Not only were Flash Player 11 & Air 3 announced yesterday, but also the arrival of Flex & Flash Buidler 4.6. Flex & Flash Buidler 4.6 bring forth a new benchmark in performance, as well as a new & enhanced set of tools for developing mobile, desktop, and web applications. Bonus!!! – Flash Builder 4.6 will be a FREE update to all Flash Builder 4.5 customers.
First, let’s talk performance:
Adobe remains focused on performance and in Flex 4.6 we’ve made considerable improvements. Many key performance optimizations were introduced, giving mobile applications the native feel you expect. Simply repackaging, an existing Flex mobile application with Flex 4.6 can yield up to a 50% performance gain. Creating a new application in Flex 4.6 will deliver near-native performance with the superior customization you expect from Flex.
If that wasn’t reason enough alone, let’s talk about the framework:
- SplitViewNavigator – A new top-level application component specifically designed for the tablet experience. With only a few lines of code, manage the layout of multiple views and have them adapt automatically based on device orientation.
- CallOutButton – A versatile component that pops over existing content and can contain text, components or even entire views.
- SpinnerList – This popular tablet component is an adaption of the existing List component. It not only has a new look, but also gives options like recirculating content and a position based selection model.
- DateSpinner – A highly flexible component that is not only locale-aware, but provides multiple out-of-the-box configurations to fit most date/time entry needs.
- Text Enhancements – Flex 4.6 solves the problem of cross-device text input. Flex exposes the native text-editing controls on EVERY platform—this enables the developer to customize the keyboard and the user to experience the native UI of common operations like selection, copy/paste and spelling checking.
- ToggleSwitch –
This simple and much-requested control is now available in Flex 4.6.
Don’t forget tooling:
- Native Extensions – Enable your applications to complement AIR apps with native code functionality.
- Captive Runtime – Package the AIR runtime with your application in a native install file. No longer will you have a 3rd party dependency.
Excited yet? Go sign up for the prerelease program today!