Adobe AIR beta now available
ConvergenceAsia staff
12/06/2007

Adobe Systems has released the beta version of Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), formerly code named Apollo. Adobe AIR is a cross-operating system application runtime that allows developers to use HTML/CSS, Ajax, Adobe Flash and Adobe Flex to extend rich Internet applications (RIAs) to the desktop.

New features in the Adobe AIR beta include an embedded local database, PDF support, enhanced capabilities for JavaScript developers, and deeper integration with Adobe Flex.

Kevin Lynch, Senior Vice President and Chief Software ARrchitect at Adobe, said, "Adobe AIR expands the universe of possibilities for Web developers who can now deliver a new generation of applications that work across operating systems and both inside and outside the browser, bridging the gap between the Web and the personal computer."

Key elements of Adobe AIR are open source, including the WebKit HTML engine, the ActionScript Virtual Machine (Tamarin project) and SQLite local database functionality.

The new beta version of Adobe AIR allows developers to incorporate PDF by leveraging Adobe Reader 8.1 functionality. Users will be able to view and interact with PDF documents within Adobe AIR applications similarly to how they interact with a PDF in the browser today.

New capabilities include support for transparent HTML windows, drag and drop support, and complete access to Adobe AIR and Flash APIs. Developers building Adobe AIR applications can use the Ajax frameworks of their choice, and the latest version of WebKit incorporated into Adobe AIR beta provides more components than were previously available in Apollo alpha.

Additionally, a tool is now available on Adobe Labs for Dreamweaver CS3 that enables Dreamweaver projects to be delivered as Adobe AIR applications.

The beta version of the Adobe AIR application runtime and the Adobe AIR SDK are available immediately as free downloads from Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/air. Adobe AIR and the Adobe AIR SDK are available in English and offered for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems, and future versions will be available for Linux as well as other languages.

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