Months after first announcing it, ScreenTime Media on Thursday released SWF Desktop for Macintosh, a software tool that enables the creation of Flash-based dynamic wallpaper for the Macintosh. A Windows version is already in circulation.
With SWF Desktop in hand, Flash developers can create wallpaper that includes updateable content, including images, animation, news, calendars, links, Web applications and games, all of which appear directly on the user’s desktop. The software has already been used to create projects for companies including Hallmark Cards and video game maker Nintendo. Other projects in the works include promotional vehicles for cable network Comedy Central, a German folk musician and a government agency that will use it to promote distributed learning programs.
After the flash content is created, the resulting .SWF file is opened in SWF Desktop, and a “build” button is clicked. SWF Desktop for Macintosh then creates an application that installs the wallpaper and sets it as the current desktop. SWF Desktop is compatible with Flash 4 through MX, and is available directly from ScreenTime Media — it costs US$99.95, and a trial edition is available for download.