Adobe AIR, formerly code-named Apollo, is a project that lets developers use practically any programming language to build Rich Internet Applications (RIA’s) that can be deployed across almost any operating system. It also allows the developer to create an application that can store data offline and easily re-synch later on when re-connected to the database/internet. There are already a handful of applications out there that are build around this project, with my favorite being Pownce. Speaking of which, feel free to stop on by my profile on Pownce here: www.pownce.com/brentter/ and add me as a friend if you’d like. It’s a combination message board, calendar, file exchange server, and image host. To cut down on server load they’ve incorporated Amazon’s S3 (Simple Storage Service) to house all their file storage needs.

Another useful implementation of Adobe AIR is a desktop-based app that lets you check on your Google Analytics accounts without ever having to open up a browser. You can sign-up for the beta download on About Nico’s site.

Download Adobe AIR (for free) from the official Adobe AIR page.

Flex Builder 3 Pro clocks in at a whopping $699 with the standard edition coming in slightly cheaper at $249. If you are a student or teacher however, they STILL offer a free copy to those that apply (which I think is one of the best things any software company could have done). The Flex 3 SDK can be found on their official Flex page for a free download if you don’t want to shell out that kind of cash for the complete Builder Application. Apparently there is a big difference between the standard and pro edition too – with the pro version including built-in memory/performance profiling tools, their “Advanced Datagrid,” and comes with its own set of scalable charting components for “rich data visualization.”

Flex Builder 3 was in beta for quite a while, which let users learn how to utilize it’s advanced database manipulation features, most of which can be viewed on the Flex Showcase site.

Something interesting with Flex is it gives you the ability to manipulate whatever you design with other programming languages in ways that were almost un-heard of using flash. My favorite is its integration with Ruby On Rails. RoR can be used as a streamlined back-end solution for your web-app, using Flex as a pretty front-end to display the data. A really great site I’ve come across with helpful examples of Flex/Rails in use is Derek Wischusen’s site – FlexonRails.net. If you want to see an example of both pieces of technology being used in new ways, check out his post where he explains (with source code) how to do a Server push with Ruby on Rails using Flex, JRuby, and BlazeDS. Another interesting one is where he tries to integrate as many new forms of languages/services as possible is his post on integrating Flex, BlazeDS, and a web-app framework for Scala called Lift

Read more about Flex Builder 3 and the Flex SDK on Adobe’s official website – www.adobe.com/products/flex/