It had been a few months since I did anything with the Flash Lite game I had started. I felt it would be more beneficial to the Flash Lite community to open it up for anyone to take and learn from/use. The zip file attached contains the source and the deploy files. People are free to use any of the code in the files, however, I request that none of the artwork gets used. It took me a chunk of time to create all that artwork and I'm still considering flushing out the game fully—in which I'll use said artwork.

This is the question on mine and many other developers minds. Up to this point I've developed many demo applications and a few rather large core phone user interface applications. And, to be honest, I'm concerned because I'm still not seeing enough of the common developer applications out there. I'm seeing a decent amount of Core UIs but I'd consider that to be the select few of the developers really doing much on a large scale with Flash Lite.

For those who may not know, I have started out on my own with a few colleagues of mine in Oakland, California. I have partnered with them on a few projects but continue to do projects in Flash and Flash lite. I've found my experience in designing and developing FL applications has been invaluable when applying design principles to other platforms. The studio that I'm working with is called Enlisted Design. I'm in the process of creating a partner studio with them that will focus on a different set of services.

This is something I've been meaning to start for some time. I spent a considerable amount of time combing the internets looking for tips when I got started. Honestly, its can be a tough platform and I felt like I was left in the dark when learning some of the more difficult things. So this is the start of a series that is meant only to help.

Flash Lite tip #0: Learn and use short code.

Well, I know there are many developers that might attack this for its ugliness, but it is a very easy way to save on file size, and ultimately on memory usage. What do I mean by short code?

This is actually quite a big deal. However, it is probably more of a big deal for carriers and manufacturers rather than for developers. I've sat in meetings where management level people from various carriers have stated that they'd like to have flash lite for a UI only if they didn't have to write a bunch of extensions to integrate with the platform. Many of the competing technologies already had this as an advantage. This announcement fixes that. Flash lite for BREW will come already prepared with a number of extensions to the core applications on the phone.

In case you missed the presentation, I've uploaded it here for anyone to download and read. The high takeaways are that motion can be used to help build a users mental model as well as be an asset in creating an emotional link with users and brand and product equity. There is certainly a movement in the industry to include more motion and it will soon be a requirement and a discerning factor for next generation devices.

I'll be sharing motion insights at a Slice & Dice at BREW 2008 called "Motion=Meaning". Its from 3:30-4:00. Whether your a developer, designer, product manager, or simply care about user experience I think you'll find this presentation helpful and compelling:

https://brew2008.wingateweb.com/scheduler/profile.do?SESSION_ID=2147&for...

Precorp is a manufacturing company that creates diamond tipped tooling that is creating the main tools used for the new innovative light weight carbon fiber Boeing airplanes. Build on xml and flash, this site seeks to provide to visitors the truth about Precorp—that is, that they are a solutions based company with the history and experience in making innovative diamond tools. I was responsible for the interaction design, visual design (including 3d), flash and html development, and a portion of the writing. Check it out:

http://www.precorp.net

I recently noticed that a project I did the flash development work on won an award in the Cause/Affect AIGA competition. It took a first place in the Education section. I think that is great for the organization itself. The cause is noble and I was privileged to participate in its creation. Check it out:

http://aigasf.org/causeaffect/nominees/calfee-school-guide
http://www.calfeeschoolguide.org

If you have been waiting for that game I've been promising, well you're in luck! I've been in the process of building out the first level of the game for performance and balance testing. There is naturally still a bit to do before I release a demo but it has gotten positive feedback from the people that have seen it so far. Its a sci-fi shooter that will run on flash lite 2.0 and above phones.