Adobe AIR + Android =
Adobe AIR vs. Java
VS
JAVA: PROS
Established platform, widely accepted
Direct access to Android API
Eclipse IDE officially supported and integrates well with Android SDK
Direct debugging and publishing between IDE and Android Virtual Device
JAVA: CONS
Many 3rd-party Java libraries do not work on Android
Inconsistent debugging
Code will not run on iPhone
ADOBE AIR: PROS
Stable platform, well supported
Much of “desktop” functionality can be ported to mobile device
Easy and fast debugging in Flash IDE
Great for rapid development and prototyping
Same code can be compiled and published to iPhone
ADOBE AIR: CONS
Dependent on a third-party provider (Adobe)
Slower than Java
Pain in the ass to push to device or emulator
CONFIGURING ANDROID VIRTUAL DEVICE
Download and unzip Android SDK (http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html)
Browse to your Android SDK folder and launch Android SDK and AVD Manager: [Android SDK] SDK Manager.exe
Allow SDK Manager to install all updates
Make sure that under “Installed Packages” you have “USB Driver package” installed
Select “Virtual Devices” option and click “New” to create a new Android virtual device
Create new Android virtual device. Make sure to select Android 2.2 – API Level 8 in the “Target” field
In Android SDK and AVD Manager, select the newly created virtual device and click “Start”
Hopefully now you have a running Android emulator
PREPARING YOUR ANDROID DEVICE
Enable USB debugging on your phone: Settings Applications Development Check “USB Debugging” to enable it.
If developing/debugging onan HTC phone, you need to download HTC Synchttp://www.htc.com/us/support/
Connect your Android device to your computer via a USB cable
Launch “Command Prompt” on Windows and browse to [Android SDK]\tools
Run command: adb devices
You should see your device listed below:
Once your device is connected and recognized by your computer, you can use DDMS tool to monitor what is happening on your physical device: [Android SDK] Tools ddms.bat
You can also view the actual device’s screen: (1) Select your device’s name(2) In the menu, go to Device Screen Capture
INSTALLING ADOBE AIR ON PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL
DEVICES
Download Adobe Air for Android (http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/air2/android/). You would have to sign up to participate in the pre-release program. There are two files to download – AIR Runtime for Device and AIR Runtime for Emulator. To make things easier later on, save these files to [Android SDK]\tools\
Launch “Command Prompt” on Windows and browse to [Android SDK]\tools\
To install on physical device, run command “adb install [downloaded AIR file for device]”. In my case, the full command is adb install Runtime_Device_Froyo_20100930.apk
To install on virtual device, run command “adb install [downloaded AIR file for emulator]”. In my case, the full command is adb install Runtime_Emulator_Froyo_20100930.apk
PUBLISHING, PACKAGING AND INSTALLING YOUR ADOBE AIR
APPLICATION
Download AIR for Android Extension for Flash CS5 (http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/air2/android/). You would have to sign up to participate in the pre-release program.
If you just installed Adobe Flash CS5, restart your computer before installing AIR for Android Extension for Flash CS5.
If you are not using Windows 7, launch Adobe Extension Manager CS5 normally, by going to Start Programs Adobe Extension Manager CS5.
If you are using Windows 7, use Windows Explorer to browse to Adobe Extension Manager installation folder. On my computer, it is C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Extension Manager CS5/. Right-click on Adobe Extension Manager CS5.exe and select “Run as Administrator”. If you skip this step, AIR for Android Extension for Flash CS5 installation will fail.
In Adobe Extension Manager CS5, click “Install” and browse to the location where you saved the downloaded copy of AIR for Android Extension for Flash CS5. When extension installs, you should see it listed under Flash CS5
Launch Flash CS5 and load your AIR application (.fla file).
Go to File Publish Settings…
Go to “Flash” tab
Under “Player:”, select “AIR Andoid” option.
Click “Settings…” button
Complete information under the “General” tab
Switch to “Deployment” tab
If you do not have a certificate, you can create one (click “Create” button next to “Certificate:” field).
Make sure to select relevant deployment type (Device, Emulator, Debug)
Switch to “Permissions” tab. Make sure to specify correct permissions for your Android AIR application.
Publish your application
Note the location of the .apk file created by the publishing process
Make sure that your Android emulator is running
Launch “Command Prompt” on Windows and browse to [Android SDK]\tools\
To install on physical device, run command “adb install [name of .apk published file from Flash CS5]”. In my case, the full command is adb install LearningLog.apk
CONGRATULATIONS! IF YOU DID EVERYTHING
CORRECTLY, YOUR ADOBE AIR APPLICATION IS NOW RUNNING
ON YOUR ANDROID VIRTUAL DEVICE
Additional Resources & LInks
Adobe AIR releases: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/air2/android/
Lee Brimelow’s video tutorial on getting started with AIR for Android: http://gotoandlearn.com/play.php?id=123
Getting started with Adobe Air for Android: http://www.adobe.com/newsletters/edge/august2010/articles/article1/index.html?trackingid=HRTDI
Installing Adobe AIR runtime on Android 2.1 emulator: http://www.inter-fuser.com/2010/05/installing-adobe-air-runtime-on-android.html
Dmitriy Babichenko
http://www.evillens.com
http://www.wideopenlens.com
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