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         <title>Adobe&apos;s Upgrades Acrobat.com, Launches New Mobile App</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/acrobat_logo.jpg">Adobe's online office suite, <a href="http://www.acrobat.com">Acrobat.com</a>, is getting its first major upgrade since the service left beta back in June of this year. The new release, launching tomorrow, is an entirely unified experience thanks to the addition of a much-requested file organization tool, explains the service's Director of Project Management Rick Treitman. </p>

<p>Also new are 35 user-requested features, including file searching capabilities and integrations with web services like <a href="http://www.flickr.com">Flickr</a> and <a href="http://images.google.com">Google Image Search</a>. However, one of the most exciting pieces to the upgraded service is the newly launched mobile component. With Acrobat.com's smartphone application, users won't just have access to their files on the go - they can also scan in new documents with their phone's camera. </p>]]>
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<![CDATA[

<h2>The New File Organizer</h2>

<p>The one major new feature in this release of Acrobat.com is the file organizer. Before, files could live in three different places on the service. Now all files are accessible through one main interface. </p>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/acrobat_file_organizer.png"</p>

<p>The file organizer itself includes some handy features, too. Instead of using a traditional folder structure like you have on your computer's hard drive, the service introduces something called "collections." These are more like iTunes playlists than file folders (or even labels in Gmail) because files can be assigned to multiple collections instead of having to sit in just one folder. </p>

<p>Another key component to the organizer is a file search tool. Believe it or not, the online service had no way of helping you find your files until now. Although the current search capabilities don't yet offer full text search of your documents, Adobe says that may come further down the road. </p>

<p>Also new is the organizer's "import and edit" feature which lets you open external files directly into the appropriate program so you can begin to work on them online. In the past, you had to first launch the program, then import the file. This time-saving step is more akin to what rival <a href="http://docs.google.com">Google Docs</a> offers via their upload feature except that in Acrobat.com, you don't have to click a link to open the uploaded file - it happens automatically. </p>

<h2>Other New Features</h2>

<p>The various online office programs themselves have seen improvements as well in this new release. Buzzword is leaving beta and now it, along with Presentations, lets you import images from online services like Flickr and Google Images in addition to the images found on your computer. One drawback to this feature, though, is that the online image searches don't offer filtering by license type, so a user could easily get into trouble by adding a copyrighted or otherwise licensed photo into their document if they neglect to check permissions first. </p>


<p>The Tables app, still in beta, now has the ability to do more data sorting and filtering. It also adds new views including a print layout view that shows what the document will look like on the printed page. </p>

<h2>Acrobat.com Comes to iPhone, Blackberry</h2>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/acrobat_iphone_app.png" align="right"> One of the more exciting developments is the new Acrobat.com mobile application which will be made available to Blackberry and iPhone users shortly. Built in conjunction with a company called <a href="http://www.scanr.com/">scanR</a>, the mobile application lets users take advantage of their mobile phone's camera to add new files to the service. After taking the photo, the app uses OCR technology to convert the image to text. How well this works is unknown at this time because the app has not yet arrived in the respective app stores. </p>

<p>The app also lets users view their files in a read-only mode, convert them to PDFs, and share them with others via fax or email. There will be two versions of the app made available - a free version and a premium offering which will allow for more PDF conversions and faxes.</p>

<p>According to Adobe, the Acrobat.com service is faring well. They already have 6 million users and add around 100,000 more each week. While a lot of users are students and SMB owners looking for a free alternative to more expensive Microsoft Office software, the company says they're also seeing the service picked up and used in small workgroups at larger companies. However, Adobe admits that they're not an enterprise play yet and they also won't reveal how many people use the premium version of the service - only that they're "happy" with the number thus far. </p>

<p>If you want to try the upgraded online suite, you can do so at <a href="http://www.acrobat.com">www.acrobat.com</a> as of tomorrow (Saturday, November 21st) at 6 AM EST.</p>]]>
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</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/adobes_upgrades_acrobatcom_launches_new_mobile_app.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/adobes_upgrades_acrobatcom_launches_new_mobile_app.php</guid>
         <category>Adobe</category>
         <pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:43:30 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Sarah Perez</author>
      </item>
      
      <item>
         <title>See Adobe AIR 2&apos;s Best New Features Demoed in 9 Sample Apps</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/adobe_air_icon.jpg">Today <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/air/2009/11/adobe_air_2_beta_now_available.html" target="_blank">Adobe released new beta versions of the company's Flash Player and AIR</a>. The Flash Player 10.1 technology now includes HTTP streaming and hardware decoding of H.264 video. The company plans to bring the updated Flash Player to mobile devices too, starting with the Palm Pre and then completing versions for other major smartphones by the first half of 2010 (with the notable exception of the iPhone, of course). </p>

<p>However, out of the two updates, it's <a href="http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/air2/" target="_blank">Adobe AIR 2</a> that received the biggest overhaul. The new runtime allows developers to create entirely new types of applications that simply weren't possible using AIR 1. What sort of apps are those? Adobe's gallery of sample apps should give you some ideas of what's to come. </p>]]>
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<![CDATA[

<h2>1. Mass Storage Detection</h2>

<p>In Adobe AIR 2, apps can now detect when a mass storage device has been inserted into the computer. That means the app can "see" your USB flash drives, external drives, and even some digital cameras. For example, developers could build an app that recognizes when your Flip camera is plugged in and lets you automatically upload videos to YouTube. </p>

<p>To demo this capability, Adobe has released FileTile, a sample app that does just this (minus the video uploading). FileTile recognizes external devices and lets you see the files and open them with their default application. </p>

<p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EEGog5buzcs&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EEGog5buzcs&amp;rel=0&amp;color1=0xb1b1b1&amp;color2=0xcfcfcf&amp;hl=en&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p>

<p><em>Download </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/filetile.air"><em>Installer</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/filetile.zip"><em>Source</em></a></p>

<h2>2. Native Process API</h2>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/searchcentral.png" align="right">The native process API allows developers to better integrate their AIR apps with existing code libraries or extend their apps using native code. With the new native process API, this can now be done without compromising the cross-platform capabilities of AIR which allows it to run on Windows, Mac, and Linux. </p>

<p>Developers using this new functionality can now deploy their apps with operating-specific installers like .exe, .dmg, .rpm, and .deb instead of an .air installer file. </p>

<p>To demonstrate the native process API, Adobe released SearchCentral, an application that taps into Mac OS X's Spotlight feature for desktop searches. It also lets you do web searches on Google and Wikipedia. </p>

<p><em>Installer</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/searchcentral.zip"><em>Source</em></a> | <a href="http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/flash/quickstart/interacting_with_native_process.html" target="_blank"><em>How to</em></a></p>

<p>Here's a video explaining in more detail how the native API works:</p>

<p><object width="425" height="256"><param name="movie" value="http://images.tv.adobe.com//swf/player.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="FlashVars" value="fileID=2571&amp;context=64&amp;embeded=true&amp;environment=production"></param><embed src="http://images.tv.adobe.com//swf/player.swf" flashvars="fileID=2571&context=64&embeded=true&environment=production" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="256"></embed></object></p>

