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August 25, 2006
New Macromedia Flash Lite 1.1 getting started tutorial

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Next in our series of mobile development tutorials is the new "Getting Started with Macromedia Flash Lite 1.1 for mobile applications in Sony Ericsson phones" tutorial, authored by Chris Petty, Communications Director at BlueskyNorth Ltd, a Smashing Ideas company.

This tutorial introduces Flash Lite and walks developers through creating a small magazine application called MyWorld to show how web-style information can be viewed on a mobile phone without using the WAP style list of text and blue links. Here's an overview:

Download tutorial here>>

About Flash Lite and implementations
Flash Lite was originally developed by Macromedia (now Adobe) to run Flash based content on the latest generation of mobile phones and devices. It first appeared as Macromedia Flash Lite 1.0 in 2003 aimed at the Japanese NTT DoCoMo i-mode system. Flash Lite 1.1 followed in 2004, and contained a number of major improvements, allowing better network access and integration with the handset. Both Flash Lite 1.0 and 1.1 are based on a Flash 4 structure, helping to minimize the footprint and processor demands of the player.

There are two main implementations used by Flash Lite enabled mobile phones. The first is the "stand alone" model, meaning that Flash Lite exists as a separate media application on the handset. This is more suitable for larger applications and games due to greater access to processor power.

The second implementation, as used by Sony Ericsson, is the "browser based" model, where Flash Lite essentially runs as a "plug in" within the resident browser of the mobile phone. This means the user can access Flash content via a network connection without needing to open a separate application. This is better suited to web type content and simple games or animations, as it exhibits slower frame rate and screen quality when compared to the stand-alone version.

Application outline and set up
Assuming that the developer has intermediate level knowledge of ActionScript and some knowledge of Macromedia Flash 4, this section of the tutorial outlines the features of the MyWorld application and what tools you need to get started.

Chris Petty then guides you through setting up this application in nine steps, including the code needed to complete each stage.

If you have a suggestion for another tutorial subject area, please login and add your idea to the "Add comment" option at the end of this article.

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