Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), initially code-named Apollo, was created in 2007 as an environment for building Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) running outside the browser while benefiting from desktop features. With AIR, developers can write desktop software using ActionScript, HTML, or JavaScript for the Windows, Macintosh, and Linux platforms. Each application is installed as a standalone client application; its proper execution requires that the AIR runtime be installed in the environment.
AIR version 2.5 focused on mobile development and introduced new features such as geolocation capability, accelerometer capability, and multitouch inputs. AIR is targeted at smartphones as well as tablet computers and netbooks.
AIR 2.5 and later supports the Android platform. Android is an operating system based on the open source Linux platform. It was initially developed by Google, and was further expanded by the Open Handset Alliance for use with mobile devices. Android runs applications developed using the Java programming language and packaged as an Android
Package (APK) file.
Adobe adapted AIR as a tool for ActionScript programmers to make Android applications. HTML/Ajax mobile development is not available for AIR for Android.
The purpose of this book is to teach you everything you need to know—and more—to develop AIR applications for the Android platform.
Beyond Android, the Adobe Open Screen Project has brought AIR to RIM for Black-Berry, and is committed to bringing it to other partners in the future. For more information on the Open Screen Project, go to http://www.openscreenproject.org/.
The premise of this effort is to offer a uniform tool for a fragmented mobile world. One could hope that AIR will be to mobile development what Flash Player is to the Internet. It enables ease of development and distribution of applications across platforms and browsers.