Adobe's New AIR Technology

Adobe has introduced a technology called Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR)that promises to further blur the difference even more between web and desktop--for the good. This technology, lets Web site owners build services--be it a media player, an accounting app, or a video editor--that Web surfers can more easily and more quickly access either online, offline, or on a cell phone. To get a better idea of how this works, browse the collection of current and upcoming Adobe AIR apps.
Some of it are:

ShiftD: ShiftD Keeps Your PC and Phone in Sync: developed by The New York Times Company, is a free Adobe AIR application for shifting notes, Web links, and addresses between computers and mobile phones. ShifD eliminates the need to e-mail yourself a reminder of a great travel Web site, for example. Instead, you save your Web notes to ShifD and access the data as if it were a universal yellow sticky note on all your PCs or a mobile device. The service is currently in beta mode.

Finetune Desktop: It complements the Finetune streaming music Web site. The free desktop application allows you to listen to streamed audio as well as create personal playlists and specialized playlists dedicated to artists of your choice.

Joggle:Joggle is a site and application that keeps track of where all your digital movies, pictures, and music are stored--no matter how many desktops, notebooks, and online services such as Flickr your content may reside on. If you decide to store any sort of content on Joggle's site, you can easily share it publicly or privately. Joggle is not available today, but you can try it in about one month when the service debuts as a public beta in late March, the company says.

E-Commerce in AIR:Allurent Desktop Connection(ADC) has developed an e-commerce alternative for online merchant that makes shopping online feel more like flipping through a brick-and-mortar glossy catalog. In this example of ADC technology, the women's apparel and home goods retailer Web site Anthropologie has created a highly interactive e-commerce Web site.

AOL uses AIR to enhance Music Video Browsing and Watching:AOL is using Adobe AIR in hopes to make browsing and viewing videos easier with a free application called AOL Top 100 Music Videos. The app allows you to browse and play popular music videos. Because it also takes advantage of local system resources, the software can integrate features such as the ability to bookmark a favorite video, personalize content with feedback, and to share videos with other AOL Top 100 Music Videos users.

AIR in Nickelodeon: Nickelodeon used AIR create a jigsaw puzzle game that entices visitors to Nickelodeon.com to explore the site, locate pieces of a video, and then drag the pieces to the AIR application on their PC. Get all the pieces to the puzzle and--you guessed it--the video plays.

Ebay Desktop: Its a free Adobe AIR app that allows you to skip launching a Web browser to keep tabs on your eBay auctions or browse new gear. EBay Desktop also can deliver product availability notifications and auction updates straight to you in real-time, according to eBay.

and a lot more applications still to be listed.