Adobe AIR Technology Available Today

Customer Implementations

Some of the customers to be announced Monday show some momentum toward that goal. For example, BusinessObjects, the business-intelligence software provider recently acquired by SAP, is using AIR for a new product called BI Widgets. The technology allows users to search, organize and access BI content in back-end systems and databases from the desktop.

Web-based CRM (customer relationship management) provider Salesforce.com also is using AIR to deliver applications built using its Force.com hosted developer environment to the desktop, said Adam Gross, vice president of platform marketing for Salesforce.com. The company is launching a new product called Force.com Toolkit for Adobe AIR that allows developers to extend applications built using Force.com to the desktop.

"In theory, one could build [technology to bridge that gap] themselves, but it would be an enormous amount of work," Gross said. "AIR makes it a lot easier."

Another enterprise customer, Deutsche Bank, is using AIR for a new Internet service for its business customers called db-direct, which provides instant desktop alerts about account activity to corporate clients and financial institutions.

AIR also is giving Internet companies new ways to reach consumers, Lynch said. Companies going live on Monday with consumer-facing applications that leverage AIR include eBay and AOL.

EBay, working with consulting firm EffectiveUI, is one of the earliest adopters of AIR. The company will release the first full production version of eBay Desktop, a version of its auction site that can run on the desktop without being connected to the Internet or accessed through a browser. By leveraging AIR, eBay Desktop can automatically update user information whenever the user is connected to the Internet.

And AOL on Monday will launch an AIR-based application called Top 100 Music Videos, which allows users to search for and view music videos from AOL Music even when they are offline.

Other companies scheduled to show off how they're using AIR at Adobe's event include The New York Times Company and The Nasdaq Stock Market.