Google Maps API for Flash + AIR

When I gave my talk about mapping solutions in Flash/Flex/AIR, one point I made was due to the TOS with Google Maps, you would be unable to use it in an AIR application. Well as of Tuesday, that is no longer true. The Google Maps team just released version 1.8, and this version can be used in AIR apps!

For more information (and screenshots!), read through their snazzy new tutorial on developing AIR apps in Flex Builder.

Adobe Lab Updates

Just a quick blog post to summarize and link to the new stuff released today on Adobe Labs.

CoComo - Provides abilities to add video/audio sharing in your Flex apps.

Pixel Bender - An image and video processing infrastructure with runtime optimization on heterogeneous hardware.

Flash Platform - Links for Gumbo (Flex 4) and Catalyst (Thermo).

Alchemy - Translates C and C++ code into ActionScript.

Flash Player 10 - Specifically for Solaris and Linux.

Thermo (Flash Catalyst) Unleased at MAX!

For those of you lucky enough to be at Adobe MAX, a preview of Thermo, now known as Flash Catalyst was unveiled. It’s going to be featured in tomorrow’s Day 2 General Session. They will also be giving away copies of the preview version to MAX attendees. There is more information on Flash Catalyst on the Adobe Labs site. It is not available to non-attendees at the moment. Maybe we will be able to demo it at the next San Diego Flash User Group meeting..

Now I need to update my icon bar..

For my father….

William (Bill) D. Griffith was born on October 14, 1934. He passed away peacefully on November 11, 2008, having lived his entire life in Bakersfield.

He was the son of James and Florence Griffith. He graduated from Garces High School, and spent over 30 years as a field engineer for NCR. Upon retiring from NCR, he enjoyed a second career for several years as a messenger for San Joaquin Bank.

Besides his love for his wife and children, Bill’s passions could best be described as “planes, trains, and automobiles”. Many a Sunday afternoon was spent chasing trains up to the Tehachapi Loop. When he finally retired for good, he and Jan would take road trips across the US, visiting airplane museums and riding trains. Bill was a founding member of the Bear Mountain Flying Club and an avid model railroader. He was very proud of the front yard, which he and Jan lovingly landscaped in model trains.

Bill was always a man you could count on to help fix any problem. He always had a warm smile and a big bear hug ready when needed. He had a natural talent for understanding machinery and how things worked, and he was always a tinkerer.

Bill is survived by his wife of 49 years, Jan; son Chris (Anita) and twin grandchildren, Ben and Shira; son Eric and grandchildren Ashley and Daniel; and his nephew Dana (Lynne) Lee. He was preceded in death by his brothers Jim Griffith and Fr. Thomas Griffith, and his sister Anna Rigney.

A special thank you to Dr. Robert Laughlin and his staff for their compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Lung Association. At the request of the deceased, no services will be held.

Missing MAX…

My father just passed after battling a lung disease, so I will not be attending. Have a great time and post some good info. Swag is always welcomed.

The New Name for Thermo coming….

Ryan Stewart just posted some teaser bits about “Thermo”. First, we are going to learn its real name. I’m sure there is going to much debate over it. Thermo was just too darn cool.

Second, at MAX they’re going to be doing an early preview release of “Thermo”. It will be an Adobe Labs release soon, but for the time being going to MAX is the only way to get your hands on Thermo. If you want to get the bits before anyone else, you’ll have to attend one of those two Intro to Thermo sessions. They will have DVDs during those sessions after walking you through the preview build. Otherwise if you’re going to MAX you’ll have to get the DVDs on the second day.

I’ll be there, will you?

Adobe Mobile Client 1.1 unveiled as part of Qualcomm BREW MP (BREW Mobile Platform)

Qualcomm launched the Brew® Mobile Platform (Brew MP) Developer Network. The Brew MP was announced during last year’s BREW conference as a part of the Open Screen Project. The Brew MP is a flexible operating system platform for mobile devices, which includes the Adobe Mobile Client 1.1.

 

Brew® Mobile Platform supports developers who want to create applications in Flash®. Brew MP uses Adobe Mobile Client (AMC), a new version of the Flash Player engineered specifically to provide excellent performance, add extensibility and use a small memory footprint. The AMC 1.1 runtime player is available for all Brew MP devices.

ActionScript can call extensions into Brew MP that expose device capabilities such as GPS, Bluetooth, databases and networking. Combining Flash with C in Brew MP, you can embed Flash content into applications that reach the core functionality of the device.

Adobe Creative Suite (CS3 and CS4) and Brew MP are integrated via the Adobe Extension Manager, allowing you to create applications, user interfaces and widgets. All Brew MP devices are ActionScript 1.0 capable; you can also publish SWF files to play on the Brew MP Simulator or on supported devices.

There is a session at this year’s Adobe MAX conference on the Open Screen Project. Steve Sprigg from Qualcomm will be speaking. I will also be in attendance, so I might also be able to answer your questions.

San Diego Flash User’s Group November Meeting @ Dave & Busters

Just a quick reminder about the next meeting. 
Let’s kick back and enjoy some food, cold beverages, and maybe some friendly video game action at Dave & Busters in Mission Valley. 

Please RSVP via EventBrite. If you interested in having dinner beforehand, select Ticket ‘Dinner Beforehand’, so I can make a reservation. Otherwise, pick the other ticket option, so we can keep an eye out for you.