<h2>3. Microphone Data Access</h2>

<p>Like it sounds, the microphone data access feature lets you acquire the sound data from a computer's microphone without the need of a server. For example, a developer could build a note-taking application that lets users record audio clips even when they're offline. </p>

<p>To get started, a simple app called Microphone is now available which does recording and playback with variable playback speeds supported. </p>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/microphone.jpg"></p>

<p><em>Download </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/microphone.air"><em>Installer</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/microphone.zip"><em>Source</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/flex/articles/using_mic_api.html" target="_blank"><em>How to</em></a></p>

<h2>4. Drag-and-Drop Support for Remote Files</h2>

<p>The new "file promises" feature of AIR 2 lets you drag remote files out of an AIR application. A file promise, as described by Adobe's <a href="http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/flex/articles/using_file_promises.html">Christian Cantrell</a>, is "what you put on the clipboard when you want the user to be able to drag and drop files that do not yet exist, or that exist elsewhere (not locally on your machine)." It's a <em>promise</em> to deliver a file at some point, but not an actual file. </p>

<p>For example, an app could generate a CSV file but only when a user tries to drag and drop the file. It could also refer to files on a remote server, like an FTP server. When a user grabs that remote file and pulls it into the AIR app, the app could then download the data. It even supports files accessible via a URL like those hosted on Google Sites. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, this feature is Windows and Mac only. </p>

<p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/znXCkzfMHr4&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/znXCkzfMHr4&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p>


<p>A sample app called S3E provides a graphical front-end to your Amazon S3 account to demonstrate this feature. </p>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/s3e.jpg"></p>


<p><em>Download </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/s3e.air"><em>Installer</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/s3e.zip"><em>Source</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://www.adobe.com/devnet/air/flex/articles/using_file_promises.html" target="_blank"><em>How to</em></a></p>

<h2>5. Peer-to-Peer Networking Capabilities</h2>

<p>Adobe AIR 2 also adds support for new networking capabilities including UDP, secure sockets and peer-to-peer. To demonstrate the possibilities, Adobe released KeePIPE, a javascript app that lets users on the same network share files using peer-to-peer technology. It also lets VMWare users transfer files between a virtual machine and a host computer. </p>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/keepipe.jpg"></p>

<p><em>Download </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/keepipe.air"><em>Installer</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/keepipe.zip"><em>Source</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/keepipe.txt"><em>Read me</em></a></p>

<h2>6. Multi-Touch</h2>

<p>Perhaps the most exciting enhancement in AIR 2 and in Flash Player 10.1 are the new multi-touch APIs. In Windows 7, AIR apps can respond to multi-touch and in both Windows 7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard, they can respond to gestures. </p>

<p>In this video (below), Adobe's Kevin Lynch demos a multi-touch app on an HP TouchSmart computer:</p>

<p><object width="425" height="256"><param name="movie" value="http://images.tv.adobe.com//swf/player.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="FlashVars" value="fileID=4200&amp;context=162&amp;embeded=true&amp;environment=production"></param><embed src="http://images.tv.adobe.com//swf/player.swf" flashvars="fileID=4200&context=162&embeded=true&environment=production" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="256"></embed></object></p>

<p>Obviously, Adobe is excited about this new feature, too, because they've released not one but <em>four</em> sample applications that demonstrate multi-touch in action:</p>

<ul>
  <li><strong>GeoTest</strong>: Lets you move images around the screen using a built-in physics engine. <em>Download </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/geotest.air"><em>Installer</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/geotest.zip"><em>Source</em></a> </li>
  <li><strong>PhotoPhysics</strong>: A multi-touch app with a built-in physics engine. <em>Download </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/photophysics.air"><em>Installer</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/photophysics.zip"><em>Source</em></a> </li>
  <li><strong>SpriteFract</strong>: A multi-touch app with a built-in physics engine that demonstrates a mouse-compatible, direct-manipulation interface. It also uses PixelBender to asynchronously process a large amount of geometry data. <em>Download </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/spritefract.air"><em>Installer</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/spritefract.zip"><em>Source</em></a> </li>
  <li><strong>TouchTest</strong>: Lets you drag, scale, and rotate images on the screen. <em>Download </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/touchtest.air"><em>Installer</em></a><em> | </em><a href="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/labs/air/2/b1/samples/touchtest.zip"><em>Source</em></a> </li>
</ul>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/geotest.jpg"></p>

<h2>Other Features</h2>

<p>Other features in Adobe AIR 2 include the following (courtesy of <a href="http://www.adobe.com/devnet/logged_in/rchristensen_air_2.html" target="_blank">Rob Christensen</a>):</p>

<ul>
  <li>A new API lets you open documents with its default application </li>

  <li>Global error handling </li>

  <li>Enhanced printing support, including vector printing support on Mac and new APIs to query the local machine for a list of printers or print without a dialog box. </li>

  <li>WebKit in AIR 2 is now based on the version shipped with Safari 4.0.3 which includes support for JavaScript profiling, SquirrelFish Extreme JavaScript engine performs 50% faster using SunSpider tests, CSS3 Module support (2D transformations, transitions, animations, gradients, zoom and WebKit CSS selectors), styling scrollbars via CSS and Canvas enhancements. </li>

  <li>IPv6 format addresses can now be used with all APIs that accept an IP string as input. </li>

  <li>Increased maximum size of NativeWindow: AIR 2 apps can have a window size of 4095 x 4095 where before the maximum was 2880 x 2880. </li>

  <li>DNS lookup </li>

  <li>Network interface enumeration </li>

  <li>Database transaction savepoints </li>

  <li>Screen reader support in Windows </li>

  <li>IME API and IME text input enhancement </li>

  <li>Smaller runtime installer sizes </li>

  <li>More efficient CPU usage and reduced memory size </li>
</ul>

<em><p>Adobe AIR 2 is available for download <a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/air2_download" target="_blank">here on Adobe Labs</a>. You can send Adobe feedback <a href="http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform&amp;product=102" target="_blank">here</a> or participate on the user-to-user forums <a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/air2_forums" target="_blank">here</a>.</p></em>]]>
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         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/see_adobe_air_2s_best_new_features_demoed_in_9_sample_apps.php</guid>
         <category>Adobe</category>
         <pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:05:08 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Sarah Perez</author>
      </item>
      
      <item>
         <title>Despite Layoffs, Adobe Expands Investment in E-Books</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img alt="adobe_logo_apr09.png" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/adobe_logo_apr09.png"  />Adobe <a href="http://www.techflash.com/seattle/2009/11/adobe_confirms_layoffs.html">announced</a> earlier this week that it plans to lay off almost 10% of its workforce. At the same time, though, the company also <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/digitaleditions/2009/11/adobe_expanding_investment_in_digital_publishing.html">announced</a> that it plans to expand its investment in e-books and digital publishing. Adobe is creating a new organization within the company that will focus on products for book, newspaper and magazine publishers. With Bill McCoy, however, the company is also <a href="http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2009/11/13/seattle%e2%80%99s-bill-mccoy-e-books-and-digital-distribution-expert-leaving-adobe/">losing </a>one of its most visible advocates for open e-book standards in this week's layoffs.</p>
]]>
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<![CDATA[<h2>Reorganizing Adobe's E-Book Groups</h2>

