player still not enabled on the iPhone so you will not have flash on Safari or other web applications. It’s a big advance but I really look forward to the day that you can browse flash sites on the iPhone like you do on a PC.

A tutorial on Adobe Developer Connection  to create applications for the Apple iPhone using the Adobe Flash Platform.

At Adobe Labs:

Demonstration Video

Watch a demonstration of applications from the Apple App Store built using Flash technology:

Flash Professional CS5 will enable you to build applications for iPhone and iPod touch using ActionScript 3. These applications can be delivered to iPhone and iPod touch users through the Apple App Store.*

A public beta of Flash Professional CS5 with prerelease support for building applications for iPhone is planned for later this year. Sign up to be notified when the beta starts.

Example Applications

At MAX 2009, Adobe showed a number of applications and games for iPhone that have been built using a prerelease version of Flash Professional CS5. These applications are available now for you to download from the Apple App Store:

1.- Adobe Wave

Adobe Wave it’s a new tool built in AIR that just got released as a beta in Adobe Labs, this tool let’s you stay updated on your favorite sites and it’s right at your desktop to stay update with some of the sites already working with Adobe you just click on the Get alerts with Adobe wave badges on those sites and you’ll start receiving updates from that site.

It’s seems a great way to get updated on your social network without even opening your browser nor navigating to various sites to get those updates will try it ant tell you how it went.

Some of the feature partners of Adobe are:

MySpace
Digg
AOL
Atlantic
Lastminute.com
Venture Beat
Variety
LiveStation
1000 Mikes
Evite
Qik
UstreamTv
Revision3
TheFind.com

Download here  by clicking in the Adobe Wave  Badge and try it yourself

2.- Adobe AIR 1.5.2

Adobe just released an update to AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime ) to the version 1.5.2

You can download it here and read the release notes here.

This update includes  improved reliability, compatibility, and security. Listed below are various of this improvements:

• System requirements
• New features in AIR 1.5.2
• API changes
• Version information
• Fixed bugs
• Known issues
• Installing Adobe AIR
• Install AIR applications
• Tips and tricks
• Adobe AIR SDK

3.- Adobe Flash Platform Blog  launched.

The official Adobe Flash Platform blog launched last week  if you’re a Flash Platform developer this will be a very helpful resource  you can read it here or grab the RSS feed.

If you still prefer the E-Mail Flash News Newsletter you can subscribe here.

4.- Open Source Media Framework.

Open Source Media Framework (OSMF), currently in public prerelease, enables developers to easily assemble pluggable components to create high-quality, full-featured playback experiences. The open aspect of the framework enables collaborative development for web video monetization, with lower costs and faster turnaround.

Open Source Media Framework complements and solidifies Akamai’s Open Video Player initiative,” said Tim Napoleon, chief strategist, of digital media at Akamai. “OSMF leverages code from Akamai’s Open Video Player and Adobe’s expertise and resources to assist media companies and publishers in redefining the benchmarks for online video experiences that are powered by standards based workflows.

• OSMF is the open source part of the Strobe project that enables easy-to-build media players optimized for the Adobe Flash Platform
• The flexible OSMF architecture enables developers to easily create unique playback experiences that can leverage plug-ins for advertising, reporting metrics and content delivery along with standard video player features such as playback controls, video navigation, buffering and Dynamic Streaming. OSMF provides standard functionality along with plug-ins from third parties so content providers have the flexibility to adapt monetization strategies to specific content and the needs of their audiences.
• OSMF includes an API for partners to build plug-ins for value-add services. OSMF will enable more innovation around media experiences on the Web by allowing partners to easily experiment with new services for content providers, which spans content delivery, presentation and monetization.
• OSMF source code and pluggable software components are available immediately under the Mozilla Public License and available at www.OpenSourceMediaFramework.com.

4.- Open Source Text Layout Framework

The Text Layout Framework is an extensible ActionScript library, built on the new text engine in Adobe® Flash® Player 10 and Adobe AIR 1.5, which delivers advanced, easy-to-integrate typographic and text layout features for rich, sophisticated and innovative typography on the web. The framework is designed to be used with Adobe Flex® or Adobe Flash Professional and is included in Flex 4, code named “Gumbo”. Developers can use or extend existing components, or use the framework to create their own text components.

See the feature tour and the online rich text editor demo on Adobe Labs.

5.- Adobe Flash Player 10.0.32.18 Update

This Update contains fixes for critical vulnerabilities identified in Security Bulletin APSB09-10 Flash Player update available to address security vulnerabilities. The update replaces the Debug and Release versions of Flash Player 10 browser plugins and standalone players that are included in the initial release of Flash CS4 Professional (player version 10.0.2.54). All users are encouraged to apply this update. These new players are version 10.0.32.18.

The Flash Player 10 updates are included in the ZIP file below. For instructions on how to update Flash CS4 Professional, please go to this technote.

