Project Update

Its been about a week since I last posted on my blog, I should have posted before but unfortunately not got the chance. A lot has happened however since my last post, such as:

2 meetings with Ian Dear
Apple MiniMac Recvied
Apple ProCare Training Session on Apple OS X Basics.
Sample Demos Working

I had a meeting with Ian Dear on Friday 3rd Nov, the outcome from the meeting was for me to look into the databases side of the project and how I could get data from an online source to a mobile phone.

I decided to use Flash Lite for my mobile application for a number of reasons, which I have talked about in my documentation. If I was using a normal full version of Flash, I could use “Flash Remoting” for the databases, as Flash Remoting uses PHP and MySql. Unfortunately Flash Lite does not support Remoting, so another solution had to be found.

During my research I found that XML works very well with Flash Lite, using actionscript the Flash Lite application can contact and externally hosted XML file, and download this and display it in text boxes in the software.

I managed to get several demos working, and show these to Ian Dear on my most recent meeting which was today.

I would also like to include some kind of news feature with the project, and cool and nifty way of doing this I found was though RSS feeds. Flash Lite can display RSS feeds, although it can’t display images. It does however have the benefit of being cross platform, so other devices can access the news feed.

I had so many ideas to talk about with Ian Dear, that we just ran out time and he had to kick me out off his office because he a lecture to give.

I also have taken delivery of a shinny new Intel Based Apple MacMini, this was due to my Sony laptop being a bit slow and unreliable. I also fancied a mac!

To make the most of my new purchase I am now a Apple ProCare member, I went along to their store in Regent Street in London on Wednesday. I just went though the basics to start with, although I had used OSX before I had never used it in anger. The ProCare team gave me some good hints and tips and I already have another session booked this coming Wednesday on some more intense areas.