<p>This new organization within Adobe will bring together the e-book business groups that worked on the <a href="http://www.adobe.com/devnet/readermobile/">Adobe Reader Mobile SDK</a>, <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/contentserver/">Adobe Content Server</a>, <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/">Adobe Digital Editions</a>, as well as the group that worked with the New York Times on the <a href="https://timesreader.nytimes.com/">Times Reader 2.0</a>. The new group will focus on developing products and business opportunities for digital publishers. These will include support for business models like subscription, advertising and retail. </p>

<p>Sony, for example, currently <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/sony_adopts_open_but_still_drmed_format_for_ebooks.php">uses</a> Adobe's Content Server to power its DRM solution for e-books. While Sony offers its e-books in the ePub format, it also uses Adobe's Content Server to wrap a proprietary DRM solution around the open ePub format.</p>

<h2>Bill McCoy is Leaving Adobe</h2>

<p><a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/billmccoy/about.html">Bill McCoy</a> drove Adobe's push towards making ePub the default format for eBooks.  McCoy, however, is <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/billmccoy/2009/11/leaving-adobe.html">leaving</a> Adobe as part of the restructuring. We can only hope that the company will continue to push for open standards in McCoy's absence. More details about McCoy's role at Adobe can be found at <a href="http://www.teleread.org/2009/11/11/bill-mccoy-adobes-e-booker-leaving-company/">TeleRead</a>.</p>]]>
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         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/despite_layoffs_adobe_expands_investment_in_e-book.php</guid>
         <category>Adobe</category>
         <pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:05:44 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Frederic Lardinois</author>
      </item>
      
      <item>
         <title>iPhone&apos;s Flash Apps: Let the Games Begin</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img alt="flash_iphone_oct09a.jpg" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/flash_iphone_oct09a.jpg" width="150" height="150">Early this morning at the MAX 2009 Conference, <a href="http://www.adobe.com/devnet/logged_in/abansod_iphone.html">Adobe previewed Flash Professional CS5</a> and announced that the new release will let Flash developers export their files as iPhone apps. The significance of this announcement is that development time for thousands of Flash-based gaming and music companies will be cut significantly. In the past, developers have had to create separate iPhone apps and web-based tools. While this is not the Flash plugin for Safari that many have asked for, the closed-beta version of Flash Professional CS5 eliminates the need for separate iPhone development. In other words, developers avoid building their applications twice. </p>]]>
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<![CDATA[<p><img alt="flash_iphone_oct09.jpg" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/flash_iphone_oct09.jpg" width="350" height="123" align="right"><a href="http://www.lumosity.com/">Lumosity</a>, a learning games community with more than 1 million members and a Flash-based iPhone portal, is particularly excited to see the CS5 announcement. Said resident game designer Ben Katz, "We release new products every month. This is an interesting solution that Adobe's decided to pursue, and so far it looks like the transition will be smooth. Our development time will depend on whether these applications actually look and feel like native apps." </p>

<p>High-traffic Flash-based gaming communities like Lumosity, <a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/">Newgrounds</a> and <a href="http://www.popcap.com">PopCap Games</a> will be some of the first groups to utilize Flash's <a href="http://www.llvm.org/">Low Level Virtual Machine</a> compiler infrastructure. If these groups really do find the Flash customization as easy as it sounds, Adobe will be opening the floodgates to casual gaming. PopCap's titles alone have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide. With reduced development time, it will be interesting to see the fortunes amassed by gaming houses. Some of the light games that have already been created using CS5 include <a href="http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcs5/appsfor_iphone/#divider">Chroma Circuit</a>, <a href="http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/flashcs5/appsfor_iphone/#divider">Fickleblox</a> and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=331034020&mt=8">Just Letters</a>. </p>]]>
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         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/iphones_flash_apps_let_the_games_begin.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/iphones_flash_apps_let_the_games_begin.php</guid>
         <category>Adobe</category>
         <pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:04:00 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Dana Oshiro</author>
      </item>
      
      <item>
         <title>Adobe Announces Full Flash Player for BlackBerry Devices &amp; 35 Funded Flash Apps</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/flash%20logo.jpg">Tomorrow at <a href="http://max.adobe.com/">MAX</a>, Adobe's worldwide developer conference, Adobe Systems<br />
Incorporated will announce with partner <a href="http://rim.com">Research In Motion</a> (RIM) their progress in bringing Flash support to BlackBerry devices.</p>

<p>RIM, the company behind BlackBerry's wireless platform, including email and touchscreen technologies, is joining Adobe's <a href="http://www.openscreenproject.org/">Open Screen Project</a>, a 50-organization-members-strong organization that aims to promote better apps for richer mobile, television, and desktop browsing experiences for users.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=16642&amp;cb=16642' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=16642&amp;n=16642' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[<p>With this announcement, 19 out of the top 20 mobile handset manufacturers are now collaborating with Adobe to integrate Flash technology into their devices.</p>

<p>Also at MAX, Adobe and Nokia are jointly announcing the funding of more than 35 multi-screen applications as part of the Open Screen Project Fund. Several apps will be demonstrated at the show, including Twitter client <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uezgn6OJLH0">Twittle</a>, interactive map <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQZNsbUlJj0">MyFestivalGuide</a>, entertainment app <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcTFTyZkL10">SmartGrooves</a>, frequent flyer app <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sN8L1Cm4Pc">MileBlaster</a>, real-time audience feedback app <a href="http://www.livetalkback.com/">Live TalkBack</a>, and many more.</p>

<p>Adobe is also announcing support for HTTP streaming and several new mobile-ready features, including multi-touch, gestures, accelerometer, and screen orientation.</p>

<p>Flash Player 10.1 is the first consistent browser-based runtime from the Open Screen Project that offers browsing of Flash-based web apps, HD video, and other content on smartphones, netbooks, other Internet-enabled devices.</p>

<p>Flash support is also expected for several other mobile platforms, including Google Android, Symbian, Palm webOS, and Windows Mobile. A public developer beta will be available for Windows Mobile, webOS, and desktop operating systems before the end of the year. A public developer beta for Android and Symbian should be announces early in 2010, with general availability and publicly available devices coming in the first half of 2010.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<strong><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/full_flash_player_coming_to_blackberry_devices.php#comments-open">Discuss</a></strong>]]>

