14 DAY TRIAL // Along with the anticipated release of the Flash Player 10.1, Adobe is also launching a revamped version of its less popular platform, AIR 2. The Adobe AIR 2 runtime comes with a handful of new features and improvements and is the biggest update since the original release.
Adobe says AIR 2 is faster and more memory efficient, something users and developers will surely appreciate. Apps built for AIR 2 will also be able to access more advanced functionality including better integration with the local file system, better networking and even support for integrating native code in the app.
“We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of the Adobe AIR 2 runtime... Developers can now deploy applications built for AIR 2 on Windows, Mac OS and Linux,” Adobe’s announcement reads.
“The Adobe AIR runtime is already installed on nearly 300 million desktop computers. We have carefully crafted a seamless installation and upgrade experience that makes it very easy for developers to distribute apps on Mac OS, Windows and Linux,” the announcement adds.
The most touted new feature, if you can call it that, is just better performance. Adobe says AIR 2 eats up less CPU time and also less memory, up to 30 percent less. Considering AIR’s reputation as a memory hog, this is welcomed news.
But developers have more to look forward to than just better performing apps, they’ll be able to tap into more capabilities and build better features as well. A new Networking API should come in handy for connected apps and Adobe says things like multiplayer games can become a reality with AIR 2.
AIR 2 also comes with better support for handling local files, an important feature for a desktop app, after all, and things like mounting and unmounting USB drives are now possible. Another potentially very useful feature is the possibility to insert native code in AIR apps or communicate with other, native apps.
This means that developers will be able to build the crucial components of their apps to run natively on the host operating system resulting in a vastly improved performance. Of course, this comes at the expense of portability.
Adobe AIR 2 for Windows is available for download here. Adobe AIR 2 for Mac is available for download here. Adobe AIR 2 for Linux is available for download here.