ARena

I was in NYC last week at Adobe's Financial and Industry Analyst Meetings. These events coincided with the launch of Adobe Creative Suite 3 AND CTIA (mobile jamboree in Orlando) - so a busy old week from a press release point of view.

Even from an internal point of view, I think it is amazing that in a single blog post I can write about news from one company (Adobe) that encompasses engineering 3D CAD, Mobile technology and partnerships, world-leading creative tools,electronic mortgages and digital signatures, and true business issues.

Any other software vendor out there who can do that??

He's a bit of a round-up for you....

3D: at the end of last week Adobe announced here the public preview of Acrobat 3D Version 8, allowing users to download the beta version here and test it out. I've seen some demo's of Acrobat 3D and it's very impressive to see very complex 3D CAD models converted into PDF and viewable in Reader! Adding the ability to measure, comment and make cross-sections of the models is truly amazing!

According to the press release...Acrobat 3D Version 8 will deliver enhanced capabilities for producing compressed PDF documents with precise geometry from large, complex CAD assemblies. The product supports conversion to 3D PDF from over 40 formats, including those for Autodesk Inventor, Dassault Systemes CATIA, PTC Pro/ENGINEER, SolidWorks, and UGS NX and I-deas. The latest version also will enable users to distribute product manufacturing information—used to convey geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, annotations, and dimensions directly on a 3D model—in PDF. In addition, Acrobat 3D Version 8 users will have the option of exporting precise manufacturing CAD data from PDF into neutral file formats such as STEP, IGES and Parasolid for downstream processes such as machining operations and tool and mold design.

CTIA: Adobe was present at CTIA in Orlando last week showing the mobile world some of the great technology currently (and soon to be) driving the way people use their mobile devices.

First up is a release on the quite outstanding success that NTT DoCoMo has been seeing with its (FlashCast based) i-channel service. In less that 2 years, DoCoMo has seen it's i-channel server go from zero to 10million subscribers (that's an average of about 14,000 new subscribers to the service every, single day!!) I think the DoCoMo quote sums it up.."With 10 million subscribers in less than two years, i-channel has surpassed our most optimistic projections. With Flash Lite and FlashCast, Adobe has dramatically impacted the mobile experience for our subscribers.”

But it's not only Japan where Adobe is seeing success in the mobile space. In the USA, Verizon customers will be the first to experience the FlashCast service with Verizon Wireless being the first wireless operator in North America to bring Adobe FlashCast based data services to mobile subscribers, in the second half of 2007.

And on the other side of the world in Taiwan Adobe announced a similar partnership with Chunghwa Telecom to deliver FlashCast technology to more than eight million subscribers in Taiwan. The new offering is expected to deliver rich data services across the Chunghwa Telecom network before the end of 2007.

For the more "enterprisey" out there, this might be of interest. According to a survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for Adobe " more than eight in 10 executives believe their companies lose sales each year because of failure to create engaged customers, and one in 10 estimates insufficient engagement accounts for 50 to 75 percent of lost sales." Interestingly, " The report notes that while most executives believe that the ability to engage customers is increasingly critical to business success, few think their companies are doing it well, and executives believe this failure has an impact on the bottom line. They also view technology as having an increasingly vital role in their customer engagement strategies." You can see the release here, and a full copy of the report can be downloaded here.

Still on the "enterprisey" focus, Adobe announced with MISMO in Florida last week guidelines for the standardization of electronically signed PDF documents in the mortgage process! Might not sound quite as "cool" as mobile data services or 3D CAD in Reader, but if you consider the stress involved in buying a house, anything that can make the process less painful has got to be good news!  As Eugene Lee says " “Now, mortgage professionals can electronically integrate two of the most crucial steps of the mortgage process - signature gathering and verification - into the electronic mortgage workflow using PDF. With today’s announcement, we are one step closer to streamlining the entire electronic mortgage workflow, from application to fulfillment, with PDF.” Amen!

Finally, the really BIG news from last week was the launch of Adobe Creative Suite 3.This was the largest software release in Adobe's 25 year history - 13 point products, 6 suites, 9 key technologies, 2 services and 7 press releases! Check out JohnnyL's blog for more details and links to demos that will blow you away!

For the press releases, here's the full list:

Adobe Unleashes Creative Suite 3 Product Line

Adobe Debuts Creative Suite 3 Web Premium

Adobe Unveils Creative Suite 3 Design Premium

Adobe Reveals Creative Suite 3 Production Premium

Adobe Delivers Two Editions of Photoshop CS3

Adobe Introduces Powerful InDesign CS3 Release

Adobe Device Central CS3 Mobilizes Creative Pros