Adobe Air 2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 software are now
available as
beta downloadsfrom Adobe Labs for Windows, Mac and
Linux operating systems.
Air, Adobe's internet application platform, enables web
developers to create feature-rich internet applications. It is used
in the BBC iPlayer.
Air 2 builds on Air's support for
rich internet applications, providing applications with access
to mass storage devices and native application processes, as well
as peer-to-peer and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) networking for
communications over the internet.
Adobe said Flash Player 10.1 is the first browser runtime
release of the Open Screen Project, which means if offers enables
web applications, Flash content and high definition videos to run
across desktop PCs and portable devices. It supports HTTP streaming
and content protection through Adobe Flash Access 2.0.
Flash Player 10.1 can use hardware decoding of H.264 video on
Windows PCs, netbooks and mobile devices to conserve battery life
and improve video playback.