I’m sure most of you have heard by now that Google is now using Flash for playing back video content as part of their Google Video service.

Searchenginejournal.com has just released an article discussing the new service by Google (still in beta) including their launch of a new show by comedian Chris Rock.

Read the article:
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/index.php?p=2258

This is too cool. About a year ago we hired a documentary film crew to produce a short film about the making of Flash 8. We’ve just posted it in our developer center. It’s a lot of fun and even includes a demo of the original release of Flash by Flash creator Jon Gay.

Check it out here:
http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/flash/video/team/

We’d like to know what design tools you use on a regular basis. Please let us know which tools you use and how you use them. We’d also like to hear more about workflows between designers and developers. Do you mockup you content in Photoshop, vectorize in Illustrator, and then import to Flash? Do you do everything in Freehand and then hand off to a developer using Flash, Flex or an opensource dev tool? Please offer your feedback on your designer workflow.

Macromedia’s Instructional Media Team is seeking a Principal ActionScript Developer/Writer. If you are qualified and interested, feel free to send me your resume - mdowney -at- macromedia -dot- com.

Macromedia is seeking a Principle ActionScript Developer/Writer to join it Instructional Media team. The successful candidate must be highly skilled in developing Flash applications using ActionScript 2.0, as well as adept at describing and demonstrating to users how applications work and how to create them. This role requires prior experience developing and writing about object-oriented programming and building Flash applications. In this role, you will create applications that instruct ActionScript developers and designers in the use of workflows that lead to successful applications, and then you will write about those applications, providing clear procedural and conceptual documentation. The successful candidate will need to gain the respect of the Macromedia engineering staff and the larger developer community as a subject matter expert.

http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/hr/reqs/engineering/2962br.html

We are in the process of updating the installer for the Flash Remoting components, as documented in the “Flash 8 emerging issues” technote so it installs the files in the correct (Flash folders. We are expecting to release the updated installer within the next two weeks. If you need to use Remoting now, you can read Peter Elst’s post which describes how to manually install the Remoting components.

I wanted to wait a day to announce this since everyone else blogged the announcement at the same time (just in case anyone missed it yesterday).

It’s finally here! After two long, hard years of development we’ve finally shipped the first release of Flash Professional 8 and Flash Basic 8, with the localized versions soon to follow.

Buy the new Studio here.

And learn more about the new release of Flash here.

Enjoy!

One of my colleagues just sent me this link. Apparently Cingluar Wireless will be the first to carry the new Motorola Rockr mobile phone with support for Apple’s iTunes music store and software.

Check out their cool use of Flash video for viral marketing purposes: http://www.makemedance.com/.

Which do you think will become the dominant device, consuming the others?
1) Mobile phones adding PDA/MP3/Gaming (ex: Nokia 6680)
2) PDAs adding Phone/MP3/Gaming (ex: HP iPaq 6300 series)
3) iPods (MP3 players) adding Phone/PDA/Gaming
4) Portable gaming systems adding Phone/PDA/Wi-Fi (ex: PSP)

If only it were that easy… As part of the Studio 8 launch tour, my team and I spent a fantastic weekend in Beijing. As part of our two days of tourist bliss, we made our way to the Great Wall of China.

Armed with our shiny new cameras purchased earlier in the trip in Singapore (I bought a Canon 20D), Jim, Jen and I snapped away. Unfortunately the combination of a hazy day with the abundant polution in Beijing (and I thought Los Angeles was bad), our pictures didn’t come out so well.

Photoshop to the rescue! I’ve never really gotten into Photoshop much but have recently had it on my list to learn the basics. Luckily I installed Creative Suite 2 before leaving San Francisco so this was the perfect chance.

I found the tool fairly easy to learn - well, the basics, anyway. In no time I was “Adjustment Layer’ing” away while having fun with the clone stamp tool and healing brush.

The results (keep in mind that I’m a newbie and a Product Manager by trade, not a designer):

Before:

After:

I love that “photoshop” is both a noun and a verb. That’s the mark of a truly successful product. I guess you could say the same about Flash, however, the verb-form for “flash” takes on an entirely different meaning…

Macromedia’s Developer Relations Manager for Mobile and Devices, Bill Perry, has produced a great Breeze presentation that walks you through the new mobile authoring features in Flash Professional 8.

View it here: http://www.macromedia.com/mobile/special/flashpro8_features/presentation/