ColdFusion 9 exposes core features as services that may be consumed by other languages, servers, and clients. (I explained this ColdFusion as a Service feature in a post last year). This includes Flash applications, as ColdFusion engineering team member Rakshith Naresh explains in a new ADC article which walks through using ColdFusion PDF manipulation from within an AIR application.

RIM has just announced the company's first tablet. The PlayBook runs BlackBerry Tablet OS, and also supports full Flash 10.1 for uncompromised web browsing. And Adobe Labs has just posted a Flash Platform Development for BlackBerry Tablet OS page to help you prep for this new device and platform.

I'm hosting a game-show we're calling "Are You Smarter Than An Evangelist?" at MAX this year. And I need your help with this one.

The folks over at Appcelerator have posted an interesting summary of a survey of their developers regarding mobile OS priorities. What makes it interesting is that Appcelerator facilitates development on desktop OSs as well as iOS and Android, so (you'd assume that) they'd not be overly biased towards or against any particular OS.

I am not a big fan of comparing technologies using simple performance tests. These tend to never convince the naysayers, they make fans sound rabid at times, and the tests themselves are always called into question. So, I held my applause when reading recent articles comparing Flash and HTML5 (this Fortune post and this post by Chris Black).

However, I still think articles like these are sometimes informative, for two reasons. 1: The comments validate that these debates tend to be far too emotional and seldom based on real facts, 2: They validate that there is room for both, and neither Flash not HTML5 will (or even should) kill each other. Or as Chris sums it up, "HTML5 will sit side by side with Flash. Gradient fonts, drop shadows, basic video and simple transitions are probably better suited for HTML5. When it comes to rendering display objects, animation and digital rights management for video, it would be silly not to use Flash".

You are free to agree or disagree with Chris and his assertions, and I expect that we'll be talking about when to use HTML5 and when to use Flash (and when to use both) for some time to come. It's not black and white, and it is most definitely a work in progress.

But I do agree with the sentiment that the "either or" propositions that have been tossed around the past few months are petty pedantic hysteria inducing juvenile fanboism, and not an accurate reflection of reality. It's a big pond out there, and there's room for lots of fish, especially fish that innovate. Flash's job has always been do to things that HTML does not, and as HTML has evolved, so has Flash. As HTML becomes more capable, then yes, there will definitely be apps and operations for which it is better suited. In which case, use HTML (and we'll be happy to sell you tools to make using HTML easier and more efficient). And when you run into limitations and need Flash, or when you just need the consistency of experience that Flash can provide, well, then use Flash, which is also continuing to evolve.

It's called choice, and that's a good thing.

You visit RIAForge regularly, right? Good! Well, now you have 1,000 reasons to visit. Yep, yesterday Ray Camden announced that RIAForge is now hosting 1,000 projects (over 80% of them ColdFusion related)! Awesome!

As per Wikipedia, WebSocket is a technology providing for bi-directional, full-duplex communications channels, over a single Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) socket, designed to be implemented in web browsers and web servers but can be utilized by any client or server application. Nathan Mische has announced a new version of his ColdFusion WebSocket Gateway, which, as its name suggests, allows for WebSocket messaging between ColdFusion and conforming clients.

MAX 2010 early bird registration closed last week. But, group discounts are still available for three or more attendees from the same company. And as they did last year, the MAX team has graciously allowed me to create a group of my own, a "Friends of Ben" group, which can qualify for the group rate. I have a finite number of discount codes. If you need one, do not reply here, please email me directly. And as quantity is limited, please only ask for one if you are really going to use it, and plan to use it quickly. Thanks, and I look forward to seeing you all in Los Angeles next month!

And before I wrap, here is a quick note from the MAX team: A discount based on a promotion code may be applied against new registrations only and may be applied against the regular price of a full conference pass only (US$1,495); it cannot be applied to other passes, including but not limited to the following "bundle" passes: Russell Brown@MAX; LiveCycle@MAX; and CS5@MAX. A discount based on a promotion code cannot be combined with any other discount offer, including but not limited to the standard Early Bird discount offer to regular attendees and special government, education, and nonprofit employee discounts. A discount based on a promotion code is not transferable and is void where prohibited.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is a slick 7" Android 2.2 tablet that comes with Flash Player 10.1 I got to play with one this week, and here's an introductory video I recorded for Adobe TV.

Last year's RIA Unleashed was a big success, and so the team is doing it again. RIA Unleashed Boston 2010 runs November 11-12, and already boasts an impressive speaker and session lineup. And, as an added bonus, RIA Unleashed and 360|Flex have paired up to give you a price break if you attend both events.

Adobe Flash Player "Square" is a preview release of our 64bit Flash player for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux operating systems. It also provides enhanced support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 Beta. We are publishing this preview so that users can test existing content and new platforms for compatibility and stability. And yes, that means that, as a preview version of Flash Player, it is not as stable as a final version, so use caution when installing Flash Player "Square" on production machines. Flash Player "Square" is now on Adobe Labs. More details on the Flash Player team blog.

Adobe AIR Product Manager Rob Christensen has posted a really impressive list of AIR sneak peak sessions planned for MAX 2010. Some of these were only just added to the schedule, so if you've already been picking your sessions, you may want to take another look at the lineup.

We extended MAX 2010 early bird pricing once before, but won't be doing it again. As announced on the MAX blog, early bird pricing ends tomorrow, September 15th.

As per InfoWorld: Now more than ever, companies need to maximize their information technology (IT) investment in order to rapidly integrate with other applications and services, deliver new functionality, and offer innovative solutions such as rich Internet applications (RIAs)--all while continually reducing costs. It is for these reasons that more than 100,000 organizations like the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA), Under Armour, AT&T, the Federal Reserve Bank, and even the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) keep turning to Adobe ColdFusion.

