Google on Tuesday unveiled Swiffy, a free tool for developers to convert some Flash files into HTML5 code. This makes it easier to get Flash content visible on platforms like the iPhone and iPad that don't support Adobe's Flash Player. The first version of Swiffy is currently available on Google Labs. You can upload a SWF file, and Swiffy will produce an HTML5 version which will run in modern browsers with a high level of SVG support such as Chrome and Safari. Google says that since it is still an early version, it won’t convert all Flash content, but it already works well on ads and animations.

Swiffy uses a compact JSON representation of the animation, which is rendered using SVG and a bit of HTML5 and CSS3. ActionScript 2.0 is also present in the JSON object, and is interpreted in JavaScript in the browser. This representation makes the Swiffy animations almost as compact as the original SWF files.

Adobe has long bemoaned the lack of Flash support on Apple's iOS devices. Last year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously penned some public thoughts on Flash, which he faulted for being closed, slow, and battery-draining.

Last March, Adobe also released Wallaby, its own Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tool. When it released Wallaby, Adobe said the tool was focused on simple banner ads and other animations.