Apollo, the code-name for Adobe's Universal Client, is stating to pick-up steam it seems. I'm sure that the folks over at Adobe have been working their butts off on it, but few details have been forthcoming. In the last month though, that's beginning to change. A big article on c|net, "Flash to jump beyond the browser," in early May really gave the best overview so far. More recently, John Dowdell pointed out an article from PDFZone on a preso at PDF2006 that speaks to the document community's thoughts on such a client. And just yesterday, I saw that Mike Chambers will be offering a workshop at September's Flashforward conference called, "Building Your First Apollo Application."
Macromedia Central was a really interesting move outside the browser, but Apollo is shaping up to be in a totally different sphere, not just outside of the browser, but across devices. I just hope that Adobe keeps it svelte so that it moves seamlessly across those devices and isn't so bloated that its actual uses are limited.
If you missed the MAX 2005 presentation about the potentials of Apollo, check it out here (Day 1, "Experience Vision" segment).
If you missed Flashforward 2006 Seattle and you can't wait till September's Flashforward 2006 Austin, get your Flash fix listening to Flashforward podcasts! A lot of great interviews with some really talented Flash folks: Jonathan Blank of Wildform, Andrew Wright of Smilebox, James Paterson of Presstube, Branden Hall of Automata Studios...just to name a few. So tune in, and get ready for Flashforward 2006 Austin!
In case you're like me and stuck no where near
Seattle this week, but wish you could learn more about integration from Photoshop and Flash, Jack Nack has a few good links for your. Jack's
buddy Michael Ninness compiled a set of tutorials and even gave a talk at FlashForward this week about the best ways to
combine our two favorite pursuits. I only wonder if this means animated cartoons showing off the perfectly toned body
attached to someone else's head... Back to the subject at hand though. Start your tutorials with one describing how to
adjust
your beloved Photoshop away from its print/camera roots and closer to your web needs. Then check out the rest at
the link.
This
year's FlashForward will feature a few "how to have fun with your Flash" sessions (they aren't called that, but that's
the gist) covering games, e-cards and cartoons made in Flash. The FlashForword2006 site has been posting the details of
various sessions again and the Homestar Runner one popped out at me. Matt and Mike Chapman will be talking out about
their creation and how they use Flash to knock out a cartoon each week. Strangely enough they use Flash 5 for their
animations, possibly due to ease of use and the simplicity of cartooning. Plus, older IDE makes it less likely you will
cut out some of your users. Of course they could upgrade and just publish to 5... If you make it to Seattle next month
be sure to check out the session on February 28th.
I know you're barely ready for Macromedia MAX 2005 and you just got over the hangover of the FlashForward Film Festival in New York, but you need to get in gear. FlashForward 2006 has just been announced and it will be held February 27 to March 2, 2006 in Seattle, Washington at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. They haven't started registration and the program hasn't been set but there is no reason you can't clear your calendar and buy your plane tickets. Its always good to prepare. Plus, if you have something cool to discuss, they are looking for speakers on all things Flash related. I would assume that this FlashForward will be a major change from ones in the past. The full Flash 8 Platform will be discussed indept (most likely). Also, this will be the first FlashForward after the Adobe-Macromedia merger is complete so I'm sure there will be plenty of Adobe representation on hand to guide the Macromedia faithful and show us new ways to incorporate CS2 into out designs and more given the sessions being held on all subjects including After Effects.
So I’m stuck not going to Flash Forward this year and chances are most of the rest of you weren’t able to go, but don’t mope there are plenty of places online to go and check out the festivities. You can goto the official Flash Forward blog to get the official low down (like Download Squad did), but it’s probably better to see what developers around the world are saying at the Macromedia aggregator. They setup a special Flash Forward Smart category that sorts all developer posts into a neatly organized page with direct links to all the important people. After that head over to the winners’ circle and surf through the Flash Film Festival awards page. Here you can check out the best Flashers from around the world including FlashInsider favorites like TypeDrawing and the U.K. elections application. Finish your personal Flash Film Festival by looking at past winners on the awards page archive and by listening to Flash Forward presentationpodcasts. Remember just cause your stuck outside the conference doesn’t mean you can’t save up for the next one.
Toon Boom Studio Version 3 was released on Wednesday at Flash Forward. Toon Boom lets the whole world create cool cartoon Flash files. The Studio is directed at the non-developer user who wants an easy animation tool for creating toons for the web or television. The product is setup with the old school animator in mind, with lip-syncing, 3D camera movement and more. According to Download Squad, Mac support has been significantly improved. I have wanted to try Toon Boom since finding out about it in 2000, hopefully I can push myself to cram the demo into my almost full notebook and give it a spin.
If you haven't gone and checked it out yet, give yourself a gift and spend some time with the FlashForward Film Festival finalists. If you need some inspiration or just want to see the bleeding edge, you'll get it here. From applications to art, education to experimental, and a whole lotta letters in between, this is a showcase of some of the finest Flash anywhere (at least for the next 15 miniutes). Voting has already ended for the People's Choice Award, but sound out here for your favorite, and we'll have our own informal vote.
Apollo, the code-name for Adobe's Universal Client, is stating to pick-up steam it seems. I'm sure that the folks over at Adobe have been working their butts off on it, but few details have been forthcoming. In the last month though, that's beginning to change. A big article on c|net, "Flash to jump beyond the browser," in early May really gave the best overview so far. More recently, John Dowdell pointed out an article from PDFZone on a preso at PDF2006 that speaks to the document community's thoughts on such a client. And just yesterday, I saw that Mike Chambers will be offering a workshop at September's Flashforward conference called, "Building Your First Apollo Application."
In case you're like me and stuck no where near
Seattle this week, but wish you could learn more about integration from Photoshop and Flash, 
This
year's FlashForward will feature a few "how to have fun with your Flash" sessions (they aren't called that, but that's
the gist) covering games, e-cards and cartoons made in Flash. The FlashForword2006 site has been posting the details of
various sessions again and the Homestar Runner one popped out at me. Matt and Mike Chapman will be talking out about
their creation and how they use Flash to knock out a cartoon each week. Strangely enough they use Flash 5 for their
animations, possibly due to ease of use and the simplicity of cartooning. Plus, older IDE makes it less likely you will
cut out some of your users. Of course they could upgrade and just publish to 5... If you make it to Seattle next month
be sure to check out the session on February 28th.
I know you're barely ready for 
So I’m stuck not going to 
Toon Boom Studio Version 3 was released on Wednesday at 
