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Here is a sampling of what is inside...

• Intel Atom Developer Program: Million Dollar Development Fund

  Intel recently released a new App Store specifically for Netbook Apps: Intel AppUp (http://www.appup.com/). Included in this program is a partnership with Adobe (Melrose SDK … NOW in Public Beta!), a Million Dollar Developer Program Accelerator, and the Intel Developer Challenge 2010.

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  - Lee Graham

• NET FRUGALITY

  We Flash and Flex developers and for that matter, anyone developing Web 2.0 content have enjoyed a free ride on the bandwidth bandwagon. While fiber optic vendors have scurried to lay the last mile of our super highway, none of us have paid much attention to the weight of our applications. But that is all soon to change. Resolution be damned, we are all being ushered into the wireless era, and like it or not, the game is changing.

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  - JOHN MARX

• Introducing Amethyst

  A Visual Studio user who wants to create a rich internet application (RIA) has, up to now, had only one real choice: Microsoft Silverlight. With the launch of Amethyst, that’s all changed. Amethyst puts a powerful suite of Flash Platform design and coding tools right inside Visual Studio.

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  - Huw Collingbourne

• Onyx-VJ development

  Onyx-VJ is an open source video performance tool based on ActionScript 3 language. The project was started by Daniel HAI back in 2003.

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  - Bruce Lane

• Engineering Business Focused Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter Apps

  The avenues for delivering innovative products and services to vast groups of clients are unlimited as internet media platforms evolve, become widely used, and are made more accessible.

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  - Princeton Brooke

• Monetizing Your Web Game Part 2

  Currently there are many choices when it comes to monetizing a web game. It can be daunting to decide which model is best for a developer.

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  - Chris Hughes

• Simple Class Generator for ActionScript 3.0

  Flex 4 containers are not close relatives of Flex 3 Containers. If you want to avoid family feuds, you need to take care of the children. In this article, we’ll find out how.

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  - Emmanuel Ulloa

• Communicating with the browser

  Sometimes Flash just isn’t enough to get the job done. Often times you might need to communicate with code outside the Flash Player, such as JavaScript in an HTML page.

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  - Ryan D’Agostino

• Flex and PHP Mobile

  Mobile is big. The web is big. Services are big. It is no secret that in the past several years the API has become king. Simply accessing a web site is not sufficient any more.

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  - KEVIN SCHROEDER, RYAN STEWART

• Amethyst Puts Flash In Visual Studio But can it compete with Silverlight?

   

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• Adobe Flex 4: Training from the Source Volume 1

   

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  - Ali Raza

I have to disagree with Chris Anderson and Michael Wolff. While Apps are the popular thing right now, there is too much fragmentation between Operating Systems. iPhone/iPad support this 3D HTML5, Android supports Flash, Blackberry does this, Symbian does that... yada, yada, yada...

Then on top of OS fragmentations, you have fragmentations between different versions of the OS. For example, the iPhone 4 & iPhone 3GS is running the 4th version (iOS 4) of the iPhone OS and can do multi-tasking with apps, while the iPhone 3G can run the iPhone iOS 4, but it can't do multi-tasking with apps. Then the iPads aren't getting the iOS 4 until Q4 of this year, so whoever has an iPad you won't be able to do multi-tasking until then. Yes, fragmentation will always exist because of better technology, but obviously less fragmentation is better than more fragmentation.

A solution to fragmentation is web apps! All browser support HTML. I'm still not touting HTML5 as the savior from fragmentation completely, but I am saying that is can help.

From a developer's or product manager's standpoint it would be easier and much more cost effective to develop multiple web views with HTML, than to have specialized teams developing an app for the iPhone, the iPad, the Desktops, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, etc... Right there you are up to 6 various apps platforms, 6 completely different operating systems (iOS, Windows, Mac OS X, Android OS, RIM & Symbian), and at least 2 different programming languages (Java & Objective-C). Developing apps is a hassle, time consuming and most developers only specialize in one or two languages.

I think apps are a great tool for the here and now, but in the coming years I'm betting mobile web will end up as the king.

Resources:

• The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet - Wired.com
• Location 2012: Death Of The Information Silos - TechCrunch.com
• Is The Web Dead? - Fred Wilson

I thought I would take a minute to explain how my view on Apple has changed over the years:

• Prior to college I had no experience with Apple and do to my immaturity I thought they sucked.
• In college I started working for an eLearning company and was introducted to my first Mac and Final Cut Pro. I found it fabulous... no blue screen of death and it just worked. A start to a beautiful relationship... I'm completely sold that everyone should have a Mac over Windows.
• Got my first iPhone right before the iPhone 3GS came out. Feel in love all over again.
• Started developing iPhone apps using Flash CS5 Packager for iPhone, get one, TheProducer (Lite Edition) approved and in the iTunes App Store.
• I developed a full version of TheProducer and submit it to the iTunes App Store.
• Apple then announces the iPad. I pre-order an iPad. Meanwhile, I'm starting to build an iPad version of TheProducer using Flash CS5.
• I get my iPad and even get TheProducer working on it and within days Apple block Flash (and AIR apps) on the iPhone and iPad.
• 6 email inquiries later, the full version of TheProducer is still "In Review" at Apple and has been since March 15, 2010.
• I lost my temper with Apple: 
  • Apple's CEO Entered an Insanity Plea as the Reason for Banning Flash on the iPhone
  • The Flash on iPhone War: Flash & Flex Developer Magazine (April 2010)
  • Adobe Fights to Set the Record Straight about Flash
  • A Letter to Steve Jobs
• I swap to the Google Nexus One and Android 2.2. If I may add, runs Flash and AIR apps really nicely!
• Future outlook... I still think Windows is an inferior product in comparison to Mac OS X, but I don't think I'll be buying an iPhone 4 anytime soon.

