Recipe 22.4. Playing a Flash Lite Movie on a Device

Problem

You want to test the Flash Lite movie on a mobile device.

Solution

Install the Flash Lite Player on your device and use a USB cable, memory card, Blue-tooth, or IR to transfer the SWF to your device.

Discussion

You have created your Flash Lite project and have run it through its paces in the mobile emulator. You are now ready to test the movie on your phone.

As of the writing of this book, the Flash Lite Player is available for sale only to developers who want to get a head start in developing content for Flash Lite. Individuals who own supported devices can purchase the software at http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashlite/. It is expected that the Flash Lite Player will soon be delivered to end users preinstalled on devices and will not need to be purchased.

When you have purchased and installed the Flash Lite Player, you will need to transfer the .swf file to the device. Depending on the capabilities of your device, you can use a USB cable, memory card, Bluetooth, or IR to transfer the SWF to your device. If you are using a Nokia device and have access to a Windows 2000 or Windows XP machine, you can easily transfer the files using the Nokia PC Suite:

http://www.nokiausa.com/support/pcsuite/

An alternative option for delivery is to store the SWF on a web server and access the SWF by its URL using a mobile web browser. Note that this method requires you to have a subscription to a data plan with your wireless carrier and to have set up your phone's GPRS settings properly. Also note that carriers typically assess charges for data access. To access your SWF using this method, follow these steps:

1. Upload your SWF file to a publicly available URL on your web server. For example, upload the file to http://<servername>/mobileProjects/test.swf.

2. Open a mobile browser application on your device. If you do not already have one installed, a good choice is the Opera Mobile Browser, available at http://opera.com/products/mobile/products/.

3. Open the URL that you specified in step 1 in your mobile browser.

4. After downloading the file, the SWF file should launch in the Flash Lite Player.

If you are having difficulty accessing data content and are using a Nokia device, Nokia offers an excellent Phone Configurator, which assists you in entering the correct data settings on your device. After you enter your phone model, wireless carrier, and phone number on their web site, Nokia sends you a series of Smart SMS text messages. When you open these messages, you receive a dialog box requesting your permission for your settings to be changed. This feature makes an otherwise tedious and confusing process quite simple. Access the application at:

http://www.nokiausa.com/support/settings/