Smokescreen makes Flash content visible on iPhone and iPad (video)

Mind you, it's just a preview release, but Chris Smoak's Smokescreen does exactly what it promises: enable Flash content to play on Apple's iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad. Kind of. Here's how Smokescreen gets around using a Flash plugin as described by Simon Willison:

"It runs entirely in the browser, reads in SWF binaries, unzips them (in native JS), extracts images and embedded audio and turns them in to base64 encoded data:uris, then stitches the vector graphics back together as animated SVG."

While it works fine with simple animated banner ads (uh, huzzah!?), we found that Smokescreened Flash content like video and games was impossibly slow when tested on our iPhone 3G. Still, it's a start for this soon to be open sourced Flash player written in JavaScript. Check the video after the break for a demonstration or give it a go for yourselves by browsing over to the appropriate source link below.

[JB whatever Posted May 31st 2010 11:29AM]

i really love reading about all this flash vs apple (flash vs Jobs) stuff but it comes down to something much more simple for users: want to be able to view flash on the web? don't get an iphone.

it's stupid that apple doesn't support flash in the first place, since since 85% of the web uses flash, but about the only chance there is of changing that is either a)boycott iphones until they need to support flash to continue sales, or b)kill steve jobs

p.s. your iphone doesn't support flash...you bought it, you like it (or don't), stop complaining

[JB whatever Posted May 31st 2010 11:29AM]

since since

[thecqgl Posted May 31st 2010 12:35PM]

i hope apple shout em down quick, so apple fanbois can get screwed again :D

[davemyron Posted Jun 1st 2010 1:59PM]

Looks like a very timely issue. On Thursday, we announced our proof-of-concept that's more like a browser-based thin client. It would move all the rendering off the device (but is still real-time and interactive). More info at http://www.artefactgroup.com/blog/2010/05/jobs-be-damned-flash-on-the-ipad-silverlight-too/

[TimeForTheFairTax Posted Jun 1st 2010 4:46PM]

Well there goes the only advantage the iPhone still had, now everyone can browse with annoying ads.