BTW... I'm selling my iPad! Can't wait to get my hands on Notion Ink's ADAM!!!

I think this is FREAKING AWESOME! Can't wait to get my hands on one of these!!!

Smokescreen - iPad demo #1 from Chris @ RevShockAds on Vimeo.

While there are NO facts, NOR rumors... yet... of this happening I think Adobe really should buy these guys out! Or at the very least, fund them and help them out. If you haven't heard, Smokescreen is a JavaScript render engine for Flash content. Basically, it will allow Flash content to run on Apple devices (iPhone, iPad & iPod Touch) without the 3rd party Flash Player plugin. 

While the feature set is fairly primitive for now and the performance is OK, this is the largest middle finger Adobe could flip to Apple. If Adobe was to put some resources to aid these gents with Smokescreen (like they've done with the Zend Framework), it really could go further to promoting their Open Screen Project!

Just my $0.02

I noticed a link to Apple's HTML5 Showcase and I thought it would be interesting to see what they are demoing, so I took a look... Nice page and initially looks like a good variety of demos...

I quick learned that I couldn't access demos within Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or even Firefox. I had to use Safari... WTF!?!?!?!?

Déjà vu! For a second there I had flashbacks to a few years back, using a Firefox browser and trying to access a site that requires ActiveX and would only run in Internet Explorer. Scary! Don't get me wrong, I completely understand HTML5 is still in development and browser companies are still building HTML5 features as they are established and change, BUT ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME... I have to use frickin' Safari?

Sean Michael Kerner of InternetNews.com said, "...if HTML5 is truly about creating an open web standard for all, shouldn't an HTML5 demo page highlight standard features that work across all HTML5 compliant browsers?"

Correct if I am wrong, but I thought HTML5 was about any content, any device, any where! 

I did try it on Safari just to see the demos. Overall, sure it was pretty cool. Overall there is still a bit of lag with the processing of the JavaScript from time to time. Everything was nice until I got to the HTML5 VR Demo. It said this demo not only requires Safari, but it also requires me to be on an Apple machine!!! Apple has clearly gone past Adobe's requirement for a 3rd party plugin, this is requiring the users to have a certain type of hardware. APPLE THIS DOESN'T BELONG IN AN "OPEN HTML5 DEMO" 

It's like Jason Calacanis put it when talking about Steve Jobs at Wall Street Journal's D8, "Jobs fired away at Adobe over the Flash issue. He discussed how his closed platform is actually open because they support HTML5. He discussed why Google is toast (no one searches anymore, if they want a restaurant they just open the Yelp application)."

Again, correct if I am wrong, but I thought HTML5 was about any content, any device, any where! 

Apple's HTML5 Showcase on the Google Nexus One... I went ahead and tried it on my Nexus One, just for fun.

• HTML5 Video Demo - Got this message, "This demo contains H.264 video. Windows users can download QuickTime to enable support fro this industry-standard format." - This is a frickin' riot here! Apple bashes Adobe for needing a proprietary plugin to view content and Apple requires the same thing here. Its a freaking double standard here!
• HTML5 Typography Demo - This demo actually worked, BUT definitely not optimized for mobile consumption on the Nexus One. Tried it on my iPhone and it worked well.
• HTML5 Gallery Demo - This actually worked very nice, with the exception that I was not able to select the drop down to change Gallery demo styles.
• HTML5 Transitions Demo - Worked very nicely.
• HTML5 Audio Demo - Worked well.
• HTML5 360 Degree Demo - Kind of worked. Really, really choppy.
• HTML5 VR Demo - Same response as attempting to view in Safari on my PC... I need a Mac product to view.

Apple's HTML5 Showcase = FAIL

Photo Credit: LiuToa

I really wasn't keeping track of the D8 conference until I saw @Jason (Jason Calacanis) wrote,

"Steve Jobs just gave mad shout out to yelp and apps. Says apps are future, and that requires mobile ads--not banners. #d8."

MY PREDICTION... The App Model won't exist in 3 years!!! Yes, I'm saying that the brilliant creator of the iPhone is wrong. Count it... one... two... three years. This isn't a stab at Apple's iTunes (as I previous have... see: Apple's CEO Entered an Insanity Plea as the Reason for Banning Flash on the iPhone), its not a shot at Google's Android Market... I simply think that mobile web applications are the future, not these platform dependent apps, the nasty ego contests, especially the one with fascist curating habits from certain company that is named after a red fruit.

