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KuneriLite, a commercial answer to Flyer?

KuneriLite is another Flash Lite wrapper extend the Flash Lite function, it provides some attractive functions like save, download, Bluetooth, GPS support. Compare with Flyer, Flyer offer more features. Here are some comparison between Flyer and KuneriLite:

  • Features
    KuneriLite provides save, download, timer, Bluetooth connect, camera, simple protect and GPS, except Timer and Simple Protect, all other features can be found in Flyer, Flyer support more like: record screen, contacts and calendar module, SMS, databases, file Upload, sound recording and playback, text to speech…and some features in beta.
  • Flash Lite version
    Flyer requires Flash Lite 2.1 versus KuneriLite support Flash Lite 1.1 which is the main stream Flash Lite version in the market.
  • Deployment
    Flyer requires handsets have Python for S60 installed, which mean it is not yet ready for easy mass customer deployment. In the future, it is not clear whether provides an easy SIS installer for developer to deploy their application with Flyer and Python to their client. At this moment, Flyer is still a developer product for evaluation. KuneriLite provides a wizard for you to create SIS installer with your application and KuneriLite.
  • Price
    Flyer is open source versus KuneriLite is commercial product ask for €99 per your application! That mean you have two applications for sell, you have to buy two licenses. I think it causes a step back for casual developers who want to use KuneriLite and sell their products, because it is quite hard for them to earn back €99 (sigh). If KuneriLite can sell in €99 for unlimited applications unlimited distribution, it will be more attractive. Of course, it allows free to use for non-commercial application.

Other Reference

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Flash Lite mLearning Game: HiraKataMatch

The game is designed to help you memorize Japanese syllabary by finding out the matched hiragana / katakana / rōmaji. In this demo version, main menu>option is for evaluate and is disabled.

Capable for Flash Lite 1.1, tested in Nokia S60 series and DoCoMo Foma Series.
[Download]

for DoCoMo user, you can play the demo game through this URL in the browser (using 2,4,6,8 as arrow keys, *: left soft key, #: right soft key):
http://kcly.com/hkm.swf

If you find this game is useful for you to learn Japanese, please support me by donation (whatever amount you like), then you can get the full version.

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Two simple and fast ways to genernate random numbers in Flash Lite 1.1

Method 1

In web Flash development environment, we can use two array (A,B) to genernate random numbers easily, we put all numbers into array A, then random an array index, get the value from array A to array B, splice the value in array A, then random the new array index based array A length as the range.

However, in Flash Lite 1.1, it does not have array, so we use eval to emulate array, since no splice(), we move the last element to replace the selected element and manually decrease the array length.

// arrStr is for trace debug, you can remove it
taLen = 10;
for (i=0; i

Method 2

Generate an array with ordered numbers first, then random an array index and swap position with the first one, then the 2nd one...
taLen = 10;
for (i=0; i0) {
j = random(i);
i--;
tmp = eval("ta" add i);
set("ta" add i, eval("ta" add j));
set("ta" add j, tmp);
}
// arrStr is for trace debug, you can remove the below codes
arrStr = "";
for (i=0; i

Remark: Method 2 is much better than method 1 in memory usage and performance.

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Useful Tools for Flash Lite Developers

  • FExplorer
    It can kill process running in the mobile, if you test a Flash Lite content in full screen, forgot to make a quit button, or the content die on the way, although you click the phone hang up key back to screen, but next time you run any Flash Lite content again, the Flash Lite player is still running the old content, you can use FExplorer to kill the Flash Lite player process first.

  • S60SpotOn
    Keep the backlight on, good for when you have to present your Flash Lite content.
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I got certified for Flash Lite 1.1 and Flash 8, Flash Lite 1.1 exam was very hard!

Someone asked in MMUG(HK) about Flash certification(Chinese link), so I checked Pearson VUE, discovered Flash Lite 1.1 and Flash 8 certification are released. It is the first Flash Lite certification, I was curious and so made an exam appointment. For Flash 8, due to the requirement of Certified instructor, when new software version exam is released, you have to take it(Chinese link). I do not have chance or necessary using Certified instructor to teach, so no motivation for me to take Flash 8 certification. However, the original price for each exam is USD150, take it in Hong Kong, you get a 50% off discount, it is HK$583 (about USD74.7), it means you can take two exam for one price. In order to collect all Fash certification series (I was MX Developer, MX2004 Developer certification), finally I took both.

Note, Adobe have two authorized test partners: Pearson VUE and Thomson Prometric, do not go to Thomson Prometric. Its Flash Lite certification has no 50% off discount. It is the original price: HK$1163! (But Flash 8 is HK$583)

About the two exam and the testing centers, I have some comment:

I chose Hong Kong Mong Kok Grand Tower(香港旺角雅蘭中心) Unisoft(軟硬體), a very bad test center. The center is also a private high school for F5 students, many naughty students talk loudly in the corridor. The room next to my exam room is a classroom, the teacher was scolding to the bad student. The noise was so disturb and made me cannot concentrate on the exam.

For the two exam, I was faced a real challenge. I did not have any preparation before, from the pass two Flash certification exam experience, I think it is quite easy to pass, just it is hard to get 100% all correct. Now is different, is it because Adobe and Macromedia are merged, the certification is merged, too? There is no more Flash Designer or Developer certification. The exam is mixed two areas question, question for designer is up to 60%, some Flash IDE functionality, shortcut and trick. I never use or have not use for a long time. How can I know or remember? Obviously, for SWF developer role. Adobe has shifted to Flex already.

Although it is a Flash 8 certification, no or very few questions on new feature about Flash 8, no Filter question, no BitmapData question. Developer questions are few, so no more chance for asking new ActionScript? Finally, 70 questions, I answered 67 right (95%, pass requirement is 70%), the worsest result among three Flash certifications.

For Flash Lite exam, I think it was very very challengeable (i.e. very hard). It asked many question on mobile, fscommand2 usage. It was not as I thought just a Flash 4 examination. Some questions, it was about Japan situation, for people from other region, I felt so meaningless and unfair. It asked some Mobile industry jargon (oh, it was really not a Flash exam!). Asked you what GSM(Global System for Mobile), GPRS(General Packet Radio Services), SIS(Symbian Installation System) stand for? So what if I know? It will make Flash Lite development look more professional like?

The hardest part was asking you some wrong development practice or coding, ask you what will happen or error when running in handset. Only experienced developers will take exam, experience developers know how to avoid stupid mistake, so have they experience such situation in handset? So, if you develop Flash Lite for games, seldom use fscommand2 to communicate with mobile. You only have one handset to play, and it is Nokia handset, your swf is just running in standalone mode. You are not able and experience enough to take the exam.

Finally, 65 questions, I answered 44 right (68%, pass requirement is 65%), barely enough for pass, shameful T_T