Not quite Flash, Adobe announces iPhone native app porting

Accordingly, Adobe launched its new "Applications for iPhone" Web page, touting the ability to build applications for the iPhone and iPod touch using ActionScript 3. The page shows three applications that were created via Flash and ported to the iPhone OS as native software.

"We've done a lot of work to make sure that applications are quick and interactive, and give you the kind of experience that you would expect from Flash, as well as the kind of experience that you've come to expect on your iPhone," said Adrian Ludwig, a member of Adobe's Flash team.

The applications currently available on the App Store are Chroma Circuit, Trading Stuff, Fickleblox, Just Letters, South Park, That Roach Game and Red Hood. All were created with a pre-relse build of Flash Professional CS5.

"What developers have to do is they have to go inside of Flash Pro and they have to export that project to a native application for the iPhone," Ludwig said. "While you're using Flash Pro to build these applications, it's being converted from .SWF to .IPA."

He noted that the method is in compliance with the iPhone developer agreement, which means the software can be submitted to the App Store for approval. The feature will be available for both PC and Mac, and a public beta is planned for later this year.

Earlier Monday, Adobe announced that Flash Player 10.1 was coming to most major smartphones including handsets from Research in Motion, Nokia and Palm. But absent from that list was Apple.

Adobe has said in the past that it hopes to bring Flash to the iPhone, though Monday's announcements would suggest that will not likely happen anytime soon.