Posts Tagged ‘Adobe-Flash’

YouTube Mobile Adapts HTML5 for iPhone 4 Users

July 13th, 2010

Now, it may seem like a tall claim to state that YouTube Mobile has switched from Flash to HTML5 just for Apple’s iPhone users, but the fact of the matter is, there are over 1.7 million iPhone 4 users now. Counting in all the existing iPhone 3G/3Gs users, then you have a massive population of users unable to access YouTube content without having to resort to specialized applications.

In many ways, Apple’s statement that the people will choose is indirectly coming true.

Despite the fact that people are not really choosing (they would simply stick to whichever format is compatible at any time). Apple is simply interpreting the successful sales of iPhone products as a vote against Flash and a vote for HTML5; but in reality, people do not even know what is at stake –the Apple iBrand is simply too hard to resist for many.

Regardless, such really is the state of the smart phone industry –right now, there are millions of Apple device users that are unable to access Flash content. And since Apple is too stubborn to provide Flash support, there is only one other alternative: to make HTML5 the new standard.

YouTube Mobile has already taken the big step, but it is unlikely that non-mobile version of the site will be changing the Flash format anytime soon. At the very least, this move might as well mark the shift of made for mobile sites to HTML5. For those unfamiliar with the site, YouTube is a video sharing website that hosts millions of user-uploaded video clips that can be shared throughout the web.

In the meanwhile, Apple is celebrating the success of the iPhone 4. Many retailers and operators are struggling to keep up with the demand, and it seems that the next batch of iPhone 4’s will be arriving sometime this month.

Leave your comment »

Posted in Apple

Tags:

Zynga Releases Farmville iPhone Port

June 28th, 2010

Flash may not be available for the Apple iPhone, but the handset will still get to enjoy the addicted virtual farming game, Farmville.

This Zynga developed browser game is a famous Facebook application that has had millions of users. However, since the app uses Flash content, it cannot be played on Apple’s iPhone, an issue that over 8 million players considered to be a bad thing (after all, they wanted to tend to their farms on their mobile phones). A recent announcement from Zynga gave many users hope: a new iPhone app version of Farmville will be made and it will hook up to an existing user’s Facebook account in order to carry over the game progress.

To make the whole deal a lot sweeter, Apple and Zynga are also bringing in a few items that are exclusive available to players accessing Farmville through their iPhone devices. For the most part, the new iPhone app stays true to the original Flash based game in terms of dynamics and game mechanics. According to Zynga, they have streamlined the crop harvesting feature in order to make it easier on the touch screen interface and have changed some in game settings as well.

Virtual farming games have been around for quite some time. Japanese game developer Natsume is considered to be a pioneer in the genre with their Harvest Moon series. In fact, fans of Harvest Moon consider Farmville as a watered down version of the console title with less focus on farming and more about trading crops with online friends.

However, it is to be said that Farmville’s true charm is not with the actual game content itself, but the fact that users are able to link up to a network of friends, compare progress and feel the need and pressure to play.

Leave your comment »

Posted in Apple

Tags:

Flash Available but No Devices are Compatible

June 25th, 2010

It seems that in all of Adobe’s excitement in releasing the new mobile version of the Flash Player, they have forgotten that there is only one smart phone that makes use of the new feature –and as it is, the number of Google Nexus One owners is just a very small fraction of the Android community.

Still, it is a big step for the web format developer in their quest to show critics and the market that Flash is still a widely used web format. And they are right. While Adobe also recognizes the need for HTML5 development and they also support the new media (Adobe has confirmed that they are currently working on HTML5 development software), Flash is still a well accepted medium.

Anyway, the launch of the Flash Player 10.1 is still big news. So far, none of the existing mobile phones are compatible with it simply because Google’s launch of Android 2.2 Froyo is still not applicable for a vast majority of Android devices.

And that is an issue that Google needs to fix as soon as possible. While it has been confirmed that the HTC Desire will be getting a 2.2 update in the next few days, there are plenty of other impressive Android handsets that have yet to taste the power and versatility of the new Android version.

According to the original announcements, Android 2.2 features a whole host of new features such as tethering and support for turning a handset into a WiFi router. Froyo also improves existing Android performance by boosting the performance speed up to two times faster and the browsing speed up to three times faster.

Naturally, the new Flash Player support is considered to be the main attraction of the new OS, and once it is available for other smart phones; many mobile users will be able to enjoy Flash content on the go.

Leave your comment »

Posted in Google

Tags:

Smart Phone Gaming: Point and Click, Tower Defense and More

June 24th, 2010

The video game industry is vast and large, and thanks to the arrival of smart phone technology, the range of the types of games available has increased drastically. If the game development boom with Flash games allowing independent developers was already impressive, the fact that these very same developers could make a significant profit on app development has further spurred on the race to create new games.

But as original as some games may be, there is also nothing wrong with sticking to basic genres. So if you are new to the world of digital gaming, here is a quick guide to the various kinds of game apps for mobile phones.

First up, point and click adventures. This is a great place to start with gaming. Not as intense or as action packed as smart phone conversions of arcade titles, but much more fulfilling to play. Point and click games rely heavily on good storytelling and often have a very straightforward storyline (though the game play will have you travelling around a lot).

Tower defense is a genre that has slowly grown with Flash game development. The point of the game is quite simple: players will build defenses in order to prevent waves of enemies from invading the player’s ‘base’. With the many variations of the tower defense style of gameplay, gamers with a wide range of interests will be able to find a title that suits their tastes.

Racing games are pretty common and straightforward, but smart phone players should know that the control systems on touch screen smart phones are quite different. Many make use of the accelerometer on the screen in order to steer the player vehicle which can prove to be quite an enjoyable challenge.

Of course, there are more genres than these three, but starting with these simple game types is a great way to pass the time.

Leave your comment »

Posted in General

Tags: