Anthony Deaver

The coolest part of this announcement is that not only will litl web books sold after the update support 10.1, but all the web books sold prior to will automagically update to support it as well!  No need to download a giant ‘Service Pack’ or buy a feline themed upgrade!  It all happens while you sleep.

litl is a sponsor of the Flash and the City conference in NYC where we will demo the SDK and officially announce it’s release.

As part of the team developing the SDK I can tell you it’s AWESOME!  Not only will you be able to develop new channels from scratch, but you’ll also be able to convert your existing Flash content to a channel with minimal code changes.  When was the last time an SDK didn’t force you to completely re-write your applications from scratch?  Something that never works right anyway.

A litl peek under the covers reveals that we are building control and components (No, I can’t tell you what kind) that will help you get your channel up and running fairly quickly with minimal fuss and hassle.  In addition we are launching a developer site where you can sign up right now to be kept up to date on the latest SDK developments,  including a Simulator (built on AIR, for more check out Kat’s post about that very thing), AND we will be able to support Flex/Flash Builder developed applications in addition to those that are pure AS or that use some Flash IDE.  Fantastic

Litl to Release Software Development Kit (SDK) with Support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1
SDK to Launch May 14, 2010 at “Flash and the City” Conference

Boston, Mass – March 23, 2010 – Litl (litl.com) today announced that its litl webbook will soon feature a software development kit (SDK) with full support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1. The SDK will enable developers to create custom applications for the litl webbook using Adobe’s popular Flash platform. Litl plans to release the SDK – including a code library, simulator, code samples, and documentation – on May 14, 2010 at “Flash and the City” (flashandthecity.com), a developers’ conference in New York. Developers can learn more and join an email list at litl’s developer resource website (developer.litl.com).

The litl webbook is an innovative new Internet computer for the home. It can go online in a conventional laptop-like mode, rendering websites with a modern browser and built-in support for Flash. However, the computer can also stand upright like an easel when its screen and keyboard are flipped around its unique hinge. In this new mode, the litl webbook’s 12-inch screen becomes an ideal platform for displaying ambient web content ranging from photos and video to music and RSS feeds. The device also connects to large-screen televisions via a plug-and-play HDMI connection.

Alongside the litl webbook’s browser, users can also access web content through custom Flash applications or “channels. Channels transform web content to make it more useful and entertaining, especially in the litl webbook’s new “easel” mode. Channels custom-designed by litl and already available to users include Facebook, The Weather Channel, Flickr, Shutterfly, and BakeSpace. With the SDK’s release, users will benefit from a much larger selection of free and paid channels created by independent developers and partners.

“Our SDK is ideal for talented Flash Platform developers with creative ideas that will flourish on the litl OS,” said Chuck Freedman, litl’s chief channel evangelist. “The litl webbook provides a simple and enjoyable computing experience built on an innovative form factor, cool features and a clean user interface. With the launch of our SDK and Flash Player 10.1, we will provide developers with a very real ecosystem to monetize their development efforts and further enhance the litl user experience.”

“I’m quite excited about litl’s plans to release a public SDK with support for Adobe’s Flash Player 10.1. It represents a unique opportunity for the broader Flash community to get involved creating content for an interesting form-factor and innovative cloud-based operating system,” said noted mobile and device developer, author, and speaker Scott Janousek of the Boston-based firm, Hooken Mobile.

To learn more, developers should visit developer.litl.com and join the SDK’s email list. Developers are also invited to attend “Flash and the City” in New York from May 14-16. Representatives from litl will be on hand to introduce the SDK, share rollout plans, and help developers get started.

About litl

Based in Boston, litl is a new kind of computer company. The company was founded to make the web more enjoyable and entertaining for everyday consumers. Small and personal by design, we invite you to learn more at litl.com.

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Today marks the culmination of 2 months of work on the newest, and potentially most complex channel launched by litl to date: Facebook Status.

I know what your thinking, “We already know about / use Facebook.  How is this different?”  Remember last time when I mentioned that there are *3* viewing modes to the litl webbook; Card, Laptop mode and Easel mode? Well the Facebook Status channel  is the perfect showcase channel for what can be done on the litl, 3 completely different way to display and play with the same data and show it in interesting and unique ways.

Most facebook apps just show you text and an icon.  We took that idea, put it in a blender, mixed in some good old fashion vaudeville fun, added a dash of  city life and pour in a tablespoon of WTF. The result is the sidewalk!  Using the sidewalk you can view your friends status updates in a completely new and fun way, a way that hasn’t been done before.

It’s also a great example of how a developer can authenticate with external websites and quickly absorb XML or JSON data.

