Mobile devices

Abstract

Most of the development of mobile applications, of course, takes place not on the device itself but in a specially created development environment on your computer. It’s also possible to test applications, to a certain extent, on that same computer using emulators and, in the case of Flash, the Flash stand-alone player. Testing applications for mobile devices on desktop computers makes it easy to forget that your target platform—the mobile phone, PDA, or other device—may behave very differently. The IDE and emulators may offer little more than a rough approximation of how your application runs in the wild. In a worst-case scenario, your application may even cease to function at all when transferred to the device, leaving you poised for an all-night debugging session immediately before launch. Before opening Flash and before you even plan your application, the target platform should be very clear in your mind, including any features, limitations, and problems that might arise when dealing with that platform.