Mobile Technologies and Adobe

MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES
AND ADOBE

presented by

Joseph Labrecque
Instructional Design and Web Development for Educators - Denver, CO
October 11 th, 2010

Joseph Labrecque

Flash Platform Developer
Multidisciplinary Digital Artist
Adobe Education Leader
• University of Denver
 Senior Multimedia Application Developer
 Center for Teaching and Learning

JOSEPH LABRECQUE - MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES AND ADOBE 2

About the DU Center for Teaching & Learning

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers
a variety of faculty development opportunities
including workshops and seminars, grant funding
for faculty-initiated projects, and support and
development of technological applications that
advance teaching and learning goals.
Two Units:
• Teaching and Learning Support
• Grants and Teaching Support
• Application and Services Support
• Research and Development
• Application Development
(ColdFusion, Flash, Flex, AIR, Java, PHP)
• Technology Advisement and Forecasting


About Adobe Systems

“To revolutionize how the world engages
with ideas and information.”

• Type
• Documents
• Imaging
• Web
• Mobile / All Screens


Adobe Education Leaders

“The Adobe Education Leaders (AEL) Program
highlights the successes and contributions of
innovative educators involved in higher and K–12
education who are using Adobe tools and applications
in the classroom.
As new products are developed or existing products
are updated, the Education Leaders are involved in
beta programs and online seminars on a range of
technology and program topics. They are asked for
feedback, invited to participate in focus groups, and
are among the first to support learning objectives
through effective use of the technology.”
http://www.adobe.com/education/hed/community/l
eaders/


What is Mobile?
Mobile is basically anything device can carry around
with you! Many believe this is the future of general
computing.
During this session, we will be discussing a number of
things.
• Different forms that mobile computing takes
• Mobile platforms
• The Mobile Web
• App Stores and Markets
• Adobe and Mobile
• DU and Mobile


Form Factors? Devices?
• Phones
• We are still calling them phones???
• Blackberry, iPhone, and Android devices
• Also traditional cell phones
• Tablets
• Emerging market
• iPad is the first of many
• Blackberry Playbook
• Bunch of Android devices coming soon
• Netbooks
• Ultra-portable (underpowered) laptops
• Laptops
• The mobile standard for years!


This is Uncharted Territory!

Everyone is guessing at this point.
Plenty of forecasting.
Lots of new, emerging stuff.

Lots of OPINIONS and UNKNOWNS!!!


Let’s talk mobile platforms


Platforms
• RIM BlackBerry OS
• Apple iPhone OS
• Google Android OS
• Microsoft Windows Mobile
• Linux
• Symbian OS
• Palm OS
• Windows Phone 7


Mobile and the Web
m. Subdomain Websites
• Generally made for older phones
• Super-basic version of the website content
• Basically a big list

Phone Formatting
• Phone Browser overrides the text width
• Sometimes removes images

Custom CSS
• Website has a mobile CSS for phones
• Probably the best solution for a while


App Stores and Markets
• Popularized and pioneered by Apple for the
iPhone.
• Adopted by Google Android and others.
• Really a take off the Linux software
distribution method.
• Makes it convenient to just grab apps with
little hassle.
• Must be written for each and every platform.
• As a result- not all apps are on all device
platforms.
• This is BAD. Very few have the time, money,
and people necessary to do this.


Let’s talk mobile development


Native Development Examples
Apple iDevices
• Apps written in Objective-C (1986)
• Vastly different from many other languages
• iPhone SDK (Apple Proprietary)
• Many tools are Apple-only
• Time to publish (WEEKS - MONTHS!)

Google Android
• Apps written in Java (1995)
• Shares many similarities with C#, ActionScript,
and other languages
• Android SDK (Open Source)
• Time to publish (SECONDS!)


Packager for iPhone - Problems with Fruit
• Adobe announces Packager for iPhone in late
2009 to allow Flash developers to compile
their code to native and distribute through the
App Store just like any normal app.
• Days before CS5 launches, Apple changes their
developer agreement to exclude all apps
written using “intermediate layers” – This
includes Flash, Lua, Unity, C#; anything that is
not Objective-C
• Adobe refocus on AIR for mobile, specifically
AIR for Android and Blackberry but other
platforms will follow.
• In September, Apple reversed their decision
and Adobe has resumed work on AIR for iOS.
• Still no Flash Player :(


AIR for Android
• Super-private prerelease earlier this year – later
opened wide to a much larger prerelease program.
• If the user downloads an APK from the market and
does not have the runtime, the user is prompted to
install Adobe AIR the first time they grab an AIR for
Android app.
• Cost is minimal. Flash and Flex developers can
leverage the skills they already have and distribute
their apps across platforms and devices easily.
• Mobile Flex Framework “Slider” is no more.
• Flex 4.5 “Hero” will include specifics for mobile
applications – specifically to deal with resolution
differences across devices and touch interactions.


AIR for Blackberry
• AIR has been adopted by RIM as the premiere
development environment for applications on their
new QNX platform.
• The first party applications, OS application launcher
and other integral pieces of the OS are built with
AIR!
• Blackberry Playbook is the first of many devices
using this technology!


What is DU doing about Mobile?


DU and Mobile
• Experiments with Adobe AIR for Android
• CourseMedia™ StudyShufffer
• Adobe AIR + Flash Player will be on Android,
BlackBerry, Symbian OS, Palm/HP, Windows Mobile…
• Farthest reach – write once, run *almost* everywhere
• Apple iDevices remain a problem in regard to
embedded Flash but not any longer for app
development.

http://www.openscreenproject.org/


Experiment #1 – SketchNSave


Experiment #2 – StudyShuffler


What about Flash Player on Android?

Works pretty well!
• Near parity with the desktop 10.1
• Anything CPU/GPU-intensive will tax
any battery; Flash or no Flash.
• Have not noticed any battery drain on
normal usage.

However…
• Desktop controls often tiny, tiny…
• Developers can optimize apps for
mobile in many ways.
• New ways to think about UI on
ANY platform – not just Flash.


What about other institutions?


Other Institutions

Western Michigan University
• Bus broadcasting system
• Robot controlled by mobile devices

Illinois Central College
• Mobile Technologies Class

Full Sail University
• Mobile Development Degree

Savannah College of Art and Design
• LMS designed for mobile
• Administrative mobile apps


The future?


Mobile Forecasting

Platform Market Share Changes?
• Android on the rise!
• Expanding options!
• iPhone steady
• Traditional platforms reduction
• Windows Phone 7?

Will iDevices Open Up?
• Maybe.Yeah, slightly!

Where are all the Tablets?
• iPad… Android… Blackberry!


Closing…

Blog: http://inflagrantedelicto.memoryspiral.com/

Twitter: @JosephLabrecque

Email: Joseph.Labrecque@du.edu

Thank you…


Mobile Technologies and Adobe

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