Please don't be confused. I'm not jumping on the HTML5 bandwagon. HTML5 is not the Holy Grail, as so many buzzword-loving tech reporters are saying it will be! As a matter of fact, its not even complete yet and won't be for another couple of years. It is still my belief that HTML5 will have its place for a few unique uses, but it can't and won't replace full RIA frameworks such as Flash, Flex, Silverlight, VB, PHP, etc...

I think the future lies within mobile web applications that run extremely fast, that contains high interactive, media-rich content that looks sexy on whatever screen size, and it will built on highly optimized JavaScript, CSS, HTML & your server-side language of choice (mine just happens to be PHP).

If you are considering an Native App (iPhone or Android) project, go for it! Now its a very hot trend, just don't be shocked if you see a shift coming in the near future.

Fresh off the digital press (or PDF)... download your copy of Flash & Flex Developer Magazine for FREE!!! Also, check out my Special Report section introducing Adobe's AIR for Android!

Don't forget, the AIR for Android beta is now OPEN to developers.

Download here

Download here

Mat Bisher came up with this clever way to send his message and as a Flash Platform Developer myself, I find this absolutely hysterical!

View full page example here: http://www.sosapplesos.com/restrictedexample.html

Keep up the good work Mat!

Day 1, the big news was the Chrome Web App Store.

Day 2, it was all about the little green dude... Android! The Android OS seems to have finally matured past the point of playing catch up with Apple's iPhone and now seems to be setting its own agenda.

Android 2.2 (FroYo) Developer's Note:

1. Speed - faster VM & JIT compiler 2x-5x faster apps
2. Enterprise - 20 new features including Exchange support
3. Data Backup API
4. Cloud-to-Device Messaging API
5. Tethering and wireless hotspot
6. A better Browser:
   • V8 video. 
   • The Android browsers dusted the iPad browser hands down in decoding JavaScript. 
   • Eventually web apps will be able to access the device hardware such as the camera & accelerometer. 
   • Flash Player 10.1 support within the Browser. 
7. Android Market - Search can search within apps and removable storage. 
8. Apps on SD. 
9. Application can be set to auto-update. 
10. A stack trace reporting feature for developers to better help with debugging. 
11. Android Market account tied to devices. 
12. Devices will be able to download application OTA (Over-The-Air) directly from your computer. 
13. Music is now purchasable on the Android Market!
14. Non-DRMed music purchased on iTunes will be able to play on your Android device.
15. AdSense for Mobile Ads - Google's counter Apple's iAds I'm sure. Expandable ad formats within apps which can use maps and the click-to-call feature.

CNET's Stephen Shankland: "Basically, Google is working to reproduce iTunes abilities with just a browser, no iTunes." 

Google TV: TV meets web. Web meets TV.

Imagine your computer, mobile phone and TV viewing experiences all being blurred together. This is exactly what Google is doing! Its a fact a large quantity of people spend hours of time watching YouTube on their computers and mobiles, now imagine watching that on your 1080p HD TV. Lets take it one step further, how about watching that YouTube clip and then sharing it with your buddy from your TV. Its no longer a dream, its coming later this year (Fall 2010) to a BestBuy near you. 

What you need to know about Google TV:

• Running the Android OS + Chrome Browser
• Will be integrated with with Sony TVs that are coming out.
• Will be available as a standalone box (thanks to Logitech) and will work with your current TV. Will require a keyboard & pointing device. 
• Better searchability of the program you like. 
• More interactivity with your favorite programs. 
• Allows your to record future episodes of your favorite shows and ties directly to Amazon Video so you can purchase previous episodes. 
• Access to Android Apps! You will be able to login to your Android Market account, buy an app on your phone or computer & have it automatically downloaded to your Google TV.
• You can watch YouTube directly on your Google TV.
• Will be able to interact with Facebook, Pandora, Flickr, etc...
• NOTE: your Android phone can be used as a remote control.
• You will be able to login to your Android Market account, buy an app & have it automatically to your Google TV.
  
• Watch & listen to your podcasts directly on you Google TV. Podcast via Google Listen (http://listen.googlelabs.com/). 
  
• Notably: the NBA.com has create a Google TV site that allows for more interactivity while you consume sport. This is the future!
  

Google TV Developer's Note:

• Developers will be able to build both Android apps as well as Web apps and access them on Google TV.
• Google TV currently runs on Android 2.1 & has the Google Chrome browser & Flash Player 10.1.
• The SDK will be released early 2011.
• Best part... its all OPEN SOURCE! This will happen late 2011.

Adobe AIR for Android Developer's Note: its nice having a little green guy and Google as friends! 

1. You can develop Android apps using AIR for Android which is now in beta (developer access only). SIGN UP HERE!
2. As a Flash Developer, you can develop Flash Apps and content (720p & 1080p videos) for Google TV. READ MORE HERE...
3. AIR for Android will work on Google TV eventually. Top priority is optimizing AIR for Android on mobiles.
4. General tips for designing websites to work on Google TV