Beta Macromedia Flash player for Smartphone

[Guest maxh2003]

Hi encece...

All this talk about hacking an unfinished, stolen, proof-of-concept, app. 

Apparently Macromedia is working on it...why dont we all just be happy and wait for the final finished version???

1) Don't think it *is* unfinished or proof-of-concept. I think it's a finished PocketPC app;

2) Stolen? Are you sure? If you can show this to be true then the download must be pulled immediately;

3) Don't like the sound of that "apparently" - I've been waiting for flash for Smartphone for 2+ years. Sure, if it'll be out next week/month/year then we might all hang on, but in the meantime, what's wrong with learning something? Anyway, do you have any ideas on an expected release date for a real version? If so then I defer to your superior knowledge...;

4) [Legal] hacking is fun;

5) Anything new and fun on Smartphone deserves to be investigated. don't know about anyone else, but I personally feel starved of new toys for my phone...!

Afterthought: Flash for Smartphone would be Flash for PocketPC with the user interface tweaked. If Macromedia wanted to push a version out of the door, surely they'd have done so by now, or did I miss something obvious?

[Guest maxh2003]

OK, I've had a closer look at this one, with some success. I've managed to build an app which you run *before* you start the flash player; when you then start the flash player, it flips it into show-all mode so you can see the whole file, which is a big improvement.

Available here -> http://www.gamesforsmartphones.co.uk/flashhack.shtml

Enjoy...

swf.jpg

[Guest drblow]

How did you download that uber cool BBC2 clock?? :shock: I went to the site linked from yours above, but couldn't actually download any of the flash files for viewing on the phone.

[Guest maxh2003]

I take it you made it this far: http://625.uk.com/tv_logos/flash/bbc2_clock.asp

- call that up and choose "View Source", then use Find to find ".swf" -

ignore references to macromedia.com - and somewhere in the source you should stumble across

bbc2_clock.swf

- that's the SWF filename. Take the URL you were looking at and remove the filename at the end, then add the filename you found:

http://625.uk.com/tv_logos/flash/bbc2_clock.swf

- download this with your favourite download manager because if you try to do it with IE it'll probably just load it in-line and you won't be able to save it :-s

[Guest Arisme]

Regarding fun with Flash, I did a little wrapper around the PocketPC version when the SPV came out, but it was a bit too slow at that time :wink: - if you remember http://smartphone.modaco.com/viewtopic.php...er=asc&start=15

since the subject seems to get some people interested again, I removed the dust around it, if you're a developer, feel free to have a look, the full sources to the wrapper are available here - http://arisme.free.fr/hacks/binaries/Spflaa.zip

No support of course :wink:

Edit for people in a hurry, the interesting point in this wrapper is that you can go to the next control in your Flash movie by sending it a VK_TAB key event. Should be a piece of cake to add this to your own program

::SendMessage(pluginWindow, WM_KEYDOWN, VK_TAB, 1);


Sleep(100);


::SendMessage(pluginWindow, WM_KEYUP, VK_TAB, 1);

[Guest drblow]

I take it you made it this far: http://625.uk.com/tv_logos/flash/bbc2_clock.asp

- call that up and choose "View Source", then use Find to find ".swf" - 

ignore references to macromedia.com - and somewhere in the source you should stumble across

bbc2_clock.swf

- that's the SWF filename.  Take the URL you were looking at and remove the filename at the end, then add the filename you found:

http://625.uk.com/tv_logos/flash/bbc2_clock.swf

- download this with your favourite download manager because if you try to do it with IE it'll probably just load it in-line and you won't be able to save it :-s

:shock: Thanks for that - all a bit complicated for my jumbled mind! :)

[Guest rcperez]

*hint* $500 :)

[Guest nickcornaglia]

Hi encece...

1) Don't think it *is* unfinished or proof-of-concept. I think it's a finished PocketPC app;

2) Stolen? Are you sure? If you can show this to be true then the download must be pulled immediately;

3) Don't like the sound of that "apparently" - I've been waiting for flash for Smartphone for 2+ years. Sure, if it'll be out next week/month/year then we might all hang on, but in the meantime, what's wrong with learning something? Anyway, do you have any ideas on an expected release date for a real version? If so then I defer to your superior knowledge...;

4) [Legal] hacking is fun;

5) Anything new and fun on Smartphone deserves to be investigated. don't know about anyone else, but I personally feel starved of new toys for my phone...!

Afterthought: Flash for Smartphone would be Flash for PocketPC with the user interface tweaked. If Macromedia wanted to push a version out of the door, surely they'd have done so by now, or did I miss something obvious?

