Chances are you've heard of Macromedia Flash Lite (now from Adobe), the lightweight version of Macromedia Flash Player created for non-PC devices such as mobile phones and MP3 players.

But you may be asking yourself, What does Flash Lite mean for me? Depending on what you do — whether you develop content, work for a media company, represent nonvoice services for operators, or are involved with user interface design for a device manufacturer — Flash Lite can mean different things.

Over the past year, I have traveled around the world and met with a wide range of individuals from the different vertical segments of the mobile ecosystem. I'm excited to share with you an overview of the Flash Lite technology and how it can benefit these different groups. But first I want to briefly discuss some exciting news: the release of Flash Lite 2.

Flash Lite 2
This new version of Flash Lite is based on the desktop Flash Player 7 standard for content, which means that content developed in the latest Flash authoring environment can be repurposed for mobile and consumer electronic devices. Some of the new features in Flash Lite 2 include:

—Support for loading and parsing of external XML data in Flash content using the same XML handling methods as Flash Player 7
— Support for locally storing and retrieving application-specific information, such as preferences, high scores, user names, and so on
— The ability to dynamically load multimedia content (such as images, sound, and video) based on supported codecs available on the device
—Video support and external multimedia support, including device video as well as image loading (GIF, JPEG, PNG with transparency) and audio loading

Adobe Authoring Tools
The primary tool for creating Flash Lite content is Macromedia Flash Professional 8 from Adobe, which includes a mobile emulator with support for over 100 different devices — with new device profiles made available as they come to market. One important thing to realize is that a content developer can create Flash content for any platform (mobile phone, MP3 player, web, desktop, TV, and so on) with just Flash Professional 8.

In addition to Flash Professional 8, there are other tools from Adobe that designers and developers use on a daily basis. Whether it's for graphic design (Photoshop, Fireworks), illustration (Illustrator, FreeHand), video (Premiere, After Effects), or audio (Audition), Adobe provides a comprehensive suite of tools that work well together.

Moving forward, we're looking at ways to "mobilize" all the Adobe tools to create a seamless workflow for mobile content creation. This is one of the most exciting projects going on at Adobe, and I can't wait for you to see what we have planned.

Now let's look at how different segments of the mobile ecosystem will benefit from this technology.

Content Developers
One of the fundamental things to realize about creating mobile Flash content is that it provides the possibility of recurring revenue. For example, you might receive $2,000 for creating a Flash game for a website. One year later that same piece of content continues to generate revenue for the website, but your payment stopped at the $2,000 you received upon completion of the project.

Now let's say you create a Flash Lite game (or cartoon, application, etc) and a content aggregator distributes your content to its partners (usually operators). You might only receive $100 up front for your content, but as part of your contract you are guaranteed a percentage of every download — say 10 cents per download. One year later your piece of content has been downloaded 125,000 times, so you've made $12,500 in royalties in addition to the $100 you were paid up front — that's $12,600 for one piece of content. These numbers are hypothetical, but as you can see there's a lot of potential for Flash Lite developers to make money.

Adobe offers a variety of programs and resources, including CDKs, articles, sample files, and forums, to help developers create Flash Lite content.
The Mobile Developer Program includes a quarterly newsletter for mobile Flash developers and in the future will offer early notification of programs, events, and special resources.

The Flash Lite Exchange is a great way to share your Flash Lite content with other developers and designers from around the world. It's easy to upload your content, and all items are available for free to download.

Media Owners
Being able to cross many touch points with your brand is important, and Flash is one of the best technology solutions to enable this. Today we're working with several large consumer brands from around the world, and these companies are excited about the benefits of Flash and how they can further extend their brand and messaging into the mobile space. They are creating prototypes and fully functional content today, so that when mobile phones with Flash Lite preinstalled start shipping in mass quantities, they'll have their branded content ready to go for consumers to purchase and use.

Mobile Operators
In the ever-increasing mobile phone market, consumers are looking for the best deals. Depending on the individual, a good deal can mean a specific voice or data plan, a coverage area, or the available handsets.

More and more, mobile operators are looking for ways to increase their average revenue per user (ARPU) by providing additional services beyond traditional voice service. These services include downloadable content like ringtones, wallpapers, and games.

In the future, mobile operators will need to offer even more downloadable content that will appeal to a broad range of subscribers. Flash Lite provides a solution for this. Mobile content developers can create a wide range of content using the same authoring tool (Flash Professional 8) for any number of supported handsets.

Device Manufacturers
Look at your own phone and MP3 player; then look at your friend's mobile phone or MP3 player. You'll notice something. They each have a different UI, but they're designed for the same purpose: to allow a consumer to perform a certain function. In this competitive landscape it's important for device manufacturers to differentiate themselves by providing a compelling experience while at the same time getting their products to market as soon as possible.

Flash Lite allows OEMs to quickly prototype their UI as well as rapidly make any changes when necessary. Some of the first OEMs to release these Flash UI devices include Samsung, Reigncom, and Leapfrog. More licensees will release new devices in 2006, and they will benefit from the creativity of designers and Adobe design tools like Flash, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Summary
There are a lot of benefits to using Flash Lite, no matter what part of the mobile ecosystem you are part of. As mobile phones start shipping later this year and as go-to-market opportunities become available for developers in different geographic regions, the interest in Flash Lite will increase and more people will want to get involved. So why wait? Now is a great time to get started. Learn more on the Adobe Mobile & Devices homepage.

If you have any additional questions after reading this article, please feel free to contact me directly, at bperry@adobe.com, and I'll do my best to reply to you as soon as possible.

Bill Perry manages global developer relations for mobile and devices at Adobe.