If you think you have never heard of Adobe AIR, we can assure you that you probably use it for at least one of your desktop applications without even realizing it.
It is a very important engine for countless desktop apps, if not an indispensable engine to run them.
In this article, we will talk about the different uses of Adobe AIR, its benefits, and some of the MANY applications that use it. So, keep reading to learn everything you need to know about it!
What is Adobe AIR?
Adobe AIR is known to be a runtime engine for different desktop apps. It means that these Adobe apps rely on it to run optimally. Not only that but considering that applications are a combination of multiple functionalities of different software, such as Adobe Flash, JavaScript, HTML, etc. Adobe AIR gives the whole toolkit to build a powerful app, making it very convenient for web developers.
Adobe AIR works on Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and also Android. But you want to avoid using it if you have Linux as Adobe stopped supporting it on their platforms.
Why use Adobe AIR?
The most common use of Adobe AIR is helping web developers design rich internet apps, which are meant to be used outside of web browsers.
The creation of these apps is done using different functionalities of Adobe Flash, JavaScript, HTML, ActionScript, and Flex, and Adobe AIR. It helps combine them to create and develop apps on all devices, whether it is a laptop, a desktop, or anything else.
What programs use Adobe AIR?
You will need Adobe AIR for running many AIR apps. Without it, these apps are useless and will display an error message explaining that they stopped working.
Among Adobe AIR apps, we have:
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GMDesk
Nowadays, everyone works with email addresses, and the most common ones are Gmail. If you are not fond of entering your browser every time you want to check your mail, GMDesk is what you need, as it will be synchronized with all of your Google accounts, including Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs, and display it all to you on one interface.
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Shrink O’Matic
This app makes it easy to rescale all of your images no matter their format (JPEG, GIF, PNG). All you need is to drag the picture into the interface, shrink it, and save it on your computer. It is very easy and efficient for photographers and visual artists who regularly manipulate pictures.
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Doomi Task Manager
This app helps you create a to-do list and get organized easily. You can use it to keep important dates, contacts, notes, etc. It runs in the background, so you can hide the list with one click and reshow it with another.
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Klok Time Tracker
Many websites are allowing you to keep track of your working hours as it helps you boost your concentration and enhance your productivity. Klok Time Tracker offers the same functionalities but doesn’t require using a web browser. It enables you to see the time you’re spending on each task, which will help you decide how much to charge your clients.
These might be the most common ones, but there are so many more Adobe AIR apps you should be familiar with, including:
- ReadAIR: a desktop app for Google Reader users.
- Flickr Desktop Search: a desktop app for Flickr users to look through also images.
- Flickr Flipper: a desktop app for the same use but with more advanced functionalities such as looking for a specific user’s images. It enables its users to display all the images at once and download the ones you want to your computer.
- Snoto: a desktop app allowing you to check your recent pictures and others’ and even put them into a slideshow.
- RichFLV: a desktop app for FLV editors. You can easily manipulate the data, cut it, convert the sounds to MP3, convert the FLV to SWF, and more.
- Image Dropr: a desktop app to prepare quality visual content to upload to Flickr. It helps you add titles, tags, and more.
- Color Finder: a desktop app to design color palettes or directly pick one to use, and browse through more than 1,000,000 colors.
And believe it or not, but this is not even an exhaustive list of the countless Adobe AIR apps, and we could go on and on about them forever. If you are intrigued by one of them, you should search for additional information and look up more details on other websites.
Is it the end of Adobe AIR?
Even though web developers still use Adobe AIR, Adobe decided to stop supporting it by the end of 2020. However, HARMAN will acquire its technologies and continue developing it.
Overall, you do not really need Adobe AIR if you aren’t using any desktop apps that require it. But there are high chances that you are, as there are more than one billion Adobe Apps available on different devices.
If you are sure of not using any AIR apps, you can uninstall it very easily by following these steps:
First, press the following shortcut: Windows key + S. After that, enter “apps” in the search box that’ll pop up. Click then on “apps and features” and open the window below. You will have a list of different software in front of you; select Adobe AIR. Click on uninstall and finally confirm the operation. The last thing to do is to restart your computer and make sure the uninstallation was successful.
Adobe AIR is a very efficient tool for web developers to create more useful apps and develop them. It is also crucial for everyone who prefers to work from their desktops instead of using a web browser.
We hope the information we provided was helpful and that you’ll consider downloading one of the mentioned AIR apps as they undoubtedly make work easier on a computer.
What Adobe AIR apps do you use and recommend? And are you satisfied with its functionalities? Let us know in the comments.