</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/full_flash_player_coming_to_blackberry_devices.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/full_flash_player_coming_to_blackberry_devices.php</guid>
         <category>Adobe</category>
         <pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:01:00 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Jolie O&apos;Dell</author>
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      <item>
         <title>French Officials Propose Disclaimer on Photoshopped Ads</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img alt="photoshop_france_sept09.jpg" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/photoshop_france_sept09.jpg" width="150" height="169">French member of parliament Valerie Boyer recently proposed a law to include a disclaimer at the bottom of all enhanced press, political, art and advertising-based photographs. Backed by 50 other French members of parliament, Boyer's efforts aim to reduce the instances of eating disorders across the country. While the attempt is certainly a noble one given France's influence on the fashion world, enforcing the legislation may be another story. While Boyer has already managed to pass a charter <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080409162031.bfvrkpzt&show_article=1">against inciting skinniness</a>, policing image doctoring may prove to be a much tougher task. </p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=16508&amp;cb=16508' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=16508&amp;n=16508' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[<p>According to <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idINIndia-42600920090921">Reuters</a>, if the bill passes, failing to add the disclaimer "would be punished with a fine of 37,500 euros ($54,930), or up to 50 percent of the cost of the advertisement." In the case of Fashion Week advertisements, this could add up to millions. And trust me, it's rare that any fashion, celebrity or campaign photograph hasn't been retouched unless purposely made to reveal the subject's flaws. </p>

<p><img alt="lincoln_photoshopping_sept09.jpg" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/lincoln_photoshopping_sept09.jpg" width="450" height="300" align="right">Dartmouth computer science professor and forensic imaging specialist Hany Farid is convinced that photo manipulation isn't just a 20th century phenomenon as employed <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/microsofts_photoshop_blunder_racist_or_shortsighte.php">in a Polish Microsoft ad</a> last month, but rather something that has existed since at least the 1860's. He cites an <a href="http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/">image of Lincoln</a> as being a composite of the President and of another politician's body. </p>

<p>Says Farid in a recent issue of the <a href="http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/computing/software/seeing-is-not-believing">IEEE Spectrum</a>, "Even as experts continue to develop techniques for exposing photographic frauds, new techniques for creating better and harder-to-detect fakes are also evolving. As in the battle against spam and computer viruses, it seems inevitable that the arms race between the forger and the forensic analyst will continue to escalate, with no clear victor."</p>

<p>Farid points to abnormalities in <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantization_matrix#Quantization_matrices">quantization</a> (or image compression) and multiple points of light as telltale signs of image tampering. As services like <a href="http://www.picnik.com/">Picnik</a> and <a href="http://fotoflexer.com/">Fotoflexer</a> continue to power the editing features in common photo sharing sites like <a href="http://flickr.com">Flickr</a>, <a href="http://photobucket.com">Photobucket</a> and <a href="http://picasa.google.com/">Picasa</a>, it will be interesting to see how many forgeries are actually detected should the law pass. </p>

<p><em><small>Photo Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/artcomments/">Art Comments</a> (Lead Image), <a href="http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/">Hany Farid's "Photo Tampering Through History" (Inset)</em></small></p>]]>
<![CDATA[<strong><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/french_propose_disclaimer_on_photoshopped_ads.php#comments-open">Discuss</a></strong>]]>

</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/french_propose_disclaimer_on_photoshopped_ads.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/french_propose_disclaimer_on_photoshopped_ads.php</guid>
         <category>Google</category>
         <pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:42:14 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Dana Oshiro</author>
      </item>
      
      <item>
         <title>Are You Over AIR Applications?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/adobe_air_icon.jpg">When Adobe AIR was first released, <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_best_things_about_adobe_air.php">we were in love</a>. These glorious rich internet applications let us interact with web services outside our browser. In many ways, AIR apps were revolutionary. More complex than simple desktop widgets, these programs delivered the web to us in beautiful little packages. <font style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;"><script type="text/javascript">
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/are_you_over_air_applications.php';
tweetmeme_source = 'rww';
</script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js"></script></font>Almost immediately, we were <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/some_adobe_air_apps_worth_a_look.php">updating Twitter, streaming video</a>, <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_adobe_air_apps_bloggers_will_love.php">reading feeds, editing photos</a>, and so much more using various apps built for this new platform. </p>

<p>But recently, we've begun to question AIR's longevity. Now don't get us wrong - many of our favorite apps <em>(TweetDeck, Tumbleweed, Yammer, etc.)</em> are built using Adobe AIR. However, there's no reason why these apps couldn't just run in a browser instead...and that might even be a better place for them.&#160; </p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=15693&amp;cb=15693' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=15693&amp;n=15693' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[

<h2>Twitter on AIR</h2>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/tweetdeck_logo_jun09.png" align="left">When we think about AIR apps today, one of the top apps that comes to mind is <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com">TweetDeck</a>, the multi-columned Twitter application which includes much sought-after features not built into Twitter.com's own web site such as groups, photo-sharing, and saved searches. Yet despite everything we love about TweetDeck, we wonder why it can't exist simply as an online application. What purpose does running TweetDeck in Adobe AIR serve? It's not AIR's cross-platform abilities - after all, web browsers are the original cross-platform apps -and it's not that AIR is notably faster than an online version either. Probably the only reason for TweetDeck on AIR is that when the app was first built, AIR was the hot new thing. Now that the company has settled on the platform, they're just sticking with it. </p>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/seesmic_logo_jul09.png" align="right">Yet on the flip side, another popular Twitter client and originally an AIR-only app has gone the other direction. TweetDeck competitor <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/seesmic_launches_web-based_twitter_client_and_new_version_of_desktop.php">Seesmic</a>, once solely an Adobe AIR desktop application, is now offering <a href="http://seesmic.com/">a web-based version</a>. Not only is the online app more than functional, it's also being lauded as "<a href="http://www.louisgray.com/live/2009/07/seesmics-web-offering-is-best-twitter.html">the best Twitter browser interface yet</a>." More importantly, it goes to show that you don't need a desktop application to have a speedy, pretty, and useful app. </p>

<h2>Streaming Video: Yeah, We Can Do that Online</h2>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/desktube.jpg" align="left">Outside of the Twittersphere, other AIR apps on our radar in the past have included video-streaming programs like <a href="http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/marketplace/index.cfm?event=marketplace.offering&amp;marketplaceid=1&amp;offeringid=10286">Adobe Media Player</a>, <a href="http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/marketplace/index.cfm?event=marketplace.offering&amp;marketplaceid=1&amp;offeringid=10023">AOL Top 100 Videos</a>, and the YouTube-streaming <a href="http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/marketplace/index.cfm?event=marketplace.offering&amp;offeringID=10055">DeskTube</a>. Incidentally, today DeskTube is launching a new beta of their application, claiming "performance improvements" that now make their player "netbook-ready." </p>

<p>This immediately got us thinking: <em>why do we need netbook-ready AIR applications?</em> Maybe I don't speak for everyone, but my netbook is currently running XP and the only "app" I've installed is Google Chrome. With this fast, lightweight web browser and its pop-out tabs, desktop apps all of sudden seem so passé. </p>

