Adobe Unveils AIR on Mobile Devices; Readies Flash Player 10.1 for Launch

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At Mobile World Congress™ 2010, Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced advancements to the Adobe® Flash® Platform including the unveiling of Adobe® AIR® on mobile devices, a consistent runtime for standalone applications to come out of the Open Screen Project™, an industry-wide initiative led by Adobe that has grown to close to 70 ecosystem partners. With support for the Android™ platform expected in 2010, AIR provides developers with a feature-rich environment for delivering rich applications outside the mobile browser and across multiple operating systems via mobile marketplaces and app stores. AIR leverages mobile specific features from Flash® Player 10.1, is optimized for high performance on mobile screens and designed to take advantage of native device capabilities for a richer and more immersive user experience.

“Adobe AIR 2.0 is a great technology for developing engaging mobile applications”

Adobe also announced that a beta of Flash Player 10.1 was made available to content providers and mobile developers worldwide. With the general availability expected in the first half of 2010, Flash Player 10.1 is the first consistent runtime release of the Open Screen Project enabling uncompromised Web browsing of expressive applications, content and high definition (HD) videos across screens including new tablet devices, smartphones, netbooks, smartbooks, desktops and other consumer electronics. According to a Strategy Analytics analysis from January 2010, more than 250 million smartphones are expected to support the full Flash Player by the end 2012. Mobile platforms that will support the full Flash Player include Android, the BlackBerry® platform, Symbian® OS, Palm® webOS and Windows Mobile®. Partners from across the ecosystem commented on the progress of Flash Player 10.1 today.

“We are excited about the progress with Flash Player 10.1 and the work that developers, content publishers and close to 70 partners in the Open Screen Project have done so far as part of the beta program,” said David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business at Adobe. “With the Flash Platform further advancing on mobile devices, we enable developers and content publishers to deliver to any screen, so that consumers have open access to their favorite interactive media, content, and applications across platforms.”

Adobe AIR enables developers to deliver Web applications outside the constraints of a browser. With support for mobile devices Adobe AIR includes specific functionality offered by mobile operating systems and devices such as multi-touch, gesture inputs, accelerometer, geolocation and screen orientation. With Flash Platform tooling and the Adobe Creative Suite®, developers and content publishers are able to create, test and deliver applications to multiple devices and operating systems using a single tool chain and API set across platforms. Developers using Adobe® Flash® Professional CS5 with the Adobe Packager for iPhone can reuse their iPhone application code to create the same application for Android.

"Adobe AIR 2.0 is a great technology for developing engaging mobile applications," said Christy Wyatt, vice president, Software Applications and Ecosystem at Motorola. "We look forward to seeing AIR come to the Android platform and developers creating applications that will delight our end-users."

Extending the functionality supported in Adobe AIR to mobile devices allows developers to easily create contextual applications that are characterized by their ability to adapt presentation and performance to different application contexts while reusing code for each device or platform. Application contexts include different display screens, device-specific interaction techniques, functionality specific to the mobile platform, as well as differences in network access and bandwidth. Content can also be personalized based on user history or social data. For more information about contextual applications visit www.adobe.com/devnet/flashplatform/context_apps.

Links:

Partners commenting on the progress of Flash Player 10.1 include AOL Media, ARM, Armor Games, Brightcove, EPIX, Freescale, HP, Intel, Lenovo, Miniclip.com, Nick.com, NVIDIA, Palm, RIM, Sagemcom, Samsung Electronics, Sling Media, South Park Digital Studios, ST-Ericsson, Texas Instruments, Warner Bros.:
www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/201002/021510FlashPlayerQuoteSheetMWC.html
Getting started with Adobe Flash Player 10.1 content for mobile devices
Resources for Flash developers optimizing mobile content to deliver uncompromised Web browsing of expressive applications, content, and video across devices with the upcoming release of Adobe Flash Player 10.1.
www.adobe.com/devnet/devices/mobile_flash_10-1_developers.html
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2 mobile preview videos
Videos highlighting various aspects of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2 prerelease software, including websites and applications, on devices from Open Screen Project partners and other providers.
www.adobe.com/go/airmobile
Follow Adobe at the official Mobile World Congress blog at blogs.adobe.com/flashplatform.
The following Adobe evangelists are also blogging live from the conference:
- Mark Doherty www.flashmobileblog.com
- Ryan Stewart http://blog.digitalbackcountry.com
- Serge Jespers http://www.webkitchen.be
- Lee Brimelow http://theflashblog.com
- Enrique Duvos http://www.duvos.com

About Adobe Flash Platform

The Adobe Flash Platform is the leading Web design and development platform for creating expressive applications, content, and video that run consistently across operating systems and devices and reach over 98 percent of Internet-enabled desktops. Flash Player 10 was installed on more than 93 percent of computers in just the first ten months since its release. According to comScore Media Metrix®, approximately 75 percent of online videos viewed worldwide are delivered using Adobe Flash technology, making it the No. 1 format for video on the Web. Adobe AIR for the desktop has been installed on more than 200 million computers and adopted across industries by leading companies such as Atlantic Records, DIRECTV, FedEx, The New York Times Company and salesforce.com. For more information about the Adobe Flash Platform visit www.adobe.com/flashplatform.

Open Screen Project

Led by Adobe, the Open Screen Project includes close to 70 industry leaders working together to provide a consistent runtime environment across mobile phones, desktops and other consumer electronic devices. The initiative addresses the challenges of Web browsing and standalone applications on a broad range of devices, and removes the barriers to publishing content and applications seamlessly across screens. New partners include Disney Media Interactive Group, Nickelodeon, ESPN, MTV.com, Southpark, Symbian Foundation, Freescale, Vizio, MIPS Technologies, Wind River, Addicting Games, Imagination Technologies, Epix, PBS and others. For more information about the Open Screen Project visit www.openscreenproject.org.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

© 2010 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Flash, Flash Platform, Flash Player, Creative Suite Flash Professional, and Adobe AIR are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.