The other day working late  and trying to fix some ActionScript error,  I got the idea of starting a Twitter Hashtag (#aserror) for this kind of errors and bugs that If you try to solve on your own it may take some time ( even using Google or the Beta of ActionScripit Errors wich is very good by the way )  and with a close deadline  losing half an hour tracking those errors  may be relly significant.

So  my toughs went to twitter  where a bast community of Flash users share and help each other, it’s the perfect place to get some aid on a more personal level and get out fast of those ActionScript Errors that may have you stuck in sometimes common troubles.

Hope it helps someone i’ll start using the #aserror hashtag  and the number  describing the Error  and the solution ( hack ?) that  got me out of there.

And hope to get some more free time to also post some examples and tests of how to recreate those errors and solve them here on my blog.

Well I relly hope to get that little snowball rolling and see the rest of the community that’s alredy on Twitter start using the #aserror tag to help each other out.

I almost forgot….  I’m @swfgeek on Twitter in case anyone wants to follow my rambligs :)

SWFObject version 2.2 was recently released and it’s available on their Google Code Project,  after almost one year in development it comes with several new features and changes, some of them  listed below.

1.- Improved DomContentLoaded emulation for Internet Explorer:

2.- Dynamic Library support.

3.- Callback method for embbeding Flash Content.

4.- Propietary HTML embed no longer used.

5.- Improved Flash Player Detection for non- Internet Explorer browsers.

6.- Improved Adobe Express Install.

7.-Improved createCSS method.

8.-Detected user agents properties are now public via the swfobject.ua object.

9.- No more conditional compilation directives.

10.- The option to switch SWFObject’s default show/hide behavior.

To download the SWFObject 2.2 version visit SWFObject google project. and learn more about it’s new features.

So it finally happened  the IDE(Integrated development environment) known till now as Flex Builder it going to be    renamed as  Flash Builder , why ?  To me it’s easy It makes a lot more sense,  yes you can use the Flex Framework and yes you can use also build AIR apps and ActionScript 3.0 projects but at the end the result  its the same your project gets compiled as an .swf file , so maybe this rename of the IDE should have happened earlier,  it would have evited some confusion. This means that the Flex Framework it’s going to be renamed ? apparently no the flex framework stills and the Flex SDK stills the same but who better to explain it than Lee Brimelow and Duane “Chaos” Nickull check out their posts on the subject.

Hope this is the first step towards the process of integrating  the Flash tools and not just renaming them.  I haven’t used Flash IDE coding panel since who knows when, hope the Flash Builder and the Flash Professional IDES one day get along real well.

UPDATES:

Serge Jespers (Adobe Platform Evangelist ) explains in a little more detail why the renaming of Flex Builder to Flash Builder.

Keith Peters thoughts on Flash Builder

Ryan Stewart post Flex Builder “Gumbo” is Being Renamed Flash Builder

Lee Brimelow’s Flash Builder rebrand FAQ

Peter Elst Flex Builder gets rebranded to Flash Builder

Mihai Corlan (Adobe Platform Evangelist ) About the rebranding of Flex Builder into Flash Builder

Chuck Freedman The FlashFlex name game.

According the BBC-News Site Adobe it’s securing a set-top deal that would let flash content be delivered on TV sets that would mean that as a developer you will now have the opportunity to build rich experiences across pc, mobile , and now TV.

Here’s a quick excerpt from BBC’s article:

Adobe has secured a deal to put its Flash software into many of the chips that go inside TVs and set-top boxes.

It will enable developers and content providers to create applications to deliver web-based content such as news, weather and share prices to TV screens.

Flash will be included on most chips -those made by Broadcom, Intel, NXP and STMicroelectronics – but the deal does not cover TVs made by Sony and Samsung.

The first applications using Flash are expected to hit TV sets early in 2010.

Sony and Samsung already have a number of connected TVs on the market, but they are using Yahoo’s rich media platform of widgets instead of Flash.

Definitely,there’s qute some interesting stuff it’s going around the Flash Technology these days you can read the full article on BBC’s site

Adobe also announced today the availability of Adobe AIR 1.5, a key component of the Adobe Flash Platform, which enables Web developers to deliver rich Internet applications outside the browser. Offering new features and performance improvements to create more expressive AIR applications, Adobe AIR 1.5 incorporates the open source WebKit HTML engine and now accelerates application performance with “SquirrelFish,” the new WebKit JavaScript interpreter. Adobe AIR 1.5 also includes a new, encrypted database that meets enterprise security compliance requirements while storing data securely on customers’ computers. Additionally, AIR 1.5 includes functionality introduced in Adobe Flash Player 10, such as support for custom filters and effects, native 3D transformation and animation, and extensible rich text layout.

Adobe AIR 1.5 developer release notes
Adobe AIR 1.5 user release notes

Download Adobe AIR version 1.5

UPDATE:

A more detailed  explanation by Robert Christensen in the Adobe AIR Team Blog on  the post Introducing Adobe AIR 1.5