Optiem, an e-mail communications company, has applied for a patent for a process and software code that can detect the ability of computer users to receive e-mail containing Flash animation, the firm said yesterday.
The company's Flash detection process can determine whether a computer user has the latest version of Macromedia Inc.'s Flash software installed and report that information to the e-mail sender.
Optiem said it can eliminate what has long been one of the major impediments to sending Flash in e-mail — knowing whether the recipient can view the e-mail correctly.
“One of the obstacles in using Flash effectively in e-mail is the wide variation among audiences being able to receive it safely and conveniently,” said David Eden, president of Optiem, Cleveland. “Knowing the size of your rich media audience helps define the value of investing in the more complex and costly process of creating multimedia e-mail.”
Eden said Optiem plans to license its Flash detection technology.
