Smokescreen makes Flash content visible on iPhone and iPad (video)
By Thomas Ricker 
posted May 30th 2010 9:07AM
posted May 30th 2010 9:07AM
While it works fine with simple animated banner ads (uh, huzzah!?), we found that Smokescreened Flash content like video and games was impossibly slow when tested on our iPhone 3G. Still, it's a start for this soon to be open sourced Flash player written in JavaScript. Check the video after the break for a demonstration or give it a go for yourselves by browsing over to the appropriate source link below."It runs entirely in the browser, reads in SWF binaries, unzips them (in native JS), extracts images and embedded audio and turns them in to base64 encoded data:uris, then stitches the vector graphics back together as animated SVG."
Well, its a start!
@JFH : The worst of both worlds. Yeah, it can show flash - but only ads. Huzzah!
@JFH
Why is this in Alt? Surely this is just regular gadget news?
@Argot
Jeez it is just a start, give them time...
@JFH
Or it could just support flash natively.
@JFH I can foresee Apple getting rid of this to make sure no iPhone/iPad will run flash. Man, I hate that arrogant, narrow minded, smug, dictator-like asshole named Steve Jobs.
@JFH
...a new era of slow, inefficient CPU/Battery-killing JavaScript/Flash ads that can't be blocked by SWF-blockers. The future utopia is here...
@Argot
Flash is adware. All of it. http://www.google.com/search?q=flash+cookies
@pax copia
comments like that make me desperately wish you could punch people over the internet.
@pax copia
Seriously, get a grip and go opt out if you're so scared of flash cookies.
http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager03.html
@JFH If you really want flash on your iPod touch iPhone or maybe even ipad just use the "cloud browse" app in the app store. It really works! Flash video works perfectly in this firefox window server. No jailbreakig required!
@JFH haha its funny in all the iphone vs android debates strive jobs worshipers all complain how worthless flash is and how they are happy jobs made the decision for them and banned it. Looks to me you guys want it pretty bad...
@Eli Haj
I could see this being useful for websites that are coded in flash, homestarrunner.com being a good example. We currently have no way to browser flash based websites at all, so even if it can't be used for video this is still a significant improvement.
@JFH Yep, it will come to that day, that whatever ban, Apple does to its product, there will be someone who can hack it. http://j.mp/steve-jobs-v-apple-review
Dzctyu12
@JFH When did Carrot Top start programming?
to what will be the days highest comment count
@Zylam
6 new comments in 2 minutes? It's well on its way.
@Zylam
Let's show the world that we love anything fruity. Because we're fruity.
@samisax
+1
@samisax You're a fruit? lol!
@iucidium
lol
^ that's fruity.. especially if you actually say it in real life
So does cloud browse
@facethefire
my thoughts exactly and it's slow and great for ads too but videos suck.
@facethefire Not Quite.
Through Cloud Browse, you can connect your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad to a remote computer running in one of AlwaysOn's data centers.
Source: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-20006163-233.html
I wouldn't attempt saving any passwords or even usernames if I were you :P
@facethefire Set up or use a Windows PC, point 3389 on your router to your PC, grab Wyse PocketCloud for the iPad, and surf away on Flash, Java, Silverlight, and ActiveX sites. Sluggish, but it works - I use this in order to hit archaic sites that still require Internet Explorer.
iPhone 3G?
@juanvaldez
On GPRS O_o
If apple doesn't want to make a flash plugin....the community will :)
@greekpete94
If your customer's have to make your product work for you... you blew it
@schultz
If you have to troll, you blew it.
@schultz Yeah, all those Windows computers with all their third party software to make them useful. Those sure suck.
@schultz
Not true at all, community support is what makes a lot of devices great.
Where would we be without xda, iphone devteam, etc?
Our devices would suck.
@Mentat If you can't take the thruth, you blew it.
@anotherworld If you can't spell truth right, you definitely blew it.
@ashleythehottiest Yes I did, but at least I admit it.
@ashleythehottiest You name is awesome and you are probably the hottest chick to ever comment in here. and @anotherworld you should go back to school.
Tip: Dont buy an iPad, get the speak and spell.
Wonder why Apple hasn't already started doing this. It would make so many people happier.
@montymintypie
Because Apple knows that a native Flash renderer would be less cpu-intensive and easier on the batteries. They just didn't want Adobe to be part of the game for whatever reason they have, be it improper coding on Adobes part in the past or whatever.
@montymintypie
Money. If you can play flash games on the devices, why pay for something equivalent on the app store?
I can name three flash fart soundboards that work better than the fart apps I tried.
@Aguiluz
lol,
that and, developers wont make apps for the app store when there are alternatives better and free on the web in flash
@Aguiluz This.
@Aguiluz
You are still throwing the fart soundboard argument out there? Does this have anything to do with that 640x920 screen you keep trying to talk yourself out of? Besides Android has HUNDREDS of fart apps that the same developers ported over to android
@Aguiluz That argument has been repeated over and over with nothing to back it up... How would free Flash games take away from App Store sales? Are tons of paid games on the App Store available in the same exact form in Flash? Can you direct me to GTA: Chinatown Wars that i can play for free in Flash on my desktop?
Hell, having a crappy free game in Flash would SAVE apple money- they wouldn't have to provide the bandwidth for downloading the free version from the App store :)
Apple has also said over and over (at shareholder meetings) that the App store is barely profitable and is designed to sell devices...
@darksharpie
im just wondering when the skyfire app that us android users have will ever go to cydia? i use skyfire on my droid and its been awesome. not every video works but 70 percent do. its nice casue im running 2.1 and not rooted. btw i have a jailbroken ipod
@Aguiluz
You better let Apple know they still allow app installation from websites. I mean, geez, they're giving developers a way around the App Store. It's not going along with they're draconian policies. It was their original plan for apps I know, but I think we would all agree that it doesn't go along with their new evil image that the fanboiis11!!!1 LoLLoLoL are all defending.
@Aguiluz No, Apple just doesn't want flash's crash prone and security-flawed badness running on their stuff.
@darksharpie
but the point is that if an app is made in flash then there is little to no porting required for other platforms are long as flash is available.
This why apple doesn't want flash or want CS5 to be able to produce apps. If you make it easy for devs to produce cross platform apps then they will and then apple lose their advantage.
@montymintypie
Wow, first comment to get downranked into oblivion. I'm not sure if I should be impressed at myself or not... On an apple post, it's love or hate really.
here we go, mr jobs is,killing that as we speak