<p>Besides what does DeskTube do (or any of these video-streaming AIR apps for that matter) that the web cannot? In DeskTube's case, in addition to playing YouTube videos, it includes a search feature, top video lists, a built-in uploader, and it lets you share videos via <a href="http://twitter.com">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://facebook.com">Facebook</a>. All those things can be done via YouTube.com right now, so what's the benefit of AIR? </p>

<h2>Is the Future RIAs or Just Better Browsers?</h2>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/chrome_and_chromium.jpg" align="right"><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_best_things_about_adobe_air.php">Adobe AIR launched</a> back in February of 2008, a time when browsers seemed either hopelessly out-of-date (IE7) or bloated with a plethora of add-ons (Firefox). We saw these little internet apps that could sit on our desktop connecting us to web services as truly amazing creations. But then in September, <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/chrome_test_it_with_us_live.php">Google launched their Chrome browser</a> and nothing has been the same since. </p>

<p>At first, we railed against <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/chrome_to_get_extensions_just.php">Chrome's lack of extensions</a> and lack of support for RSS among other things, but after a while<em> (and once we filled up our bookmark bar with </em><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/make_add-ons_for_google_chrome.php"><em>add-on like bookmarklets</em></a><em>),</em> we got over it. Surprisingly, you can live quite well without loading down your browser with extensions. In fact, the only thing that Chrome desperately needs is a Mac version so our non-PC friends can dump the open-source <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_to_install_chrome_and_chromium_side-by-side.php">Chromium</a> and use the real thing.</p>

<p>You see, once you "go Chrome" it's hard to switch back. As much as we fear handing yet another bit of our online life to Google, Chrome is where it's at now. Firefox now seems heavy and so much slower than before. Instead, we're popping out tabs to watch sites like <a href="http://www.friendfeed.com">FriendFeed</a> and <a href="http://www.twitscoop.com/">Twitscoop</a> update in real-time. We're switching from online mode to offline courtesy of Google Gears in our Gmail and Calendar. And we're wondering why on earth we need another AIR app. </p>

<p>Today, AIR almost seems like a stop-gap between the heavy web browsers of the past and the speedy WebKit-powered browsers of the future...browsers like Chrome and whatever else comes next. </p>]]>
<![CDATA[<strong><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/are_you_over_air_applications.php#comments-open">Discuss</a></strong>]]>

</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/are_you_over_air_applications.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/are_you_over_air_applications.php</guid>
         <category>Trends</category>
         <pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:57:54 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Sarah Perez</author>
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      <item>
         <title>Flash Comes to the Living Room</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img alt="adobe_logo_apr09.png" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/adobe_logo_apr09.png"  /><a href="http://adobe.com">Adobe</a> today <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&amp;newsId=20090419005024&amp;newsLang=en">announced</a> that it has partnered with a number of prominent content creators and hardware manufacturers to bring its <a href="http://www.adobe.com/flashplatform/">Flash platform </a>to the living room. As a part of this initiative, Adobe will release a new version of Flash that will be optimized to run on set-top boxes, Internet-enabled TVs, and Blu-ray players. Among Adobe's partners are Broadcom, Comcast, Intel, Netflix, The New York Times Company, and Disney. The company expects that these companies will release the first Flash-enabled devices in the second half of 2009.</p>
]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=14714&amp;cb=14714' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=14714&amp;n=14714' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h2>Competition from Yahoo and Microsoft</h2>

<p>Adobe, of course, isn't alone in trying to make a push for the living room. Microsoft is also trying to aim for the same market with its <a href="http://silverlight.net/themes/silverlight/common/home.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1">Silverlight </a>platform. Although Silverlight has been used to power some high-profile events lately, including NBC's Olympics site, it is still only a minor player in the overall market. </p>

<p>Last August, Intel and Yahoo also <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/yahoo_wants_to_bring_the_inter.php">announced an initiative</a> to bring Yahoo widgets to TVs. Even though other vendors like Verizon already <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/verizon_unveils_their_vision_for_the_web-connected.php">offer some widgets</a> on their set-top boxes, these solutions are often too clunky to be really useful.</p>

<p>Similar to Silverlight, the new Adobe platform will not just focus on widgets, however. Adobe also plans to give content creators the ability to stream HD video directly to these devices. </p>

<p>Interestingly, Netflix, which currently uses Silverlight to power its browser-based players, is also among Adobe's launch partners.</p>

<h2>Can Flash Succeed Where Others Have Failed?</h2>

<p>Interactive TV has long held a lot of promise, but the idea never really caught on with consumers. Flash, however, may be able to change this. Adobe can rely on a dedicated group of third-party developers who will only have to make minor changes to their programs to make them run on these Flash-enabled devices. </p>

<p>Hopefully, Adobe will create an App Store-like experience that will allow developers to promote their apps and allow consumers the ability to pick and choose widgets for their TVs.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<strong><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/flash_comes_to_the_living_room.php#comments-open">Discuss</a></strong>]]>

</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/flash_comes_to_the_living_room.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/flash_comes_to_the_living_room.php</guid>
         <category>Adobe</category>
         <pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:45:13 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Frederic Lardinois</author>
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      <item>
         <title>FoxIt PDF Reader Security Patches Now Available</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/foxit-logo-mar09.png" width="108" height="55" /><a href="http://www.foxitsoftware.com/">FoxIt Software</a>, makers of the popular free alternative PDF reader, <a href="http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/reader-interstitial.html">FoxIt Reader</a>, announced patches for three public vulnerabilities that were discovered in the past few weeks. With all the <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/a_new_twist_to_the_adobe_vulnerability.php">press attention</a> focused on Adobe's <a href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/">Acrobat PDF reader</a>, it may have gone somewhat overlooked that FoxIt Reader also had some weaknesses. In this case, FoxIt has managed to get the jump on Adobe as well, releasing their patches first.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=14172&amp;cb=14172' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=14172&amp;n=14172' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[<p>FoxIt Software has provided the free, lightweight alternative PDF reader application since 2001. They have made a name for themselves by providing a product that is not only fully compatible with the Acrobat PDF format, but also with a small disk and memory footprint while doing so. They have carried this philosophy over to their mobile offerings as well, providing complete PDF viewers for Windows Mobile and other embedded operating systems.</p>

<p>Their premier product has had its own share of exploits over the years, which are not necessarily the same as the vulnerabilities that Adobe's Acrobat Reader has faced. Computerworld Magazine's security blog <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9129264">reports</a> that the current FoxIt Reader vulnerabilities are different here:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>The Foxit and Adobe bugs are unrelated, however, except for the fact that they are both in the code that parses JBIG2 images, said Thomas Kristensen, chief technology officer at Secunia, the Danish company that reported the flaw to Foxit. &quot;It is a completely different vulnerability related to JBIG2,&quot; Kristensen said in an e-mail today.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/reader-interstitial.html">FoxIt Reader</a> has an integrated update system, so current users should be able to get the latest update automatically, or via the <strong>Check For Updates Now</strong> link in the <strong>Help</strong> pull-down menu. The patch details are <a href="http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/security.htm">also available</a> from FoxIt directly.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<strong><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/foxit_pdf_reader_security_patches_now_available.php#comments-open">Discuss</a></strong>]]>

