San Jose, CA – Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that beta versions of Adobe AIR 2 and Adobe Flash® Player 10.1 software are now available from Adobe Labs for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. Flash Player 10.1 is also available for x86-based netbooks, and expected to be available across a broad spectrum of smartphones and other Internet-connected devices in 2010. Adobe AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1 are easily updateable across all supported platforms to help ensure rapid adoption of new innovations that move the Web forward.

“As a user experience design and development agency, we’re focused on providing the most effective experiences on all devices users interact with”

Adobe AIR 2 builds on the success of AIR 1.0, which has been installed on more than 200 million desktop computers and adopted across industries by leading companies, such as Atlantic Records, DIRECTV, FedEx, The New York Times Company and salesforce.com. With AIR 2, developers can create more reliable and feature-rich applications in the desktop context, and they can easily add AIR 2 functionality to update current AIR 1.0 applications. New AIR 2 features include enhanced support for mass storage devices and native application processes, as well as peer-to-peer and UDP networking.

Flash Player 10.1 is the first consistent browser runtime release of the Open Screen Project that will enable uncompromised Web browsing of expressive applications, content and high definition (HD) videos across the desktop and devices. Flash Player 10.1 takes advantage of new media delivery options using HTTP streaming coupled with content protection powered by Adobe Flash Access 2.0. Additionally, Flash Player 10.1 now leverages hardware decoding of H.264 video on Windows PCs, netbooks and mobile devices where available, to conserve battery life and deliver an exceptional video playback experience.

Adobe AIR and Flash Player Deliver Web Applications in Multiple Contexts

Using the Adobe Flash Platform, millions of designers and developers create rich Web content, videos and applications that deploy in the browser using Adobe Flash Player, and beyond the constraints of the browser with Adobe AIR. Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2 enable developers and designers to use the same code, assets, frameworks, tools and services to create the most expressive applications, content and video for the browser and the desktop today, as well as mobile platforms in the future.

The rise of RIAs and cloud computing, and the increased diversity of Internet-connected devices are spawning the need for contextual applications that take advantage of specific functionality offered by operating systems and devices. The Flash Platform enables developers to create contextual applications for users across a number of devices while maintaining content and a user experience that is consistent yet unique to each device. Please visit the Adobe Developer Connection for more information on contextual applications.

Multi-touch and “Gestures” Support on Touch Screens

Adobe AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1 also bring innovations and optimizations from mobile devices to the desktop. For example, designers and developers can now create entirely new types of applications that use multi-touch points and gestures on touch screen devices. Instead of using a mouse, users touch the screen to interact with content and applications.

IndyGeek.net : Indianapolis' premier resource for all things tech.