Adobe launched the first version of its AIR platform for Android a few weeks ago, allowing developers to quickly and easily code Android apps using the same tools you’d use to build Flash-based web apps or desktop apps based on the AIR platform. Now Adobe is going all out, announcing that Adobe AIR 2.5 now supports Android, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Samsung SmartTV televisions, Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop operating systems, and even iOS (sort of).
AIR doesn’t quite let developers write a web app once and instantly convert it to desktop, smartphone, tablet, and TV applications. But it comes pretty close, by making the tools to optimize apps for each of those platforms pretty simple. Most of the coding only needs to be done once.
Adobe says there are already hundreds of Android apps based on AIR available for download.
As for Apple iOS compatibility, Adobe hasn’t been able to take its usual approach of letting users download the AIR runtime first, which would allow users to download and install any AIR app optimized for mobile devices. Instead, developers using Adobe Flash Professional CS5 and AIR SDK 2.0.1 can repackage their apps for distribution in the iTunes App Store.
You can read more about the features packed into AIR 2.5, including support for TVs and BlackBerry tablets in the release notes.
via Engadget