</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/foxit_pdf_reader_security_patches_now_available.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/foxit_pdf_reader_security_patches_now_available.php</guid>
         <category>News</category>
         <pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:40:00 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Phil Glockner</author>
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      <item>
         <title>A New Twist to the Adobe Vulnerability </title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img alt="reader_mar_09.jpg" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/reader_mar_09.jpg" width="86" height="86" />If you think it is safe to download PDF documents and view them once <a href="http://www.adobe.com/">Adobe</a> finally releases its patch next week, think again. Didier Stevens, an IT security consultant last week <a href="http://blog.didierstevens.com/2009/03/04/quickpost-jbig2decode-trigger-trio/">demonstrated</a> that simply viewing the folder containing compromised PDF documents within <a href="http://www.microsoft.com">Microsoft'</a>s Windows Explorer is enough to launch the exploit.<br />
 <br />
It appears that this is due to Adobe's shell extension for Windows Explorer which allows the malicious code to be invoked in three ways; when hovering over a PDF document, single clicking on a PDF document, or viewing the thumbnail.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=14141&amp;cb=14141' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=14141&amp;n=14141' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[<p><a href="http://get.adobe.com/reader/">Adobe Acrobat Reader</a> installs a <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb776831(VS.85).aspx">shell extension</a>, which is code that is executed by Explorer to retrieve metadata (from a PDF file in this instance).  The Adobe shell extension adds this extra data so that users can see details about a file at a glance in Windows Explorer.  Details such as Title, Author, Subject, Size and thumbnail image; details that typically occur in tooltips.</p>

<p><img alt="adobe1_mar_09.jpg" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/adobe1_mar_09.jpg" width="220" height="274" /></p>

<p><img alt="adobe2_mar_09.jpg" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/adobe2_mar_09.jpg" width="478" height="157" /></p>

<p>Stevens created a PDF which exploits the vulnerability not within the main document information, but rather, its metadata.  Using this technique, he was able to crash Windows Explorer by doing the following:</p>

<ol><li>Selecting a vulnerable PDF document within the folder</li><li>Viewing thumbnails of a folder containing a vulnerable PDF document.</li><li>Hovering the mouse over a vulnerable PDF document</li></ol>

<p>"Under the right circumstances, a Windows Explorer Shell Extension will read the PDF document to provide extra information, and in doing so, it will execute the buggy code and trigger the vulnerability. Just like it would when you would explicitly open the document," Stevens explained.  </p>

<p>Stevens proof of concept caused Explorer to crash, however, someone with dubious intentions can exploit the vulnerability to potentially do anything they like on your system.  </p>

<p>Adobe <a href="http://www.adobe.com/support/security/advisories/apsa09-01.html">acknowledged</a> this vulnerability in all versions of Adobe Reader on February 19, 2009 and categorized it as a critical issue.  An update is expected next week for Reader 9 and Acrobat 9.  </p>

<p>Unfortunately, Adobe's advice to disable JavaScript is useless when it comes to this new twist and therefore we recommend you take John Paczkowski's advice from a few weeks ago: <a href="http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090220/heres-a-patch-for-you-adobe-acrobatuninstallexe/">Adobe\Acrobat\Uninstall.exe</a></p>

<p>Note: Stevens has produced a short video showing how these vulnerabilities can be triggered; we've embedded it below.</p>

<p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2poufBYBBoo&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2poufBYBBoo&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p>]]>
<![CDATA[<strong><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/a_new_twist_to_the_adobe_vulnerability.php#comments-open">Discuss</a></strong>]]>

</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/a_new_twist_to_the_adobe_vulnerability.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/a_new_twist_to_the_adobe_vulnerability.php</guid>
         <category>Adobe</category>
         <pubDate>Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:14:18 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Lidija Davis</author>
      </item>
      
      <item>
         <title>Share RSS Feeds via AIR with ShareFire</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<img alt="sharefire_logo_revised_mar09.png" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/sharefire_logo_revised_mar09.png" width="209" height="74" class="mt-image-none" style="" />

<p>When reading your RSS feeds, do you prefer a local application versus one that is online-only? If so, look no further than <a href="http://www.sharefirereader.com/">ShareFire</a>.  Besides being platform-independent (courtesy of <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/air/">Adobe Air</a>), it is also completely free and open-source. It was created with article sharing in mind, as its name implies.  According to its creators, Christian Cantrell and Dan Koestler, this was a priority.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=14041&amp;cb=14041' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=14041&amp;n=14041' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[<p>ShareFire supports sharing stories to <a href="http://www.aim.com">AIM</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com">Twitter</a> and email, and posting articles to many services including <a href="http://del.icio.us">Delicious</a>, <a href="http://digg.com">Digg</a>, <a href="http://myspace.com">MySpace </a>and <a href="http://favorites.live.com/">Windows Live Bookmarks</a> (now called <em>favorites</em>).</p>

<img alt="sharefire_mar09.jpg" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/sharefire_mar09.jpg" width="581" height="450" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" />

<p>Additional features include a keyword-based notification system (which they call Smart Topics), posts arranged by topic, a switchable viewer between RSS and live web, and support for over a dozen foreign languages!  You can also easily import and export OPML files you have generated from other utilities such as <a href="http://reader.google.com">Google Reader</a> or <a href="http://toluu.com">Toluu</a>.</p>

<p>We found ShareFire to be on-par with other standalone feed readers when it comes to displaying and managing feeds.  However, its built-in sharing links make it a cut above most basic readers and the alert system for keywords could come in very useful.  One bug we did notice is that lack of any way of deleting a Smart Topic once created, and its somewhat heavy memory usage, even with only a few feeds in the queue.</p>

<div style="text-align: center;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HAInM2t25s0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HAInM2t25s0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>

<p>More information can be found on Adobe's Air blog <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/air/2009/02/share_news_with_sharefire.html">here</a>.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<strong><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/sharefire_an_adobe_air-based_o.php#comments-open">Discuss</a></strong>]]>

</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/sharefire_an_adobe_air-based_o.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/sharefire_an_adobe_air-based_o.php</guid>
         <category>RSS &amp; Feed Management</category>
         <pubDate>Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:20:00 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Phil Glockner</author>
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         <title>Queued: An Adobe AIR App for Netflix</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/queued.png"><a href="http://www.netflix.com">Netflix</a> lovers out there, rejoice! You can now manage your Netflix queue right from your desktop using a new Adobe AIR application called <a href="http://www.sitepen.com/labs/queued/">Queued</a>. Created as a demonstration of how AIR and the <a href="http://dojotoolkit.org/">Dojo Toolkit</a> can be used together to create rich hybrid applications, Queued is open-source, BSD-licensed software. Although the point for Queued's existence may have be to demo different types of technology, the end result is definitely something we all can enjoy.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=13900&amp;cb=13900' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=13900&amp;n=13900' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[

