Adobe Updates to Flash Player 11, AIR 3 (NewsFactor)

Adobe Systems has taken the wraps off new Adobe Flash Player 11 and Adobe AIR 3 software upgrades that will enable publishers to distribute their content across a range of desktop and mobile computing devices running various operating systems.

Slated for commercial release next month, Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 will be capable of addressing connected TVs as well as a range of other devices,from desktops and notebooks running Windows and Mac to mobile devices using Android, iOS and RIM PlayBook tablet platforms.

Adobe is also touting Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 as the technologies of choice for enabling game publishers to instantly deliver console-quality 2D and 3D games over the Internet to nearly all PCs as well as smartphones and tablets.

"With this milestone release Adobe pushes the envelope of what is possible on the web with a typical PC and opens up a new world of immersive, high-performance gaming experiences," said Adobe Vice President Danny Winokur.

New Center Of Gravity

Adobes' new offerings follow on the heels of Microsoft's announcement last week that it would no longer be supporting plug-ins like Flash in the Metro-style version of Internet Explorer 10 shipping next year with Windows 8. Still, Winokur believes that Flash continues to offer "the best way for content owners to deliver their most demanding experiences, including games, premium video and sophisticated data-driven apps, to all of their users."

However, Adobe Systems is also moving to embrace HTML5 within the company's portfolio of software offerings.

"HTML 5 tools such as Adobe Edge and Dreamweaver are ideal for building interactive web pages, rich ads, branded micro sites and general-purpose mobile applications," Winokur explained.

The provider of content development tools is in the process of a transition where the center of gravity of the types of apps built with Flash are actually mobile apps that run on multiple platforms, said Al Hilwa, director of applications development research at IDC.

"They already run on iOS [although limited], Android and Research In Motion's QNX, which is the PlayBook OS and the future phone OS," Hilwa said. "There is a tremendous need for addressing multiple mobile application platforms with a single tool-set and runtime, which is where Flash is going."

Flash has a distinct and sizable ecosystem of developers and provides strong features that are not yet supported well by HTML5, Hilwa said.

"This differentiation will continue for a few years to come, and even with Windows 8," Hilwa explained. "By no means do I expect the desktop experience -- which will continue to support browser plug-ins -- to be a niche experience for many years to come."

A Rendering Speed Boost

Adobe's software refresh for media content publishers offers pre-release support for hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics on mobile devices at rendering speeds that are 1,000 times faster in comparison with Flash Player 10 and AIR 2. The production release of Adobe's new accelerated 2D/3D graphics capabilities for mobile platforms is slated for release soon.

The update also gives publishers and distributors the ability to protect copyright video content across all platforms through the use of Adobe Flash Access 3. And with respect to mobile devices running Apple's iOS, full frame-rate HD video can now be displayed within AIR applications using H.264 hardware decoding, Adobe said.

Additionally, Adobe AIR 3 features back-end systems integration across devices, including the iPhone and iPad. "Developers can automatically package AIR 3 with their applications to simplify the installation process on Android, Windows and Mac OS in addition to Apple iOS," Adobe said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/software/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20110921/tc_nf/80284

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