Dax Data announces new version of Macromedia Flash

Web-enablement specialist and Macromedia distributor, Dax Data, has unveiled Macromedia Flash MX, the latest version of the Macromedia Flash development environment which includes support for video, application components and accessibility, enabling creation of expressive online content and applications.

According to Jeremy Matthews, MD of Dax Data, the new product will ship later this month and will enable designers and developers to build on their existing knowledge to deliver more effective, rich Internet applications. "Macromedia Flash MX applications provide increased return on investment for companies, and heightened user experiences across a wide range fo devices including mobile phones, PDAs, interactive TV systems, game machines, Internet appliances, webpads and in-room hotel entertainment systems," he says.

Macromedia Flash MX meets the needs of designers and developers to deliver rich Internet content and applications that can be experienced consistently across many platforms and devices. The product simplifies the process of visual authoring for traditional web developers who want to use a rich client technology for their applications.

"Significantly, the more than one million designers already familiar with Macromedia Flash can supplement their expertise with new server technologies to address the demand for rich Internet applications," says Matthews.

Video support enables developers to deliver a better overall user experience by introducing interactivity to video clips within Macromedia Flash content. It allows designers to maintain control of the look and feel of their applications, unlike existing video options which require external players to be launched and result in platform inconsistencies. In addition, support for the Sorenson Spark codec ensures compressed, high-quality video playback.

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Macromedia Flash MX enhances authoring workflow with a flexible workspace that can be customised to maximise productivity for designers and developers. Pre-built user interface components accelerate development by providing users with customisable scrollbars, list boxes and other standard interface elements, ensuring a commonality across applications.

The new product also supports industry standards such as ECMAScript, HTML, MP3, Unicode and XML. For a detailed breakdown of the new and enhanced features visit .

The power of the Macromedia Flash MX was well illustrated during the Beta testing phase of it`s development. Manech Ibar, director, new media, Sony Classical, says it has empowered his designers to rapidly create online content that looks and sounds as vibrant as the artists featured. "Using Macromedia Flash MX, we can create compelling online content that draws new customers, while keeping their interest to stay longer at each site.

He reports that, in the first month of using the product, the number of unique visitors to Sony Classical increased by 76 percent and the average time spent on the site went up 120 percent. "Now, with the ability to load sound and images dynamically, we can easily maintain all our sites and populate the content with updated artist-specific images and sound clips, saving precious development and maintenance time," he adds.