<h2>Introducing Queued</h2>

<p>With <a href="http://www.sitepen.com/labs/queued/">Queued</a>, you can quickly access and modify your Netflix queue from your desktop, search for movies to add to your queue, rate movies, and you can even use the app to launch and view Instant Watch movies. </p>

<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="topMoviesTop25.png" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/topMoviesTop25.png" width="599" height="475" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></span>

<p>Since Adobe AIR lets the app run in the background, you can leave it running until you need it and when you return, there's no need to launch a browser and sign into Netflix - it's all right there for you. The app also alerts you when Netflix ships one of your movies so you know what's coming. And with AIR's offline capabilities, Queued lets you interact with it even when you have no internet connection. When the connection returns, your data will be automatically synced back to Netflix. </p>

<h2>The Technical Details</h2>

<p>On the Dojo side, the app uses a single HTML file for the main window, <a href="http://www.sitepen.com/labs/dair/">dAIR</a> for Dojo/AIR integration, dijit for layout, unobtrusive behavior implementation using <code>dojo.behavior</code>, <code>dojox.dtl</code> for most widget templating, drag and drop for queue re-ordering, various animations for polish, and Dojo's build system. </p>

<p>On the AIR side, the app implements some of Adobe AIR's newest features including a local database, encrypted local storage, view source capability, automatic updates, and offline capability. </p>

<h2>Go Get It!</h2>

<p>The source code is available on <a href="http://code.google.com/p/queued">Google code</a> and the app itself is available for download from <a href="http://www.sitepen.com/labs/queued/">SitePen's web site</a>, as they were the creators of the software. </p>

<p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pK_c6gbkuMo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pK_c6gbkuMo&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p>]]>
<![CDATA[<strong><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/queued_an_adobe_air_app_for_netflix.php#comments-open">Discuss</a></strong>]]>

</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/queued_an_adobe_air_app_for_netflix.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/queued_an_adobe_air_app_for_netflix.php</guid>
         <category>Adobe</category>
         <pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:21:29 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Sarah Perez</author>
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      <item>
         <title>FriendDeck: Now an Adobe AIR App for Tracking FriendFeed</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/FriendDeck_logo.png">Last week <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/frienddeck_a_friendfeed_search_tool.php">we introduced you to FriendDeck</a>, a new online application that lets you monitor <a href="http://friendfeed.com">FriendFeed</a> in a way that's very similar to how the Adobe AIR app, <a href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/">TweetDeck</a>, monitors <a href="http://twitter.com">Twitter</a>. Within <a href="http://www.frienddeck.com/">FriendDeck's</a> columns, you can track FriendFeed searches, users, friends, lists, rooms, and more. </p>


<p>Recently, <a href="http://www.frienddeck.com/">FriendDeck</a> developer Paul Kinlan released <a href="http://www.frienddeck.com/Download">an Adobe AIR application</a> of his FriendFeed tracking tool. Although still rough around the edges, this app has potential to become a viable alternative interface to FriendFeed for the service's heaviest users. </p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=13550&amp;cb=13550' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=13550&amp;n=13550' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[

<h2>FriendDeck's AIR App: Still Early, Could be Awesome</h2>


<p>One of the best features of <a href="http://www.frienddeck.com/Download">the new AIR application</a> is how it syncs with <a href="http://frienddeck.com/">the online version of FriendDeck</a>. That means whatever changes you make within FriendDeck on the web show up in the desktop application and vice versa<em>.(Side note: how we wish TweetDeck did this!)</em></p>

<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="frienddeck_001.png" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/frienddeck_001.png" width="595" height="382" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></span>

<p>But let's be clear. The Adobe AIR version of FriendDeck still needs a lot of work. The slider bars are hard to see, the columns can't be moved around, "un-like" didn't work in the first version we tested, pictures don't show along with posts, and performing searches requires the use of specific query syntax, like "<strong>friends:username." </strong>That last bit practically requires you to use a cheat sheet when building your columns. (For search query syntax, see <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/frienddeck_a_friendfeed_search_tool.php">the list provided here</a>.)</p>

<p>Yet despite these problems - all of which are being addressed according to the developer - I still can't get enough of <a href="http://www.frienddeck.com/">FriendDeck</a>. Why? It's simple: FriendDeck gives me an eagle-eye view of the topics I care about on FriendFeed. Using the app, I can see <u>a lot more information</u> with a glance than when I use the FriendFeed web site itself.</p>

<h2>Use FriendDeck to Follow Your Lists, Rooms, and Searches&#160; </h2>

<p>There are a couple of ways you can use FriendDeck. For me, a compulsion to organize things into groups has led to the creation of over 30 lists for tracking specific topical areas outside of my "home" feed. I don't check each list daily, but it's nice to have them there. I doubt that anyone else has embarked on such madness, but even if you have only a few <a href="http://friendfeed.com/about/help#friendlists">lists</a>, like "Favorites" or "Personal", you can add them to the FriendDeck application by typing in <strong>"list:list_name"</strong> (where, obviously, "list_name" is the name of your list). </p>

<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="frienddeck_searches.png" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/frienddeck_searches.png" width="599" height="32" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></span>

<p>Similarly, if you're less inclined to use lists and more inclined to track items by keyword, you can instead just type in the word or words you want to track in the search box. For <a href="http://friendfeed.com/about/help#rooms">rooms</a>, you would just type "<strong>room:room_name." </strong></p>

<h2>Use FriendDeck as a More Advanced Feed Reader</h2>

<p>Another great way to use <a href="http://www.frienddeck.com/Download">FriendDeck</a> has to do with one of the biggest secrets surrounding FriendFeed itself: <em>you don't have to participate to use the service</em>. Although community members will tell you this goes against what FriendFeed is all about, it's true. If you're the kind of person who could care less about "liking" items or leaving comments on the latest internet meme, you can alternately use FriendFeed as an aggregator on topics you want to track, no participation required. Instead, FriendFeed can simply become the framework you use to build the feed reader of the future: an aggregator which lets you follow much more than RSS feeds alone. </p>

<p>For example, take any subject about which you're passionate. You could build <a href="http://friendfeed.com/about/help#rooms">a private FriendFeed room</a> that you fill with blogs, news sites, Twitter searches, Google searches, well-known Twitter users who post on this subject, and more. Within one interface, you can track it all. This is a million times better than <em>just</em> following blogs in an RSS reader or <em>just</em> tracking Twitter posts using Twitter's search engine because you're not limited to RSS alone.</p>

<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="friendfeed_rooms.png" src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/friendfeed_rooms.png" width="597" height="36" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></span>

<p>You can share these rooms with others either by making them public or by inviting select users - like your colleagues - to join. Alternately, you can keep them completely private and only for your personal use. </p>

<p>You can then add these personalized rooms into FriendDeck by typing in <strong>"room:room_name"</strong> and soon you'll have one single application that tracks <strong>everything</strong> <strong>you care about on the internet </strong>- from blogs posts to tweets and so much more. And it's all in one window. </p>

