Today we are very excited to announce the availability of the Adobe AIR 2 beta (runtime and SDK) for Windows, Mac and Linux. At Adobe MAX, we provided you with a preview of Adobe AIR 2 and now you will have a chance to test drive the beta version. AIR 2 builds on the success of AIR 1 by giving developers new capabilities and even tighter integration with the desktop. This is the first time we have sim-shipped for all three major operating systems for both AIR and Flash Player (also in beta) and represents a major step forward in delivering on the promise of the Open Screen Project. In addition, the Flash Player team has also announced the availability of Player 10.1 on Adobe Labs.

Next steps:

1. Download the Adobe AIR 2 beta runtime and SDK from Adobe Labs
2. Explore the AIR 2 Release Notes, Developer FAQ and documentation
3. Download source code and sample applications
4. Ask questions and provide feedback in the the AIR 2 beta forum

In addition, we are making the following articles available today in the Adobe Developer Center:

• Read the "What's New in AIR 2" article by Rob Christensen by Rob Christensen
• Using drag-and-drop support of remote files in Adobe AIR 2 beta by Christian Cantrell
• Creating a socket server in Adobe AIR 2 beta by Christian Cantrell
• Exploring the new file capabilities in Adobe AIR 2 beta by Christian Cantrell
• Using the Microphone capabilities in Adobe AIR 2 beta by Nicholas Kwiatkowski
• Creating accessible Adobe AIR applications with the Adobe Flex SDK by Daniel Koestler

Join us today as we start the next step in the evolution of Adobe AIR. On Adobe Labs you will find articles, videos, documentation, and sample applications with code to get you started with AIR 2. The beta forum will also be open to post questions, provide feedback and share your experiences with the beta. We look forward to your feedback and thanks for your continued support. See you all in the Adobe AIR 2 Beta forum!

Adrian Ludwig from Adobe shared some very exciting news when he recently demoed Flash Player running inside of the new HTC Hero web browser. This makes the HTC Hero the first Android smartphone with Flash. There is a press release that provides some additional information on the announcement. You may be thinking -- will Adobe AIR run on Android in the future? We are not making any announcements, but if this is something you would like to see, please drop us a comment below or through our feedback form.

The team at Ext created an Adobe AIR application called Pixel Bender Explorer that demonstrates how to apply compelling animations and other effects to your JavaScript-based AIR applications. The effects are accomplished using Flash Player 10's new Pixel Bender technology, the same technology behind many filters and effects in Adobe After Effects software. Aaron Conran from Ext discusses on the blog post how he was able to to access these effects from JavaScript and integrate this functionality into the Ext JavaScript framework.

The application allows you to load a sample video and image and then apply filters effects in real-time. It's impressive to see the responsiveness when you load a video, apply an effect and adjust the supported properties (angle, direction, center point, etc.). Try loading the sample video, selecting "RadialCaleidoscope" and then slowing adjusting the "angle" property.