App:Stand-alone apps: Pocket SparkNetFront 3.2Microsoft Flash Player BetaMacroMedia plugins: PIE/IEM + MacroMedia plugin version 7PIE/IEM + MacroMedia plugin version 6MacroMedia plugin-based apps: Flash Player for Casio Bryht 2.0FlashAssist 1.3PFlashP 2.0
Pricefree$29.80FreefreefreeFree$15$14.95$7 (intro price; $5.50 from author's website)
Trial restrictions?Nothing - GPL’edNo Flash support in trial version- (free)n/an/a-Full screen for 1 minute only; non-full-screen mode not restricted14-day; fully-functional trialOnly the upper left quarter is used
Memory consumption? Can be installed entirely on alternative media?It installs two DLL’s (sparklib.dll, piespark.dll; 272kbytes) into \Windows and a 134k demo.swf into \My Documents; the main EXE goes to the card. The two DLL’s may be copied to the card, into the same directory as the EXE file, by hand.4.6M; yes900k, yes1.3M; yes890k; yes++60k; yes 300k (+ the additional CF2, which may be relocated to storage cards almost entirely); yes
Prerequisites: CF 2 needed?--------+
MacroMedia plugin needed?---n/an/a+++ +
(Additional) features: Ability to render local Flash files without creating HTML stubs (see section 2.2)?++ (needs to be searched for as generic *.* files; entire file system)+--+ (also via clicking - by default, only sees \My Documents)++; \My Documents only+; entire file system
Sound?-++++++++
File association (ability to click a file in a file explorer to be executed by the app right away?)n/tn/t+n/a (with HTML stubs only)n/a (with HTML stubs only)n/t++-
Keyboard: Hardware/ software keyboard usable?n/tCursor keys: yes; DEL on SIP/external keyboard: nope. Haven't been able to load the login test page (where I could have tested the keyboard functionality) - it complained about memory shortage, which was definitely not the case on the OS level. Sometimes it even displayed error messages like this++, except for under WM5, where up/down isn't usable. Disabling the default jump-to-next-link functionality doesn't help either.+; see version 7n/t++; all, including HTC Wizard slide-out keys+; all, including HTC Wizard slide-out keys
Do SIP's hide the flash area - that is, is it the latter automatically shrunk when you open, say, the virtual keyboard?n/t- (the active display area is automatically made smaller when the SIP is opened)+- - n/t++ (not scrollable)-; the SIP must be activated before executing the Flash anim (by clicking Play) and shouldn’t be closed because, during playing the Flash anim, it’s not possible to activate unless you assign it to a hardware button
Freely assign desktop keyboard keys to Pocket PC hardware buttons/D-pad directions?n/t-----+; buggy under WM5 (can’t redefine D-pad directions there, must be done with direct registry editing)--
Screen size: Shrinking to fit screen?n/t+ +++++ + +
Full-size (no shrinking applied) with scrolling/dragging?n/t+: it works in QVGA (or non-forced SE VGA) but doesn’t in forced VGA mode. There’re scrollbars.+; screen dragging works++; note that under PPC2k2 it doesn't shrink. Under WM2003+, it does. Full size supported, but there’re no scrollbars+ (even up to 300%; screen dragging)n/t+ (through default pop-up Flash menu), dragging possible
Portrait full screen mode?n/t++n/tn/tn/t+n/t- (taskbar is always visible)
Landscape full screen mode?n/t- (no built-in Landscape mode for WM2003 users; in Full Screen mode, it’s OK)-n/tn/t-+ (works great even on PPC2k2)n/tOnly uses the OS’ landscape mode (there’s no built-in LS mode for WM2003 users); doesn’t hide taskbar at the top (that is, not true LS) , just as with the Portrait mode
"Non-standard" resolution / orientation compliance? OS-level landscape compliance (including left-handed LS modes on HTC devices with built-in keyboards)?n/t+; works great in landscape+; in it, full screen is working great++it has no built-in LS+ (built-in LS mode)- (only the 240*240 area is used on the left; clicking the remaining screen on the right will result in task switch)+
High-res on VGA devices in standard SE VGA?n/t- by default; + by forcing in SE VGA (also make sure you delete NF32ResVGA.dll to avoid dialogs with big fonts!), the bottom of the flash window will always be hidden by the command bar; after switching to full screen, however, it’ll be displayed too - ; forced VGA mode: + (but only in full screen mode to avoid the invisibility of the lower edge of the Flash area)- n/tn/a+n/t+
Native VGA support?n/t+; see this and this ++ +n/a+- (upper left quarter is used)+
Operating system compliance: PPC2k+- (last NF version to support PPC2k is 3.0, which didn't support Flash)---+ (Casio)- (not even older, 1.x versions)+-
PPC2k2+? (note that last Flash-enabled NF version to support PPC2k2 is 3.1. As I don't have a registered version and the trial doesn't contain the Flash plug-in, I couldn't test it.)+- (contrary to what their compatibility page states; also see this screenshot)+n/a++- (CF2 is not compatible with PPC2k2)
WM2003++++ (albeit, at installation time, it states it's incompatible) +n/a+++
WM2003SE++++ (note that you'll inevitably get "Press OK to continue" messages. Also see this blog entry on this))+ (see comments on version 7)n/a+++
WM5+-++ to some degree n/a+++
Additional remarksTo be avoidedGenerally slower than MacroMedia plug-in-based solutions, particularly when it comes to mass scrolling (see for example the gates in Tanks). The lack of SIP/keyboard support is also a big letdown. It, however, certainly excels in landscape full screen and local file reading capabilities and can play some Flash animations the Macromedia plug-in can’t (for example, Tanks).MM6-based; impossible to install MM7 under it. Otherwise, it’s pretty good - particularly for free. Unlike all the other MM6/MM7-based solutions on WM2003+, it renders the Tanks game flawlessly too.---Clearly the best Macromedia plug-in based player: keymapping to hardware buttons, excellent full-screen mode, Flash window centered in the screen, Landscape even on PPC2k2 devices--