Freeware

Adobe AIR: A Taste of the Software of the Future

Developer: Adobe Systems
Version: Beta
Price: Free
Platforms: Linux (Coming Soon), Mac OSX, Windows
Download AIR Here.

The way software development and internet speeds are going, I can easily imagine a world with all of our programs located online in the not so distant future. All kinds of crazy programs are being built online, from photo editors like Picnik [review] to full Microsoft Word replacements like Zoho and Google Docs - but there has been the need to access these programs much more quickly for some time now. And that’s where Adobe AIR, or Adobe Integrated Runtime, comes into play. We can finally launch (some of) our favorite web programs right from the desktop instead of popping open a browser and navigating to a page.

Much like Google Gears, the Adobe AIR program itself is nothing spectacular. It needs to integrate with web programs in order to work. Without these web programs, AIR is, well, useless. Luckily enough, there are quite a few web programs that can be used by AIR and the list is growing at a relatively decent pace. Hopefully we will begin to see that list grow more quickly in the future - but this is still the early days of bringing internet programs to your desktop, so I guess we’re stuck with what we’re given.

We’ve been given quite a few cool programs to tinker with. By far, the most useful of the AIR applications is Adobe’s own Kuler [review]. I use it way too much to assign colors to whatever I’m working on at the time - and I just can’t get enough of the custom color schemes that other users have generated. Be sure to read my full review of Kuler here.

Another AIR app that looks promising is Pownce. Think of it as a mixture between Twitter and a file sharing service. While I’m not really a fan of the Twitter style functions, it does a good job on sending files to friends or family. Oh, and if you’re reading this and you want to get in on the private alpha, let me know in a comment and I’ll send one your way.

Speaking of Twitter, there’s an AIR app for that too. Now, I’m one of those people who thinks that Twitter is a total waste of time, but I signed up for an account anyway just to demo the AIR app. The app works good, but I can’t see myself using it in the future. All of you Twitter fans out there may find that it’s quite cool though.

There are also quite a few media-centric Adobe AIR apps out there right now that are worth mentioning. The best of these is the Finetune [review] Desktop program. It’s attractive and does it’s job well - but the sound that it produces is pretty sub-par. Great way to discover new music, but not a good way to listen to your favorite tracks. Worth the small download.

MyMovieMatch is a tool that’s currently in beta and designed to help you discover new movies that suit your interest. I suppose it’s similar to Finetune, but for movies instead of music. Seems helpful although I’ve only played around on it for about ten minutes or so.

Finally, there are two AIR apps that I have no use for. The first is called StudioCloud and is designed for professional photographers to share their proofs with clients or something like that. I can’t really see this taking off in the future. The other, SearchCoders Database, is a tool for Flex coders to share information with each other. I’m sure there are those out there who will find this really useful, I’m just not one of those people.

Last but not least, despite the really easy to use nature of Adobe AIR and all of the web apps that take advantage of it, there are a couple of problems with the product as a whole. The first is that a lot of the heavier programs fell really laggy when they run. Sloppy coding or just too bandwidth intensive, I don’t know - but I assume they will be cleaned up as AIR becomes more popular. Another big problem is the warning dialog that pops up before I install any AIR apps. It’s probably the most “use at your own risk, your information could be jeopardized, install and watch your computer catch fire” warning I’ve ever seen. Seems to be a little much and may turn a few people away from this fantastic new technology. Anyway, give Adobe AIR a try - it’s free and there’s some fun stuff to toy around with. Well worth your time.

Try AIR for Yourself.

- Eric Norton

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Edit: I was corrected by Chris below in the comments. Apparently AIR can be used online and off - I just never came across any apps that could be used without an internet connection.