This week the Adobe MAX show is taking place in Los Angeles, California, and since Nokia is a sponsor of this event, we thought it would make sense to focus on apps for Nokia devices that showcase what can be done using Flash Lite technology, as well as Web Runtime to deliver engaging, user-friendly widgets.

Additionally, Nokia is the cosponsor – with Adobe – of the $10 million Open Screen Project Fund, which encourages Flash developers to submit their innovative application ideas for funding grants. Since the inception of the Fund at the 2009 Mobile World Congress, developers have submitted over 700 ideas for Nokia’s and Adobe’s consideration. Nokia, for its part, recently announced funding for its 25th winner. Several of those funded projects are now either complete and in Ovi Store for consumers, or they are expected to be completed before the end of this year.

Among the more notable applications to be funded during the first half of this year is the CNN International Video app, created for CNN by U.S.-based Flash Widgets LLC. (To learn more about the company behind the app, read this interview on Nokia Conversations.)

Quite simply, this application enables individuals to watch the latest news videos from CNN.com directly on their Nokia S60 5th edition devices, such as the Nokia N97, and it is available for download in Ovi Store. If you are using the app on a Nokia N97, you can add the widget to your home screen for quick access to CNN’s video library. (Note: This app is not available to consumers in North America at this time.)

The app displays video content in four major categories: World News, Most Popular, Business, and World Sports. You can see the headline or subject for each story, as well as a thumbnail-sized image that links to the video for that story. And the app displays nicely in both portrait and landscape mode, although the latter is preferable for proper viewing of video content.

For the technology geeks out there, one thing about this app that is worth noting: the CNN International Video app makes use of progressive download to deliver the video content, a Flash innovation that was optimized by personnel within Nokia specifically for use in this application.

Here’s a video demo that shows the app in action:

For developers that are interested, the Open Screen Project Fund continues to welcome new submissions for consideration, and it will remain in operation until December 2010. Any submission that makes use of Flash technology on any of Nokia’s platforms is eligible for funding through the Open Screen Project Fund. Companies interested in applying can find more information at either http://openscreenproject.org/developers or at http://openscreen.forum.nokia.com.