苹果iPad仍未兼容Flash播放器，但这并不意味着用户无法在此平板电脑上运行Flash程序。3月8日发布的浏览器iSwifter帮助用户解决这个问题。

iSwifter可利用其自身的云技术解决苹果公司产品与Flash的兼容问题。该软件在其数据中心运行Flash程序，然后通过Wi-Fi将视频传送到用户的iPad上。通过这种方式，iSwifter满足了大量用户在苹果出品的设备上运行Flash程序的需求。用户可通过iSwifter来使用互联网上任何Flash广告、游戏或视频。

这项技术在苹果和Adobe间架起桥梁，缓和二者在Flash播放上的冲突。因性能问题，苹果开发的手机均不兼容Flash程序。但Adobe辩称苹果此举是为了减少App Store中的程序同Adobe Flash产品的竞争，将其自身利益凌驾于用户之上。

iSwifter

iSwifter的服务器位于加州伯灵格姆，目前下载量已达数千次，跻身前100个免费游戏行列。iSwifter可以先试用后购买，用户可免费下载该程序，确认需要后再支付99美分。iSwifter技术和致力于提供高端单机游戏的OnLive云游戏服务极为相像。在线数据中心处理Flash站点，将其转化为视频并直接提供给用户。iSwifter开发者Rajat Gupta说道：“我们给iPad用户与PC相同的Flash体验。”

iSwifter浏览器的竞争者是售价4.99美元的Skyfire浏览器，但Skyfire无法处理游戏和Flash动画。据Gupta所述，iSwifter程序可使用户查看任何Flash内容。而且，iSwifter也很可能在iPhone和Android操作系统手机上出现。游戏邦觉得，将来Windows Phone 7、三星Bada和WebOS等平台也会出现该软件的踪影。投资公司Think Equity分析师Atul Bagga说道：“这款软件确实很有意义，因为现在Flash游戏和视频的数量很多。或许这将成为新兴销售平台。”

程序提供两种选择，用户可以浏览网页或玩游戏。浏览网页时，用户只需点击链接或直接输入网址即可访问任何网站。游戏方面，每周都会有一款供用户体验的免费游戏。其他游戏用户也可免费试玩，确认需要后再付费购买。iSwifter的缺点在于需要连接Wi-Fi来运行，确保视频能够实时传输至设备上，使用户能够观看到流畅播放的视频。用户还可以使用iSwifter登录Facebook等网站，玩诸如FarmVille之类的Flash游戏。

Gupta认为，iSwifter在支持Flash程序的Android等系统上同样有用，因为这些设备还未充分发掘Flash程序的特征。应该注意到的是，许多Flash网站为PC编写，因此需要鼠标和键盘。这意味着如果不将这些网站制作成与触屏兼容，用户可能无法在手机上浏览。但iSwifter云平台中内置的抽象层可以捕捉用户对屏幕的接触并将其转化成Flash游戏可理解的鼠标和键盘式的输入方式，而且这种转化实时进行。

iSwifter通过云技术和联网数据中心提供Flash传输服务。这款程序使游戏开发者找到跨平台的途径，即使两个平台之间存在阻碍。游戏邦认为，这对Flash视频站点来说同样也是机遇。如果苹果等公司允许该程序存在，那么跨平台将更加容易。游戏开发者只需保证自己的游戏能够在iSwifter上运行，就可以避免被挡在某些平台之外。这样，开发者无需在切换平台时重新修改游戏。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

iSwifter lets iPad access unlimited number of Flash videos and games (exclusive)

Apple still hasn’t approved Adobe’s Flash media player for the iPad. But that doesn’t mean you can’t run Flash content on the tablet. iSwifter is announcing today that it has created a browser app for the iPad that allows users to access a virtually unlimited number of Flash content across the web.

Apple still has its objections to Flash, but iSwifter was able to get around those objections with its cloud-based technology. It executes the Flash content in its own data center and then sends video down the pipe to the user’s iPad, which has to be connected to a Wi-Fi connection. By doing this, iSwifter has created a tool can handle the flood of demand for Flash content on an Apple-created device. With iSwifter, users can get to just about any Flash ads, games or videos on the web.

The technology is significant because it can build a bridge between Apple and Adobe, which have been in a state of geek warfare over the performance of Flash. Apple has blocked it on its mobile devices because of performance issues, but Adobe argues that Apple is putting its own self-interest ahead of users by protecting its App Store content from competition from Adobe Flash-based products.

Burlingame, Calif.-based iSwifter secretly launched it a while ago and it has already been downloaded thousands of times and has made it to the top 100 Top Free games. The iSwifter app is available on a try-before-you-buy basis. You can download it for free and if you like it you can pay 99 cents. The iSwifter technology works a lot like OnLive’s cloud gaming service, which focuses on high-end console games. The Flash sites are processed in web-connected data centers. Then they are converted into video, which is then streamed directly to the user. “We let you see on the iPad exactly what you see on a PC that is running flash,” said Rajat Gupta, founder of iSwifter.

The iSwifter browser competes with the Skyfire browser, which costs $4.99. But Skyfire isn’t really built to handle games or Flash animations. The iSwifter app will work on just about anything, said Gupta. The iSwifter app will also likely be offered on the iPhone and Android operating systems. In the future, it will also be available on Windows Phone 7, Samsung’s Bada gadgets, and the WebOS. “It definitely makes sense, since there are so many Flash games and videos out there,” said Atul Bagga, an analyst at Think Equity. “This is like a new distribution platform.”

When you load the app, you have two options. You can browse web sites or play games. With the web sites, you can choose from one of the featured links or just type in the web address to go to any web site. For games, there is one game that is available for free each week. The others are available as free-to-play games. After a couple of minutes of playing, the user is prompted to make an in-app purchase to continue playing. If there is a drawback to iSwifter, it is that it needs a constant Wi-Fi connection in order to run, as the video has to be streamed in near real-time to create a continuous and good experience for the user. You can log into web sites such as Facebook and play Flash-based games such as FarmVille with iSwifter.

Gupta says that iSwifter would be useful on Android systems as well, even though Flash is going to be available on those devices. That’s because all of the capabilities of Flash aren’t available on those devices. It’s worth noting that many Flash web sites are written for PCs and need a mouse and keyboard. That means they won’t work well on a mobile device unless they are redone in a touchscreen-friendly way. But iSwifter has built software — an abstraction layer built into the cloud platform — that captures a user’s touch-based gestures and then converts them into mouse and keyboard-style inputs that Flash games can understand. That conversion is done in real-time, or immediately.

iSwifter has created a Flash streaming service that is operated in the cloud, or web-connected data centers. With iSwifter, game developers can find a way to get their content from one platform to another, even if there is an obstacle standing in their way. The same is true for Flash-based video web sites. If companies such as Apple allow the app, it can then bring content that might otherwise not run — or be allowed to run — on the particular platform. By making their games available on iSwifter, game developers can avoid being locked out of certain platforms. And the developers do not have to adapt their games, changing them from one format to another, just to expand their reach to new platforms. (Source: VentureBeat)