The Open Screen Project

Feb 16, 2009 12:44 GMT  ·  By

In an effort to take its Flash technology beyond the desktop where it is already ubiquitous, Adobe has announced fresh financial resources for the Open Screen Project. Together with Nokia, Adobe is pouring no less than $10 million into the project it fathered which aims to deliver a singular user experience across devices via a flash based runtime environment. At the GSMA Mobile World Congress, Adobe and Nokia indicated that the $10 million fund is designed to catalyze the building of Flash-based applications and services for mobile, desktop and consumer electronics devices.

“We are excited about the Open Screen Project Fund and the possibilities it offers to designers and developers worldwide,” revealed David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “With close to 40 percent of all new mobile devices shipped with Flash Lite in 2008, the fund will enable more developers to bring their rich content and services to a large number of mobile users.”

Adobe used the GSMA Mobile World Congress to launch a new version of its Flash Player for mobile devices. As of February 16, 2009, Adobe Flash Lite 3.1 Distributable Player is available in Beta stage. Concomitantly with announcing the new fund, Adobe also invited developers to submit concepts for content build using Flash. The applications have to work not only on Nokia, but also on additional devices including PCs. Projects submitted to the Open Screen Project will be judged based on innovation but also on the robustness of the implementation, and the integration with Nokia devices.

“The Open Screen Project Fund encourages the use of Adobe tools and existing developer skills to create exciting and unique Flash applications for millions of Nokia devices,” added Tero Ojanpera, EVP, Nokia Services. “Our end goal is to support these developers with resources, build awareness around the creative possibilities with Flash and help bring these innovative experiences to market through Nokia distribution channels.”