Customer Reviews

Flash: The Future: Pocket PC / DVD / ITV / Video / Game Consoles / Wireless

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

the book starts off listing various ppcs in comparison and then by goes through (in very good detail) the layout considerations to take when creating flash apps for pocket pcs. many aspects are covered in a way that's very easy to follow along with. a lot of this information will save you plenty of headaches down the road. softkeys (mapping of the device's cursor input) is covered in extreme detail and the source files for all of this is covered very well. c++ (etc.) wrappers are explained in detail so as to hide the ppc's menus, going fullscreen, and more. source code for these techniques are supplied as well on the cd. very valuable stuff. the code is explained in nice detail. classes in c++ and AS are covered in an appendix and are very worthwhile inclusions. transfering flash to television and dvd is covered in depth (and is a first in a book like this.) using flash animations in your dvd menu systems is shown in a step-by-step walkthrough. many of the perils of transfering flash to video/television is covered and workaround techniques are explained. the future of flash on devices is a running theme throughout the book and offers many great insights. the use of XML Socket, loadvars versus XML, etc. is covered. there is a wealth of knowledge to be gained in this well-paced book on the subject of flash on things other than the desktop. it's a bit more technical than flashenabled. the collection of the two books together == a 5 out of 5. these should be your flash device bibles when you want to get involved in creating apps and experiments to run on devices. WONDERFUL stuff. a defacto standard for mobile and other-than desktop Flash deployments. The CD alone is worth price of admission. And that chris pelsor is such a viking!

This book is a must-have for anyone interested in exploring and developing content for devices. It contains a wealth of information that is clear and well-organized. This is particularly valuable in the quickly evolving area of developing for devices.

I use those little tape flags to mark useful pages in books and so far there are 14 tags in my copy of "Flash: The Future."
It has earned its place on the bookshelf right next to my desk.

If you are serious about exploring and developing content for devices then purchase this book. Pocket PC's and many of the other devices covered in this book are just now starting to hit with mainstream consumers. Example: Who is going to be developing content for the Dell Pocket PC's that were just announced? You will, by absorbing the material covered in this book. From the basics and gotchas of working with the devices, to very detailed examples and code, including advanced information on integrating Flash on devices with embedded VB and VC and using an XML socket server for messaging. A great chapter on preparing Flash files for output to various video formats and DVD authoring help round the book out to appeal to a variety of Flash and device developers. I have been working with and writing about Flash on devices for some time now, and this book is packed with stuff that I instantly found useable. A great reference book for an area of technology that is just beginning to take off.

I have been designing and developing Flash and other content for devices now for a number of years. Because device development is in it's infancy, there has yet to be a book or resource that completely illustrates the big picture (as it stands today). This book gets down to the nitty-gritty. Designers can learn numerous points about fonts, colors, etc... Developers can learn a multitude of facts about Flash Actionscript to eMbedded VB or eMbedded VC. If you are a newbie or experienced, this is an excellent resource. You will definetly learn something from this book!

This book is well written, and the author knows what he's talking about. However, I found he repeats things and often complicates simple things. After reading the chapter about PocketPC Flash technology I found it offered no more information than the Macromedia SDK (free on their website). He does offer some additional advice on PPC game development such as color and art optimization; common sense to most Flash developers. The book attemps to explain how to program a complete game in ActionScript, but does not elaborate on the details of ActionScript (ie: mentions the use of arrays, but doesn't explain their complex charictaristics). If your looking to learn ActionScript, this is not the book. Overall, this book has the advantage of being one of the first in it's catagory.

After reading this book, I was VERY happy to have spent the money to pick this one up!

What struck me most, just from reading the table of contents, was the breadth of the content that is found in Flash: the Future. Not only is there information on creating Flash content for PocketPC 2002, but the book also covers Flash for Broadcast (DVD, iTV, and consoles), as well as the Nokia 9200 series. This book covers all of these topics extremely well. Just over half of the book devoted to developing content for the Pocket PC.

There are several different authors who contribute chapters in this section, and each authors' respective expertise in each different topic is evident throughout the section. For example, in each chapter you will find valuable tips and tricks that only come from such experience.

Flash: the Future is a well written and well edited title, and I strongly recommend picking it up if you are serious about Flash development.

I just finished reading "Flash the Future" from the folks over at Flash the Future. It's great, as in really good and you should go out and get it now. Some may ask "I already have Flash Enabled the book, do I need this?" The answer is (and what you'll hear from me from now on since I've read this) you really need both books if you're interested in creating rich content for multiple devices. With both books, there's not much overlap and everything gets covered in deeper and broader ways. Amazon has a special, so go for it.

Collaboratively written by computer program and gaming experts Jon Warren Lentz, Bill Turner, and Ian Chia, Flash: The Future is a no-nonsense, highly accessible, step-by-step guide to creating content and applications for platforms such as handhelds, wireless devices, video/DVD, Pocket PCS, and more. Flash applications, Pocket Internet Explorer, Flash animations, ActionScript techniques, eMbedded Visual Basic, Microsoft eMbedded Visual C++, and much, much more are all deftly covered with illustrative examples and walk-through explanations. An accompanying CD-ROM contains code and examples drawn from the text, as well as bonus developer tools for the Pocket PC. Flash: The Future is a highly recommended addition to any personal or professional Computer Graphics/Design reference collection.

Mr. Torrone, in his 11/15/02 review of this book (below), presents himself as if in error, complicitous (with Amazon), or simply self-serving, as his assertion that "Amazon has a special ..." is 100% FALSE. NO "special"; rather, merely two books bundled together with no savings over separate purchasing. In addition, Mr. Torrone conveniently fails to mention the fact that *Flash Enabled* is authored by Mr. Torrone himself. In error? Complicitous? Self-serving? You be the judge.