Tag Archives: iPhone

Android week: On switching to Android

by Serge Jespers on 18. May, 2010 in android

When I first saw the iPhone I immediately fell in love with it. After walking around with an iPod, a PDA and a mobile phone I could finally have all of these things in one device. I was worried that when I switched to Android I would need to go back to using 2 devices instead of one. I was worried that the Nexus One wouldn’t play nice with iTunes and that I’d have to go back to using a separate device for listening to my music. But I was wrong…

doubleTwist as an iTunes alternative
doubleTwist is to my Nexus One what iTunes is to an iPhone. I just plug in the USB cable, open up doubleTwist and start syncing. doubleTwist taps in to your iTunes library and can sync all your music (if it’s not protected with the iTunes DRM) to your Android device (and not just Android devices). doubleTwist will also sync your photos (the Nexus One’s camera is amazing) with your iPhoto library and your movies if you want to. As an added bonus you can also purchase new music from the Amazon MP3 store right within the application. The most recent release of doubleTwist also includes the Android Market. You simply browse the Android Market or search for your favorite apps. You can read the reviews, take a look at the screenshots and if you want to install the app you just point your camera at it and take a photo of the QR barcode.

Android Market
This is also where you potentially get stuck. The Android Market is only available in a couple of countries and even then chances are that the app you want to buy is not available in your country. In Google’s defense: This was the same in the early days of the App Store and while the App Store is currently available in more countries than the Android Market some countries still don’t have access to it. Heck… You still can’t buy movies or TV shows on iTunes in Belgium. That said, this is seriously annoying. There is no technical reason why this wouldn’t work but I guess it has to do with different laws in different countries etc…  There are ways to enable the Android Market on your device but I’m not sure on the legality of doing that. It’s a little bit insane that you have to “break the law” (and potentially void your warranty) in order to be able to buy an app in the Android Market. Luckily there are a ton of free apps in the Android Market and some developers even allow you to purchase a license on their site and then upgrade the free version. It’s definitely not ideal and I hope this changes soon…

Apps.. Apps… and more apps…
With 65000 59430 (UPDATE: I thought I read that number somewhere but AndroLib is currently reporting 59430 apps. H/T Thomas) apps currently in the Android Market it’s definitely not as big as the App Store. That said… I think that in both stores the quality of the apps varies a lot. Most of the apps I regularly used on my iPhone are also available on Android. Apps like TripIt, Twitter, Dropbox, Facebook, Evernote and WordPress are also available on Android. Like I already mentioned yesterday, I feel that some of these apps look/feel better on Android. The official Twitter for Android app is just beautiful and very easy to use. The WordPress app allows you to get notified when new comments arrive. There always seems to be that little extra in the Android versions of these apps. I also like that these apps can also “plug in” to the operating system. When I’m in my photo gallery on my Nexus One and press the “share” button I can immediately send that photo to Twitter, Evernote or WordPress in exactly the same way as I would send it using email. When I’m in my Twitter app and click on contact I immediately see this user’s Twitter info but if that user is also in my contacts (as shown in the image on the right), I can directly call him or send a text message right from within the Twitter app. This type of cross-application operating system integration just makes Android feel very slick and fun/easy to use. And as Android already has multi-tasking, switching from one app to the other is just a breeze.

Flash Player 10.1: The cherry on top
I’m sure that by now you know that Flash Player 10.1 is coming to mobile devices. Android is one of the first mobile OSes that will get Flash Player 10.1. I’ve used the iPhone for a good 2.5 years and, in all honesty, I had become used to seeing the blue legos. On numerous occasions I thought “Aah yes… That won’t work on my phone. I’ll watch that later.” and ended up not using the mobile browser and forgetting about that link to that video. Now that I have FP10.1 on my mobile device, I catch myself using the mobile browser a lot more. As a news junkie I want to stay up to date with the latest news wherever I am. The first sites I visit in the morning are the local news sites, the BBC News site and then I open up Google Reader. While writing this I realized that I’ve probably used my mobile browser with FP10.1 a lot more than I realize. When I open up a news site and want to watch a news clip, I can just do that now. I’ve also already used it to watch live newscasts streamed with Flash and also already played games when I was stuck in traffic or waiting in the airport. It’s very refreshing to have ALL the content you are used to having on your desktop right there in the palm of your hand!

