If you've ever used a WAP-based application, then you've probably been disappointed by the lack of good user interaction posed by web experiences on a mobile phone. WAP-based applications often feel slow, clunky, and generally don't seem worth the trouble. With the addition of Internet access in Macromedia Flash Lite 1.1, however, you can create visually rich, connected applications that are fast and intuitive to use and can even minimize the amount of network usage for the phone.

To explore the possibilities that Flash Lite 1.1 offers, I decided to build a traffic cam viewer that displays real-time JPEG images of major intersections in Manhattan. I chose this for a project because I had always wanted to work with dynamically created SWF files back in the days of Flash 4, but never did. When I was finished with the traffic viewer, I submitted it to the Flash Lite Content Contest, and I am very honored that my application won the Grand Prize, especially given the quality of the other entries.

This article discusses some techniques for creating efficient and impactful Macromedia Flash applications through dynamic content. It also touches on some issues to consider when creating a dynamic SWF movie for deployment on Flash Lite–enabled mobile devices.

Requirements

To make the most of this article, you need the following software and hardware:

Macromedia Flash MX 2004

• Try
• Buy

Macromedia Flash Lite 1.1 Content Development Kit

• Download the Macromedia Flash Lite 1.1 CDK

Prerequisite knowledge:

This article is aimed at experienced Flash developers with some Flash Lite experience and a working knowledge of Flash 4 syntax.

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