With this introduction, InfoWorld has published a white-paper (by ColdFusion expert and long time community member Robi Sen) entitled Why companies keep choosing Adobe ColdFusion and the Adobe Flash Platform.

Adobe Benelux has organized a contest - send your PDF on a round-the-world trip and win a €2,000 travel check. Adobe LiveCycle Rights Management Document Rally uses a Flex front end, LiveCycle for PDF conversion and rights management, and ColdFusion for all communication to and from Flash and for database integration.

Our MAX Unawards widget is proving to be both fun and popular (if you have yet to give yourself an Unaward, go do so now, really!).

The widget is the brainchild of fellow Adobe Platform Evangelist Serge Jespers, and he has just posted a couple of entries (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) on how the project was put together.

For the past week I've been using a new Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy S (and specifically, the AT&T version of it branded Samsung Captivate). In general, the Galaxy S is a really nice phone, and is a very welcome addition to the growing list of high end Android devices. It's running Android 2.1 for now, but the 2.2 OTA update is scheduled for some time in September, so Froyo goodness and the ability to run Flash is right around the corner.

So, after using the Google Nexus One since it came out, how does the Galaxy S compare? Here's the scoop:

Pros

• The phone is fast, really really fast. It has a 1GHz processor, just like the Nexus One, but is unquestionably faster, and is far more responsive. And everything is faster, from web browsing to switching apps to scrolling contacts to Google Gestures reindexing, it's all fast fast fast.
• I'm also not experiencing any of the jumps or lags that Nexus One suffers from, that's huge!
• The Samsung Galaxy S is a big phone, it's taller and wider than both the Nexus One and iPhone. But it's also really thin, and has a very pleasing contoured back that makes it very comfortable to hold.
• The 4-inch Super AMOLED screen is spectacular, as good as HTC EVO and iPhone 4, maybe even better.
• Call quality (yep, I do use phones for calls sometimes) is superb. And far fewer dropped calls.
• Bluetooth support is just about perfect, and call quality via Bluetooth is one of the best of any phone I have used.
• Wi-Fi on the Galaxy S is superb. Side by side with the Nexus One and iPhone, the Galaxy S gets a better signal, connects faster, stays connected longer, and never seems to drop its connection.
• The Samsung Exchange mail client is orders of magnitude better than the one that comes with Android 2.2. However, it too does not allow messages to be filed in folders. Grrr!
• Built in Swype is really nice, and once you get used to it, Swype is blazingly fast.
• Battery life is great, I've not done side-by-side tests, but it is easily outlasting Nexus One, and by a significant margin.

Cons

• Way too much bundled AT&T software, much of which won't even run without forking out extra $s, some of which won't run at all, and none of which can be easily removed. Not cool.
• I really dislike the 4 soft keys at the bottom. I am fine with Samsung reordering them, you get used to that quickly. But the back-light is terrible, each time it turns off you can't find the keys until you touch one of them and inadvertently touch the wrong one. That's a serious design flaw.
• No external LED, so if you have sound turned off or miss an audio alert (text message, email, missed call) you'll not know by just looking at the phone, you need to actually power the screen. While I never really used the track ball on the Nexus One as a track ball, I am finding myself really missing it as a glowing LED.
• Pick up the phone and you can't instinctively feel which way is up and which way is down (contrast that to Nexus One with its trackball or iPhone with its single button at the bottom). I keep picking up the phone and trying to press the power button only to realize I am holding it upside down! Irritating.
• While it's nice to see Samsung using USB connectors for charging (instead of the ever changing proprietary connectors they've used in the past), they put the USB port on this phone under a little sliding door - which is fine, except for the fact that the port is therefore recessed so many USB cables can't reach in far enough to connect properly.
• The social networking integration just does not work properly, contacts don't quite sync up, and lists don't seem to propagate properly. This is very strange because Android 2.1 did this well on Nexus One, so I have to assume it's the Samsung mods that are responsible for this.
• Here's a bad one, so bad that it may be unforgivable (as in this is a deal breaker for me), the option to install apps from Unknown Sources has been removed! This may be an AT&T issue, not a Samsung one, but blocking app installation is outrageous. If I wanted to pay for a phone only to be told what I could and could not install on it I'd have bought an iPhone! Big fat fail!

Bottom line, this is a really nice phone. It's fast, powerful, and fun to use. It has a few design flaws (like the lack of an LED and the poorly placed USB port), but I suppose you'd get used to those. As for the application blocking, there are rumors that this arbitrary restriction will be lifted in the pending Android 2.2 update. If that happens then Samsung Galaxy S may indeed be my new phone (well, until something better comes along).

And you can too! :-)

Now this is a fun sight to wake up to. This ad is on page A9 of my Wall Street Journal. It's also running in other newspapers (including USA Today and New York Times).

If you can't read the text, here's what it says:

FLASH WEBSITES? THERE'S A PHONE FOR THAT. Introducing the new Droid 2 by Motorola.

Flash sites require Flash capabilities. Seemed pretty simple to us. That's why we created DROID 2. With Adobe Flash Player it gives you unrestrained access to Flash sites, videos and games. No more empty windows or half-loaded pages. And as a 3G Mobile HotSpot, it can connect up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices and conquer the World Wide Web. It's compromise-free web browsing. The way it should be.

A buddy of mine who has the original Motorola Droid just got an Android OTA update, and thus Flash Player 10.1. Droid owners, rejoice!

Check out the new MAX Unawards, a new way to reward yourself for all your hard work (or for the lack thereof, or whatever else tickles your fancy). Fun stuff!