<h2>Too Complicated?</h2>

<p>In explaining how <a href="http://www.frienddeck.com/">FriendDeck</a> works, it occurs to us that it may sound a bit complicated for the average user. That may be true, but then again, <a href="http://friendfeed.com">FriendFeed</a> itself is an application that requires a lot of explanation, too. It's also quite possible that FriendFeed and FriendDeck will never cross over into "regular user" territory. That's OK, though. For anyone who has learned how to use FriendFeed - <em>really</em> use FriendFeed - applications like <a href="http://www.frienddeck.com/">FriendDeck</a> will hold appeal, despite their complications. </p>

<p>It's still far too early to call FriendDeck a complete success or failure, but it's not too early to use it. If you're geeky enough to learn its quirks, you may find the <a href="http://www.frienddeck.com/Download">FriendFeed desktop application</a> you've been waiting for. If not, then feel free to return to your browser. </p>]]>
<![CDATA[<strong><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/frienddeck_now_an_adobe_air_ap.php#comments-open">Discuss</a></strong>]]>

</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/frienddeck_now_an_adobe_air_ap.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/frienddeck_now_an_adobe_air_ap.php</guid>
         <category>Products</category>
         <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jan 2009 08:20:24 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Sarah Perez</author>
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      <item>
         <title>New from Cynapse: Activity Streams on the Company Desktop</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/desktop-default.jpg">The <a href="http://cyn.in/explore/cynin-desktop-client">cyn.in desktop client</a> from a company called <a href="http://www.cynapse.com">Cynapse</a> is a new application that brings microblogging to the corporate desktop. Powered by Adobe AIR, the client is intended to improve collaboration between teams through its real-time "Activity Stream" of events which makes communication quick and easy.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=13030&amp;cb=13030' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=13030&amp;n=13030' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[

<p>If you're thinking cyn.in's desktop client is just another Twitter clone for the enterprise, think again. The software is designed to integrate with the company's group collaboration suite which includes wikis, blogs, and file repositories. When an item on one of those sites is updated, everyone is alerted through the desktop client. These aren't personal <em>tweets </em>- they're <em>notifications</em>.</p>

<p>What's even better is that you can click on the notification in the Activity Stream to see all the relevant details. If the item was an image, for example, you can preview it or download the original. For blog posts and wiki pages, you can click to read the item that was updated. Plus, you can download any files that have been added straight from the Activity Stream to your desktop. </p>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/desktop-view-image.jpg"></p>

<p>However, the cyn.in desktop client isn't just about automated notifications - it allows for those personal updates, too. But this is the enterprise, mind you, so we're not calling them "tweets" here - they are "status updates" instead. Guided by the prompt<em> "What are you doing?"</em> anyone can quickly set their status update which is then sent into the Activity Stream to update everyone else. </p>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/tn-desktop-instant-comments.jpg" align="right">Taking a page from <a href="http://jaiku.com">Jaiku's</a> book, the client also includes a threaded discussions feature. Any item in the stream can be commented on whether it's an automated update or a personal status update. The replies can be viewed in a pop-up sidebar to the right of the original Activity Stream, just as with photos, wikis, and blog updates. Like <a href="http://www.friendfeed.com">FriendFeed</a>, when someone comments on an item, that item bubbles up to the top so everyone is immediately alerted. </p>

<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/tn-desktop-search.jpg" align="right">As any Twitter user could tell you, no microblogging product would be complete without search, and cyn.in is no exception. When you need to find something that had been posted before and has since fallen off the page, you can enter in a query straight into the desktop client itself. The results returned are ranked for you according to the percentage match and you can scroll through them just as you can with the Activity Stream. </p>

<p>The cyn.in client is beautiful implementation of how microblogging could (and perhaps should) work for businesses, but it's the client's integration with the <a href="http://cyn.in/">cyn.in team collaboration suite</a> that makes it so worthwhile. Of course, the decision to move away from your company's current collaboration suite is not one to be made lightly, so you should review the suite's features before deciding if it's right for you. </p>

<p>Other enterprise microblogging clients include <a href="http://www.yammer.com/">Yammer</a>, <a href="http://www.presentlyapp.com/">Present.ly</a>, and <a href="http://statushq.com/">Status</a>, but none offer an integrated collaboration suite, too. Cyn.in is <a href="http://cyn.in/get-cynin/download-cynin-open-source">open source</a>, but it can also be purchased as a <a href="http://cyn.in/get-cynin/get-cynin-on-demand">hosted service</a> or as an <a href="http://cyn.in/get-cynin/buy-cynin-enterprise-appliance">enterprise appliance</a>.</p>

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</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/new_from_cynapse_activity_streams_on_the_company_desktop.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/new_from_cynapse_activity_streams_on_the_company_desktop.php</guid>
         <category>Products</category>
         <pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:28:50 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Sarah Perez</author>
      </item>
      
      <item>
         <title>Adobe Experimenting With Semantic Autogeneration of 3D Worlds</title>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.readwriteweb.com/images/adobe_logo.jpg">A grainy video has <a href="http://blogs.adobe.com/rufus/2008/12/adobe_max_2008_milan_infinite.html">just become available</a> from the Adobe Max conference in Milan, Italy last month of a sneak peek at a new experiment called <em>Infinite Images</em>.  </p>

<p>The project is so cool we couldn't help but post about it, even though very little about it is known yet.</p>]]>
<![CDATA[<p align="right"><em>Sponsor</em><br /><a href='http://d1.openx.org/ck.php?n=12909&amp;cb=12909' target='_blank'><img src='http://d1.openx.org/avw.php?zoneid=11205&amp;cb=12909&amp;n=12909' border='0' alt='' align="right" /></a></p>]]>

<![CDATA[<p>Infinite Images takes any collection of tagged images, not necessarily from the same location at all, and stitches them together in 3D by analyzing their composition and the semantics of their tags ("sky" is above "ground," for example).  Microsoft's <a href="http://photosynth.net">PhotoSynth</a> is cool, but this is much cooler.</p>

<p>The results can be an imaginary panorama made up of a logically combined set of images from different photos, or a zoomable 3D world reminiscent of game rendering engine output but built out of photos uploaded to the system.  </p>

<p>Designate one image as the front of a zoomable space and another the back and Infinite Images can assemble a whole continuous landscape between them.</p>

<p>Check out this video demonstration below.  The action starts at about 1:00 in.  We're not sure what kinds of use cases this might lead to, but it's very exciting.  It's just one more example of the kinds of exciting things that can be done with semantic data; who knows what people will think up next?</p>

<center><object width="610" height="493"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QxNx2OyeCHA&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QxNx2OyeCHA&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="610" height="493"></embed></object></center>
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</description>
         <link>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/adobe_experimenting_with_semantic_3d_worlds.php</link>
         <guid>http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/adobe_experimenting_with_semantic_3d_worlds.php</guid>
         <category>Adobe</category>
         <pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:23:00 -0800</pubDate>
<author>Marshall Kirkpatrick</author>
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