Conclusion
My switch to Android hasn’t been as scary or hard as I thought it would be. Even though I’ve been using prerelease versions of the Android OS with the usual alpha/beta quirks, I’ve been very happy with it. I’m still using the same apps and I’ve been able to sync my iTunes/iPhoto library in almost exactly the same way as I was used to. Having Flash Player 10.1 and AIR 2 on it are just the cherries on top of an already delicious “frozen yoghurt”.

PS: Don’t forget to sign up to be notified when the public beta for Flash Player 10.1 for Android is available and sign up to be notified when the beta release of AIR for Android is available.
PS2: Did I already mention that I am giving away a Google Nexus One on my blog this week? ;-)

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Declaring this week “Android week”

by Serge Jespers on 17. May, 2010 in android

February 9th 2010: The last day I used my iPhone. Or: The day I discovered Android. Or: The day I switched to the Google Nexus One. Well… You get the idea.

I was an iPhone user from the moment it came out. Before I continue this post, I want to repeat what I’ve been saying all along: Apple has done a fantastic job with the iPhone. I was very happy with my iPhone and never thought I would last more than a few days without it. Especially since I was so accustomed to having all my apps and my music there. But you know what…? Most of the apps I often used are also available on Android. And in all honesty… some of those apps look better on Android than they do on the iPhone.

Take Tripit for instance. If you are a frequent traveller, Tripit is your best friend. It was the first application I installed and when I first launched it, I immediately noticed how sexy the UI was. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the iPhone UI isn’t sexy. Trouble is that every app that uses the iPhone design guidelines looks just like the next one. It’s refreshing to see application designers/developer being creative with their UIs again. (And yes, I do know that there are some very creative UIs on iPhone apps as well). In this particular case, the app even becomes easier to use. The icons, dates and times are a lot clearer compared to the iPhone version.

Even though I (and some of my colleagues) thought I wouldn’t last longer than a few days without my iPhone I am now entering my 14th week without it. But back to the title of this post… With Google I/O just a few days away and some really exciting announcements coming up, I officially declare this week “Android week”. I am going to blog about Android at least once a day and you can even win a Google Nexus One on my blog this week!

So… Happy Android week everybody!

Also read “Android week: On switching to Android“.

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On sub-standard apps

by Serge Jespers on 11. Apr, 2010 in Industry

Steve Jobs (via TechCrunch): Intermediate layers between the platform and the developer ultimately produces sub-standard apps and hinders the progress of the platform.

That’s the first thing I read this morning… I agree with Greg Slepak (CEO of TaoEffect) who wrote:

Crappy developers will make crappy apps regardless of how many layers there are.

That doesn’t mean that all developers using a specific layer will build crappy apps.

Chroma Circuit by Bowlerhat Games is a very good example. Chroma Circuit started out as a Flash based web game. It was one of the first apps that got packaged as an iPhone app using the Packager for iPhone. Apple didn’t seem to mind playing Chroma Circuit on their iDevices as they featured it as a staff pick on iTunes a while ago.

Fickleblox by BlueSkyNorth is another good example. This application started out as a Flash Lite game and is thereby available on a broad range of devices. It was also packaged using the Packager for iPhone and thus available in the app store.

