Todd Dominey & co., the makers of the excellent Flash-based SlideShowPro, have created a visually rich alternative version that uses HTML5 instead of Flash.
This is a good thing.
Why? Because it’s putting customers ahead of technologies, and it’s using both Flash & HTML to maximize viewers’ ability to see rich content, including on i-devices. As the site explains:
SlideShowPro Mobile is an entirely new media player built using HTML5 that doesn’t require the Flash Player plugin and can serve as a fallback for users accessing your web sites using these devices. But it’s not just any fallback — it’s specially designed for touch interfaces and smaller screen sizes. So it looks nothing like the SlideShowPro player and more like a native application that’s intuitive, easy to use, and just feels right. [Demo]
I’d love to see this support added to the Lightroom version of SlideShowPro, as I rely on it for all our family shots. I want to generate two presentation layers (one Flash, one HTML) that both provide a rich, beautiful presentation of the same image files, and I want the gallery to auto-select the correct presentation layer based on viewers’ devices. Make the whole tedious Flash-vs.-HTML thing a non-issue for customers.
Saw that yesterday, very exciting stuff. I share the same wish (for generating both presentation layers with one well, button).
This debate popped up again at Ben Arment’s blog (he’s the creator of STORY Chicago):
Most of the debate has been over video, but he brings some (mostly valid) perspective on compelling web experiences. Even though it might be technically possible to duplicate Flash-based sites, there’s still no unified development environment for making such experiences.
This has often baffled me too. I do not think of Flash simply as a video conduit, which is what many Macolytes seem to go on and on and on about. Flash is a clever, if somewhat tricky to learn ANIMATION programme, that can deliver very rich and complex sites that are simply not possible in HTML. Not even with the ‘magic’ that is HTML 5.
I was also quite exited by this announcement, as I’d put on hold a complete website overhaul planned sometime back as it used SSP as a delivery mechanism and with Apple’s shutting out of Flash, this became a bit of an issue.
So two nights ago, I dusted off my SSP designs now that there is to be mobile Flash Free version, but I’m finding the images output from LR from full size files are not as sharp as they should be, even after following SSP guidelines. So unless Director [which will actually deliver the re-sized on fly photos] can output images at diff sizes and all nice and sharp, then still no one stop output. 🙁 Though hopefully it will.
I noticed that in the SSP iPad demo you could see Todd reflected and talking in any non-bright areas of screen. This is why I like my antiglare screen so much and will not use a mirror for a screen.
This is exactly how SlideShowPro Mobile works (and why it requires Director). We detect what device is in use and deliver a properly sized image, all on the fly. So, no matter the device, you content will be tack sharp.
John check this out …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OLP4nbAVA4
Finger Painting on the Apple iPad
Outstanding! I hope this turns into an offering to have desktop versions without the flash plugin.
Kudos to SSP.