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Not quite Flash, Adobe announces iPhone native app porting

Though Flash is still not available on the iPhone, Adobe announced Monday that developers will be able to export their applications created in the format within CS5 for submission to Apple's App Store.

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.



50 Comments

mstone 11503 comments · 18 Years

Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Though Flash is still not available on the iPhone, Adobe announced Monday that developers will be able to export their applications created in the format within CS5 for submission to Apple's App Store.

I have to say I correctly predicted this a couple months back in an earlier thread.

gazoobee 3753 comments · 15 Years

So ... port your half-assed flash game to the new platform in a half-assed way?

It's easy to see why Adobe is on top!

xian zhu xuande 801 comments · 18 Years

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee

So ... port your half-assed flash game to the new platform in a half-assed way?

Why the animosity? This is actually pretty cool (unless someone's sole driving interest is to see Flash die, utterly and completely?and I'd rather that doesn't happen when Silverlight is the animation fallback). We won't be seeing any top-notch games from this sort of move, but it likely would help to introduce some of the fun time-wasting Flash games online to the iPhone. I'm not sure how much more it will result in beyond this?it would surely introduce limitations as compared to developing an iPhone app through the proper channels.

chronster 1893 comments · 15 Years

When Ren & Stimpy's Crazy Cannon is ported, I'll buy an ipod touch