This is an edit of a previous reply that wasnt nice. I've since read the whole thread and decided to retract. My original impression of this thread was that it was an unreleased product of Macromedia still in Beta based on the info extracted from the app.

Since I now know it is a flash player for the PPC, I will retract some of my statements. On a PPC, from memory, you cant play SWF files on their own. You can only play them when embedded in an HTML file...thus the reason for the original app. The PIE plugin is key and is what is needed for the smartphone. But there are many things that limit that from happening. I dont believe that the number keys of a phone are mapped in the same way a PCs keyboard are mapped. Thus the need for the upcoming flash component FLASHLITE or something like that....made to implement flash within mobile phones. It may be available for other phones, but I have not seen it yet.

In the end...this is fun...but I cant see a great use for it without the PIE plugin.

Maybe to play flash movies and apps that require NO interation...but that's about it.

So I apologize for jumping the gun...but my excitement is still subdued until I see something better.

EDIT: OKAY I TAKE THAT BACK TOO!

I HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF CAPTURING NUMBER KEYPRESSES. I'LL UPLOAD IT NOW....I SHOULD JUST SHUT UP NOW! :oops: (NEVER BELIEVE WHAT YOU'RE TOLD!) :)

[Guest nickcornaglia]

Just for kicks I tried to see if the flash file could call a dynamic image from the web...like a webcam image. It does.

Here's a quickie...excuse the botched modaco dude...I just needed a backdrop. :(

The image takes a few seconds to load. (20K)

It can not open a connection on it's own, but if you have an active internet connection...it will pull the pic. (Use Shell Config to activate persistent GPRS connections). The image should update every 30 seconds when my camera is on. Otherwise...it will refresh the same pic.

EDIT:

See, I believe playing is fun! But a fully functional version with an IE plugin would be more useful. :( :)

ncc01.zip

[Guest nickcornaglia]

Okay...Here is the keypress test I promised. Formatted 176 x 180.

- pressing 1, 2, 3, 4 will switch screens

- using the scrollbar also switches between them...up and down

- clicking the action key changes the button from "action" to "go".

This is using the program AS IS from the original post in this thread.

I apologize again and stand very much corrected and will say FLASH can be written to work on the phones AS IS! :) o/

This example is based on a FLA I got from FlashKit

I modified the side and edited the screens.

NOW LET'S SEE THAT IE PLUGIN! :(

keypress.zip

[Guest lukeap69]

nice work encece.

keep them coming.

lukeap

69

[Guest nickcornaglia]

If I get time I'll actually make some useful files.

[Guest maxh2003]

This is an edit of a previous reply that wasnt nice.

...

I SHOULD JUST SHUT UP NOW!

Encece, I offer my unmitigated and unqualified apologies if anything I previously said was not nice or came across as excessively terse. It certainly wasn't my intention and I re-read the message several times before posting it, because I was aware of taking up a contrary position and I didn't want to annoy anyone. If I failed in that regard, I apologise again. Your contribution to the MoDaCo world is significant and I'd always intend to respect that.

Also, I thank you for the key testing SWF, which shows that it *will* be possible to write Smartphone-specific SWFs and have them run "reasonably". Hopefully people will be only-too-keen...

I'm wondering about making a better "bodge" program for SWFs that *weren't* written for Smartphone (something to let you hit that "click here to play" button!), will see if I can't hack something together tonight. Meanwhile I can confirm the obvious - sound works OK - the ATV SWF from 625.uk.com plays the scary jingle almost-perfectly though it is a bit jumpy on account of what's going on on-screen (I think).

Footnote: following similar lines to FlashHack, I managed to persuade RealPlayer (or more correctly, RealOne) for PocketPC, to run on Smartphone and play back a simple .RM file. Does anyone have a need for this? Video playback is only partially visible but sound playback seemed to work well...

[Guest nickcornaglia]

It's all good.

[Guest rcperez]

everything seems to work fine, you could map the keypad along with the action pad and thats about it, works 100% on my phone - (Check Gringos out)

:) enjoy guys till it last

[Guest maxh2003]

enjoy guys till it last

I increasingly don't think we're doing anything wrong or illegal here (though IANAL).

On PocketPC, if you load up the original supplied EXE without passing it an SWF, it goes into kiosk mode (showing some kind of guide to Smartphone) and you can't use the menus. If, on the other hand, you pass it an SWF, the menus appear and you can choose to "Create Projector". What it does is take the SWF that you loaded and build it into a standalone EXE.

If you load up the new standalone EXE you just created, it goes into kiosk mode. But, if you pass it an SWF, the menus appear and you can use it to generate *new* standalone EXEs...!

So what I think we've got is:

i) a standalone EXE legitimately produced to run that smartphone guide SWF in kiosk mode, and

ii) a discovery that standalone EXEs contain the original application, which can be exposed if you only know how.

