ADOBE
AIR
(The new revolution
in web applications)
Adobe
has always been a remarkable and renowned name in the field of web development
and creating various other useful stuffs for the web or your desktop.
We can barely find developers who didn’t try out at least a one or
two of its products for an instance say the adobe Photoshop or flash
or whatsoever. But for now the latest that Adobe brings to us is the
Adobe AIR. Well, basically the Adobe AIR runtime lets developers use
proven web technologies to build rich internet applications that run
outside the browser on multiple operating systems.
So
what actually is AIR?

It is infact a cross-operating system runtime that enables you to use
your existing HTML/Ajax, Flex or Flash web development skills and tools
to build as well as deploy rich internet applications using a free SDK
(Software Development Kit).AIR application stands for Adobe Internet
Rich Applications.
Now
that we come to know what actually AIR is, I may as well introduce you
readers about in which ways and how useful it can be. Talking about
that, AIR supports native desktop integration including clipboard and
drag and drop support, local file IO, system notification and more.
It’s got a rather easy installation that you can easily get done from
adobe’s official website. Coming to its usefulness, well id like to
say it’s limitless, however that’s just a personal remark but then
yeah its useful for almost all kind of developers in any field let that
be Ajax, flex, flash, IT administrators and so on. And the runtime is
free to download so it can be pretty well termed as ‘open’. Here
are some of the listed out benefits one may gain from using Adobe AIR:

• Platform Independent.
• Establish a more
  persistent connection with existing customers with the interactive user
  friendly applications.
• Deliver fully branded
  experiences with desktop functionality.
• Leverage existing
  personnel, process and infrastructure.
• Develop and deliver
  RIA’s efficiently using proven Adobe technologies.
• Increase the ROI
  of your web investments.
• Lower your project
  cost and gain higher profits.

Dropping
down to a rather simplified and most common benefit to all the users(novice
or professional) it is that the content created using web technologies
such as HTML, JavaScript , CSS or Flash can be easily compiled into
a desktop application which is packaged as *.air file using the Adobe
AIR. So, since applications built for adobe AIR run on your desktop
computer without a web browser, they provide all the convenience of
a desktop application.
Also
AIR provides you a good point of security over the web as it ensures
safe installations by requiring digital signatures on each AIR application
that identify the application and its creator before you install i.e.
even the common level developers can embed their digital signature onto
their creation and trademark it as easily as it never was.
Future Enhancement:
Adobe
AIR 2.0 is already on the way and the beta version of AIR 2.0 is available
to download right away. This coming up version promises a lot of even
more dazzling features some of which are:

• Opening file with
  default association.
• Raising event upon
  volume/drive detection.
• Direct microphone
  access allowing you to directly encode an audio captured from it to
  the AIR itself.
• Multi-touch gestures
  for Windows 7 and Mac OSX 10.6
• P2P support
• Better accessibility

So, I’d not
only suggest but rather recommend all the IT-beings be it developer
or designer or the consumer itself to get start knowing the AIR better
as the better you know it the easier your life on the web is gonna be.
Wrapping things up all id like to say is that Adobe AIR
means applications that are easier, more powerful and much more fun
to use!