Nokia to support mobile Flash developers

Mobile handset market leader Nokia has announced the launch of a new branch of its Forum Nokia PRO developer offering, Flash Zone, which will provide support and assistance to developers creating Flash applications for mobile devices.

The new initiative is being made possible by a collaboration between Nokia and Adobe, the creative software giant which owns the Macromedia Flash technology, and joins a number of other specialised zones which were launched on Forum Nokia PRO last year.

Among them were a zone for Symbian developers, and zones for developers focusing on the creation of enterprise and networked applications. Over 400 development companies worldwide subscribe to the Forum Nokia PRO program.

The new Flash Zone is being created in response to increased interest in the deployment of Flash applications on mobile devices - especially among game developers, who already use Flash as the application of choice for browser-based games.

Users of the Flash Zone will receive discounts on Adobe software, free compies of Flash Lite players for testing on mobile handsets, direct technical support and unique content, as well as the potential chance to market their applications at events.

The decision to create a new Forum Nokia PRO zone for Flash comes hot on the heels of Nokia's decision to license Flash for integration into a number of its devices, with the Flash Lite player to be rolled out in a variety of Series 60 and Series 40 handsets.