Photon browser for Tablets
Published: October 10, 2013
Wally Mead

The VIN techs are constantly looking for tools that allow you to get the most out of VIN on your mobile devices.

One of the biggest obstacles so far has been the inability to use Flash on the Apple iPad, and other tablets. Without Flash, some features (such as Unity Classroom) simply do not work. Fortunately, some clever developers have stepped in and produced apps that do allow Flash to 'run' on tablets.

Until now, the best option has been the iSwifter app, which allows you to display Flash on your device. iSwifter has some limitations... it can only run on WIFI and not on the 3g/4g connections. It also has some difficulty with moving and placement of windows within Unity.

The VIN techs have recently tested the Photon Flash Player Browser app for iPad, iPhone, and Android <http://www.appsverse.com/Index>. This seems like the best solution so far for taking VIN CE classes on a tablet.

It allows audio and the Unity windows can be easily moved around the screen.  It also works on your existing 3g or 4g... as well as on a wifi or mobile hotspot.

The user has to activate flash in the browser.  This is a simple task.  Before going into the Unity classroom, or before running the compatibility test at:http://beta.vin.com/Link.plx?ID=5336700  activate Flash by clicking the lightning bolt in the upper right corner of the Photon Screen. The red arrow in the screen shot below is pointing to the lightning bolt that activates Flash. If you forget to activate Flash by clicking the lightning bolt and you see the "content not available" warning, you can click the lightning bolt to reload the page, and get Flash working. 

Once you are in the Unity Classroom, it is a very similar experience to a PC.  To answer polls use your finger or a stylus to select your answer, and then touch on send.  To answer questions, click on the keyboard icon in the upper left corner, this icon becomes visible once you have clicked the lightning bolt.  This will allow the keyboard to appear so you can type questions or answers into the question screener.

Photon.png
Photon Screen Shot

 

If you received a failure message when starting the CE Compatibility test, click the lighting bolt and you should be able to continue the test.

Still having issues getting the Photon browser to work? Watch the help video!

This is not a free iOS app and does not have a trial period.  It costs $9.99, but it is listed as LIMITED TIME SALE: USD$9.99 -> USD$4.99 and is still $4.99 on the date of this article's update. The app is free on Android devices.

iTunes;
https://www.vin.com/Link.plx?ID=5614119

Android;
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsverse.photon

Publisher page;
http://www.appsverse.com/photon

Publisher Tutorial;
http://www.appsverse.com/photon/photontutorial.html



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