Play Flash Games and Videos on iPad (Free App)
Apple hates Flash, and they’ll never allow Adobe Flash Content onto it’s mobile devices natively. That doesn’t mean you can’t run Flash content on the iPad though! Users don’t even have to jailbreak to get this functionality anymore. Best of all… you don’t even have to pay! – Introducing iSwifter, available for FREE right on the App Store! (In-app purchase required later if you like what it does. Cost 99¢)
Apple has still outlawed Flash (and it always will), but iSwifter was able to get around those the “no Flash” guidelines with its cloud-based technology. It does all the work in its own data center and then sends video to the user’s iPad, which has to be connected to a Wi-Fi connection. By doing this, iSwifter has created a tool can handle the flood of demand for Flash content on an Apple-created device. With iSwifter, users now have access to just about any Flash ads, games or videos on the web! YAY!
NOTE: You must be using a steady WiFi Connection for this to work effectively. It is sending a lot of data, and in order to give you the experience it does in real time, without many hiccups, you’re going to need that solid WiFi Connection. Jailbreakers shouldn’t look at this as something to just apply My3G too and be good. It’s not about the device registering your connection type in this case. it’s purely about the abilities of the network you are on. Just use it on WiFi and you’re good).
The technology is great because it can finally close the gap between Apple’s hate for Flash, and Adobe’s long erge to get their content onto the iDevice line. Apple has blocked it on its mobile devices because of performance issues, Adobe will argue that Apple is putting greed and selfishness ahead of users by protecting its App Store content from competition from Adobe Flash-based products. Personally, I agree with Steve on this one. Flash is buggy, and it’s a huge CPU hog. It’s totally unnecessary, unless it comes quickly and doesn’t take a lot of resources. That’s where iSwifter comes in!
The iSwifter app is available on a try-before-you-buy basis. You can download it for free and if you like it you can pay 99 cents. The iSwifter technology works a lot like OnLive’s cloud gaming service, which focuses on high-end console games. The Flash sites are processed in web-connected data centers. Then they are converted into video, which is then streamed directly to the user.
“We let you see on the iPad exactly what you see on a PC that is running flash,” said Rajat Gupta, founder of iSwifter.
The iSwifter browser competes with the Skyfire browser, which costs $4.99. But Skyfire isn’t really built to handle games or Flash animations. The iSwifter app will work on just about anything, said Gupta. The iSwifter app will also likely be offered on the iPhone and Android operating systems. In the future, it will also be available on Windows Phone 7, Samsung’s Bada gadgets, and the WebOS.
“It definitely makes sense, since there are so many Flash games and videos out there,” said Atul Bagga, an analyst at Think Equity. “This is like a new distribution platform.”
When you load the app, you have two options. You can browse web sites or play games. With the web sites, you can choose from one of the featured links or just type in the web address to go to any web site. For games, there is one game that is available for free each week. The others are available as free-to-play games.
After you’ve been playing for a while, you’ll be prompted to make an in-app purchase to continue playing. Not too bad, I mean after all you have Flash on your iPad now… isn’t that what you wanted? Besides, you got this functionality for Free!
You can log into web sites such as Facebook and play Flash-based games such as FarmVille with iSwifter. Gupta says that iSwifter would be useful on Android systems as well, even though Flash is going to be available on those devices. That’s because all of the capabilities of Flash aren’t available on those devices. iSwifter actually brings more functionality with Flash than Android users are getting! NICE!
But why how will I use Flash on the iPad? Don’t most games require mouse movement?
Flash web sites are written for PCs and need a mouse and keyboard. That means they won’t work well on a mobile device unless they are redone in a touchscreen-friendly way. Guess what though… iSwifter has built software! An abstraction layer built into the cloud platform that captures a user’s touch-based gestures and then converts them into mouse and keyboard-style inputs that Flash games can understand. That conversion is done in real-time as you play, with no wait time! It’s instant!
iSwifter has created a Flash streaming service that is operated in the cloud, or web-connected data centers. With iSwifter, game developers can find a way to get their content to new platforms, like the iPad! The app runs smoothly, and works more efficiently than the Skyfire browser, which cost $4.99 on the App Store.
iSwifter is also bringing game developers to new platforms! Now that Apple has allowed this app (it isn’t going to be removed, don’t worry), developers and companies working with Flash content can bring content that might otherwise not run — or be allowed to run — on the iOS platform. By making their games available on iSwifter, game developers can avoid being locked out. The great part is, the developers do not have to adapt their games or change them from one format to another, just to expand their reach to new platforms. NICE!
- Andy of the AT&T Fan Page gives us a brief demonstration of Flash Games on the iPad (thanks dude!)
You can get iSwifter on your iPad easily, by simple downloading the App FREE from the App Store HERE, or by Clicking the big App Icon at the top of this post.
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