Both applications (and there are dozens like this in the app store today) are fun to play, easy to use and perform well on the iDevice. You can hardly call that sub-standard! You can also hardly say that they hinder the progress of the platform. In fact… I think it is Apple who is now effectively hindering the progress of the iDevice platform. By allowing “intermediate layers” like Flash but also Unity, Titanium, MonoTouch, Corona, … the platform has become more open and appealing to non Obj-C/C/C++ developers. More developers (regardless of which technology they use) on the platform = more applications in the appstore. I wonder how many apps in the appstore today were built using one of these intermediate layers…

I’m with Adobe and all other intermediate layer providers, for that matter!

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Robert Scoble interviews Flash Platform execs

by Serge Jespers on 11. Mar, 2010 in Flash Platform

Earlier this week, Robert Scoble visited the Adobe office in San Francisco to talk to Anup Murarka (director on the Flash Platform team) and Aaron Filner (group product manager for AIR). In the first video they talk about Adobe’s recent announcements. In the second video they debunk some of the recent claims that were discussed in the tech community. They talk about HTML5, Apple, battery life, multitouch and more… After watching the videos, also read Robert’s (@scobleizer) thoughts on his blog.

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Kevin Lynch (Adobe’s CTO) blogs about Flash, past and future, Apple iPad, HTML5, OSP and more.

by Serge Jespers on 02. Feb, 2010 in Industry, adobe, open screen project

Adobe’s CTO Kevin Lynch just published a blog post with his thoughts on Flash, past and future, Apple iPad, HTML5, OSP and more.

The blog post entitled “Open Access to Content and Applications” gives you a good idea on where Adobe and the Flash Platform is going and what we are doing with our Open Screen Project partners. It also repeats that “we are ready to enable Flash in the browser on Apple’s devices if and when Apple chooses to allow that for its users, but to date we have not had the required cooperation from Apple to make this happen.”

Read the post on blogs.adobe.com/conversations

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Native iPhone applications built with Flash – FailBlog Player Demo

by Serge Jespers on 09. Dec, 2009 in Flash Platform, devices, iPhone, mobile

Write once, deploy anywhere. Sounds nice, no? Sadly it’s not really a reality today. The currently available technologies are very fragmented and today there is no technology out there that makes that dream a reality.

I have a strong feeling that is going to change dramatically in 2010. Some will disagree or say that I am too biased but I really do think it’s going to happen… Want proof? Ok… You got it!

I’m sure you’ve all heard that the next release of Flash (CS5) will allow you to build native applications for the iPhone. Instead of having to learn a new language to built such a native app, you just build it with the tools and technology you all know and love. The demo video below shows an application that I’ve been building the last couple of days. A FailBlog video player that gets all the latest FailBlog videos and allows you to watch them on your iPhone or mobile device. It is completely written in ActionScript 3.0 and plays Flash Video (FLVs with On2 VP6 in this case. So no need to transcode your videos!) on the iPhone. And that’s not even the coolest thing about it! The coolest thing about this is that I can export this as an iPhone application, SWF file and AIR application with just one button click. At the end of the video you’ll see a sneak peek of the same application running on a Palm Pre in its browser with Flash Player 10.1! And that is the power of the Flash Platform! Write once, deploy anywhere? It’s finally becoming a reality!

If all goes well, you should be able to play with the iPhone version of this app before the end of the year. I still have some optimizations to do and have to clean up some bits and pieces but I’m feeling confident that that shouldn’t take too long. Keep an eye on my blog for more details!

Flash on!

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It’s a great time to be a Flash Platform developer (about Flash and the iPhone)

by Serge Jespers on 05. Oct, 2009 in Flash Platform, MAX2009

With the day 1 keynote wrapping up, Adobe MAX 2009 has now officially started. While most of the announcements in today’s keynote were already sent out last night, the biggest announcement was probably a very big surprise to many. The first time I heard this news a few weeks ago, I nearly fell off my chair and I’ve been dying to tell you guys about it ever since.

To come back to the title of this post, it really is a great time to be a Flash Platform developer. Without having to learn anything new (with the exception of some new APIs), you can now leverage your skills to create applications that not only run in the browser and on the desktop but also on millions of devices already in the market today. The Flash Platform gives you the broadest possible reach for your applications.