If all the above is correct then it suggests that Macromedia have taken a really soft option on how to produce standalone EXEs - namely provide the full app and hide the interface a bit - a decision which would look much less impressive if someone managed to find out how to expose the app. Which is what I think we've done...

Say it again: I Am Not A Lawyer...

[Guest maxh2003]

Anyway, make hay while the sun shines, that's what I say! :-D

I've bodged together a better interface to Flash, and fairly good it is too if I say so myself. You can use # to toggle between Flash and FlashHack, and pick options such as Zoom, Quality and Full-Screen from a menu. This is how I got the nicer screenshot below.

Download as usual at http://www.gamesforsmartphones.com ...

Enjoy...

Max

flashhack.JPG

BBC2 SWF.JPG

[Guest rcperez]

Amen to that! too bad it doesnt work for 2002, any chance it will get ported to 2002?

Another thing here are a few other goodies:

fscommand("allowscale", true) -- plays in show all

fscommand("fullscreen", true) -- plays in full screen without navbutton but with title

fscommand ("quit","") -- exits the flashplayer

Key.getCode(); -- gets the keypad mapped in decimal

up - 38

down -40

left - 37

right - 39

action - 13

#1 - 49

...

#9- 57

#0 - 48

# - 120

* - 119

[Guest lukeap69]

that's what i thought so too. i can't get it to work on my SAP.

lukeap

69

[Guest MaJiK]

I own a C500, I can get the Beta Flash Player to play the kuwait.swf file - however, I cant seem to get FlashHack to see the window when I press 1

Any ideas ?

[Guest maxh2003]

Good, maybe great, news. I've managed to find out where the original Beta Macromedia Flash.EXE came from, and it's entirely legitimate - it came from www.microsoft.com !

Here's how to get a legit copy of the file, instead of downloading it from the first post in this thread:

1) Go to this URL:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/dow...als_speula.mspx

2) Accept the EULA, and download the 5,713Kb file.

3) Run the file (with your phone not synchronized). It will immediately pop a "On next connection, the application will be installed" box.

4) Navigate to c:program filesmicrosoft activesyncapp

5) Open "Tutorials.CAB"

6) Extract "Tutori~2.001" to a directory on your PC.

7) Rename the file "Beta Macromedia Flash.exe". Watch in amazement as the phone icon we've seen before appears. Confirm what you've done by using ResHacker to find Dialog number 103, which shows that what you've got is in fact the Macromedia Flash Player 6.

Woo-hoo!

I own a C500, I can get the Beta Flash Player to play the kuwait.swf file - however, I cant seem to get FlashHack to see the window when I press 1 

Any ideas ?

Is it giving a Flash Window cannot be found-type message?

Have you checked that you've still got the right filename for the player, namely:

Beta Macromedia Flash.exe

- it's probably case-sensitive and everything. If you rename the EXE to something else, the window will have a different name and FlashHack won't be able to find the window...?

2002

D'oh...

I'll try and put together an SP2002 version tonight, it shouldn't be too tricky... (famous last words!)

[Guest MaJiK]

Strange - I associated .swf files with Beta Macromedia Flash .exe using a different file explorer - and got the "Flash File could not be found"

When I used Binary's SmartExplorer and associated the .swf files - it worked!

Great Job by the way - I like it a lot :)

One thing I have noticed, when you lock your phone (or indeed it locks after the timeout) and the flash player and flash hack are still running - you cannot unlkock your phone and have to pull the battery. I am guessing this could be to do with the hash key # still being active for Flash Hack as for some reason even when the phone is locked it still shows Flash Hack on the screen when you press hash.

Can you change the keys in Flash Hack to use something other than hash ?

Other than that - its great !!

I am gonna test my Rodny Carrington "Dear Penis" song in a minute (very funny flash animation) - I have a few others aswell which I could probably upload if there is interest for them.

I say it again - Good Work Fella :(

[Guest maxh2003]

hash... when you lock your phone (or indeed it locks after the timeout)

D'oh!

I just found this out, and likely so did everyone else :-(

So hash wasn't the smartest choice; this evening's new versions will use Star instead ;-) :-D

[Guest maxh2003]

this evening's new versions

- done :-D

* Smartphone 2002 version

* Hash and Star swapped - no more locked-phone nightmares :)

* Simpler to use

The biggest change is that you need FlashHack *and* Beta Macromedia Flash.exe in the same directory, and that you now start the app by using SmartExplorer to open your SWF "with" FlashHack. It's all in the readme...

Enjoy!

Max

[Guest gpcarreon (MVP)]

My flash clock. Thanks to maxh2003. :)

yorkshireclock_g.jpg