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first question to ask is: Why use Macromedia Flash on the
Sony CLIÉ NX Series?
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| Sony
CLIÉ NX Series PDA owners will discover an abundance
of free, useful, and fun Macromedia Flash applications created
for PDAs. Much of the desktop content found on the web will
run on the NX as well. For the same reasons that developers
flock to Macromedia Flash, owners of the Sony CLIÉ
will find Macromedia Flash files to be a great addition to
their CLIÉ. Here's why: |
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| Easy
to use: If you can move files to your Memory stick,
you can use Macromedia Flash content on your CLIÉ—it's
really that simple. We'll go over how this is done in the
upcoming section of this tutorial. |
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| Content:
There are literally millions of applications and content made
with Macromedia Flash: |
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Calculators |
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Games (all
sorts: arcade, casino, puzzles, etc.) |
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Learning
applications |
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Cartoons
and animations |
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Music videos |
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Productivity |
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Entertainment |
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...and more! |
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| Figure
2 shows some of the many Flash applications and content available
for the Sony CLIÉ. |
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| Figure
2. Screen captures of several Flash applications
available for the Sony CLIÉ. |
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| In
a few minutes we'll go over the many ways to obtain this content.
We'll also provide some links to online resources that offer
downloadable Macromedia Flash applications. |
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| Cool
brands: Many top brands, like Sony, create much of
their content in Macromedia Flash to convey brand messaging
and provide a compelling user experience. In fact, as previously
mentioned, the included “CLIÉ Demo” on
the Sony CLIÉ NX Series is built entirely in Macromedia
Flash. All that said, expect to see some of your favorite
content from the web running on your CLIÉ. |
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| Figure
3. The Sony CLIÉ Demo, created by GeoPhoenix. |
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| Resources
and community: There are over 1.6 million Macromedia
Flash developers worldwide. This large developer base and
community means that you can get lots of help, inspiration,
and suggestions to get content—as well as create content—for
your PDA. There are many conferences and training classes
available. Go down any computer aisle of a bookstore and look
at all the titles available for Macromedia Flash. Some titles
are design-centric, some are programmer and developer-centric,
some are both. With that many resources and community sites
out there (providing thousands of example files), developers
and designers can build applications faster and get answers
in a jiffy. |
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Using
Macromedia Flash on the Sony CLIÉ NX Series
Before we dive right in, it's a good idea to read the manual
that came with your Sony CLIÉ NX Series regarding Macromedia
Flash. On page 75, the manual provides useful information
to help you get started right away. There's even a “CLIÉ
Application Manual” on the CD that comes with your CLIÉ.
You can access the manuals on your desktop from the main menu
on the CD by pressing “Manuals”. |
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If
you prefer, you can access these files directly. On the CD,
you can find the Application Manual here:
<CDROM>:\Manuals\CLIÉ_application_manual\00_nav/index.html |
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There's
also a great section on using Macromedia Flash on the CLIÉ
here:
<CDROM>:\Manuals\CLIÉ_application_manual\00_nav\nav_f2700.html |
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| Don't
worry if you didn't read these help files. We'll
go over everything—and then some—shortly. |
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Stick'em
up
You'll need a Memory Stick before you can transfer the
files on your CLIÉ. Right now you cannot run Macromedia
Flash on internal storage, although this is subject to change. |
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| Figure
4. A Sony Memory Stick. |
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| Memory
Sticks currently come in 16, 32, 64 and 128 MB capacities.
Prices range from $30 to $100 for various sizes and manufacturers.
While the NX Series supports a Type II slot, at the time of
this writing that slot can only be used for the Sony Wireless
LAN card. Check www.flashenabled.com
for updates if this changes. |
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| Next,
let's discuss a very important aspect of running Flash content
on the Sony CLIÉ: The MMFlash directory. |
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