I will admit, I’m biased about this channel, that’s because I’m the one who built it. No matter how impossible you might think this is, it’s all coded in AS2 running under Flash Lite.  Yes, it is.  Is to!  Seriously, there is no chicanery here.  No secretly packaged or hidden AS3 SWF buried somewhere doing all the work behind the scenes, it really is AS2.

It’s not using any third party code other than XML2Object. Even the authentication code is written from scratch, it had to be since Facebook officially dumped AS2, and the other libraries out there would have need extensive modification to work.  In other words, it’s all home grown and to a large extent very modular.

There is so much you can do with just this one application.  It really does show to difference in thinking that has gone into building the litl webbook.

How cool would it be to watch your Facebook feed on the television, possibly as a backdrop to a party!  Or better yet, have the feed showing via a projector at a conference and displaying peoples facebook comments about the event!  Way cool!

So by now I hope your asking yourself ‘how do I get this awesome channel!’.  For that you need a litl webbook.  If you already have one your in for pleasant surprise: it’s free!  Just go to the card catalog and download.  That’s it. Well, and make sure you have a facebook account.  Once you log in your goo to go!

Facebook Status enhances profile pictures and status updates by displaying a bustling sidewalk where friends drop in with a friendly wave to share the latest scoop.  You can either “lean forward” to browse updates and enter your own status, or “lean back” to enjoy a whimsical parade of your friends.  Connect your litl webbook to your TV using your HDMI cable, and you’ve got an entertaining fullscreen view that you can enjoy from across the room.  You can even use it as a backdrop at a party.

For the last few weeks things here have been very quiet. The reason is multi-fold but essentially it boils down to a.) I’ve been insanely busy at work and 2.) I’ve been restricted by an NDA.

Last week parts of that NDA got lifted and now that the litl has started shipping I can finally talk about some of the stuff I’ve been working on.

I won’t go into details about the hardware or software, you can read about those in posts from lucas and scott).

I want to talk about ‘channels’ a litl bit (see what I did there :), from a different perspective than my co-worker kathryn did.

Channels are a completely new way to see the web and in some cases interact with special sites and applications (weather.com for example). The most unique thing about them is how they look to the general user. There are essentially 3 states for each channel: card view, laptop mode and easel mode. Laptop mode is self-explanatory, so I won’t bother. Card view is what you see when you are in what amounts to the litl ‘homepage’ or desktop. A bunch of little index like cards laid out in a grid.

Easel mode is (in my mind) the coup-de-grace. It is a mostly passive way of viewing… well, everything. It’s *mostly* passive because there is a wheel and button that lets you interact with the device as well as a remote that provides the same functionality (albeit from a distance :).  Want to read an RSS feed automatically? No worries. What about watch videos or view pictures? Again, no problem. Easel mode allows for this. In fact it’s *designed* for it. So the channels are built in such a way that they can be used in a completely passive manner. All WITHOUT you having to do anything but press a button and flick a scroll wheel.

So to sum up a little, each channel has three different, and in some cases distinct, was to display or represent data.

The channels are powered by Flash Lite, which means AS2.  Yes AS2 is a nightmare especially if you’ve spent the last 2 years working in AS3, however our player has been sent out to the Pimp-My-Player studios over at calsoft and came back with things like Bitmap Caching and hardware-accelerated H.264 support.  And in order to do that pimpage, we needed to use Flash Lite, hence AS2.  It’s a whole circular wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey thing.  The channels are capable of  consuming any type or data and format RSS, XML, JSON… anything that AS2 and Flash Lite can handle.   I will say, considering the limitations, we have managed to do some truly amazing things.

With that said, it has been fun (and frustrating) to build some of the things that will be coming out over the next few weeks (and no I won’t mention any names, but stay tuned…). There is a lot more coming, things like a channel SDK which will be opened up to any and all third party developers to name one, but we are waiting for a few things to fall into place (such as the open screen project and the next gen of the Flash Mobile platform.).  So if you like Flash and love a challenge, then keep your eyes and ears peeled.  Good things, they are a comin!

Boston, meet litl.

Come say hi to litl. This Wednesday, 10:30am-12pm at Starbucks (755 Boylston St. Boston).

The litl webbook gets you online and more. It’s an internet computer that works great with your favorite websites. But the litl also flips over to create a new view of the web. Our intuitive interface and no-maintenance approach make it simple and carefree.

Boston, meet litl.

Come say hi to litl. This Wednesday, 10:30am-12pm at Starbucks (755 Boylston St. Boston).

The litl webbook gets you online and more. It’s an internet computer that works great with your favorite websites. But the litl also flips over to create a new view of the web. Our intuitive interface and no-maintenance approach make it simple and carefree.