I’m sure you know that we’ve been talking about bringing Flash Player 10 to mobile devices and I think after today you’ll agree that we’ve made a lot of progress. We’ve been working very hard with our Open Screen Project partners to optimize Flash Player to run on a variety of smart phones. Flash Player 10.1 (the first runtime release of the Open Screen Project) will be available for a broad range of mobile devices, including smartphones, netbooks and other Internet-connected devices, allowing your content to reach your customers wherever they are. Check out these demonstration videos to see Flash Player in action on a Palm Pre and a Windows Mobile device.

The biggest announcement of the day was without a doubt the work we’ve done for the iPhone. In the not too distant future you will be able to build applications for iPhone with Flash CS5 Professional. Those applications can be distributed through Apple’s App Store. A public beta version of Flash CS5 Professional with this new capability is planned for later this year. This new capability in Flash CS5 Professional allows developers to use their preferred Flash Platform tools and technologies to develop content for a device that was previously closed to them. Because the source code and assets are reusable for applications that run on Flash Platform runtimes, Adobe AIR and Flash Player, it allows them to more easily target other mobile and desktop environments. If you’d like to test the performance on your iPhone, feel free to download any of the Flash based apps that are currently already available in Apple’s App Store. For more information go to http://adobe.com/go/iphone.

For an overview of other news released at MAX, check out Ryan Stewart’s rundown of the MAX news.

Flash on!

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Flash on the iPhone confirmed? We said nothing new!

by Serge Jespers on 01. Oct, 2008 in Flash Player, News, iPhone

IMG_0075.jpgI am currently in Brighton, UK for Flash On The Beach. During yesterday’s “Town Hall meeting”, a panel of Adobeans (including myself) was ready to answer any questions that would come up. As you can see here on the left, the room was packed.

One of the questions everyone asks all the time is when we will see the Flash Player running on the iPhone. Paul Betlem, Sr. Director of Engineering, answered the question by repeating what we’ve been saying for a few months now. When I returned to my hotel last night, I was amazed to see how many people picked up on his answer and how many people see it as the confirmation of Flash on the iPhone. Even Adobe’s CEO, Shantanu Narayen, already publicly stated that:

…we are working on it. We have a version that’s working on the emulation. This is still on the computer and you know, we have to continue to move it from a test environment onto the device and continue to make it work. So we are pleased with the internal progress that we’ve made to date.

So to avoid any further misconceptions, here’s the statement that Paul’s answer was based upon:

Adobe is committed to bringing Flash Player to the iPhone. While the development work has begun, we can’t share more details at this point. It is important to note that we do need to work with Apple beyond what is available through the SDK, its emulation environment and the current license around it to bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone. We think Flash availability on the iPhone benefits the millions of joint Apple and Adobe customers, and we want to work with Apple to bring these capabilities to the device.

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Flash on mobile: Apple: “Naah”, MS: “Yes!”

by Serge Jespers on 17. Mar, 2008 in Flash, Industry

flashLiteMobileLet’s face it, Flash is a big part of today’s internet. In fact, more than 70% of all the video on the web is Flash video and then we’re not even talking about the massive amount of games and the numerous full blown applications out there. I’m sure you’ve all read or heard about Steve Jobs saying that the desktop version of the Flash player “performs too slow to be useful” and that Flash Lite “is not capable of being used with the Web” in response to questions raised at a shareholder meeting about Apple’s plans on supporting Flash on the iPhone.

And yet half a billion (500 million) mobile devices are already shipped with Flash Lite support enabling mobile browser support for Flash content on devices like the Nokia N-series and the Sony Ericsson K800. 18 of the top 20 OEM’s are currently shipping mobile devices with Flash Lite support and today we’re adding Microsoft to that list of OEM partners. (more…)

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