ADOBE AIR.....The next "cool" WEB 2.0 tool

CIO magazine posted an article about the Web 2.0 Expo Conference and what items were a big hit. The article goes on to detail about how

Adobe had its hand in a couple announcements concerning big consumer Internet brands at the conference this week. The first concerned Facebook and its ecosystem of developers who utilize Adobe Flash. Flash is a technology that enables applications and websites to become more animated, helping add features like online video. People who develop third-party applications for Facebook that users install on their Facebook pages make use of Flash (around 12 of the top 20 Facebook applications have Flash).

I did a little more digging into this ADOBE AIR product, turn out the runtme engine allows

developers use proven web technologies to build rich Internet applications that run outside the browser on multiple operating systems.

This means that application developers can create systems that can operate offline and then activate further functionality or upload data when an active Internet connection becomes available.

This is good news is for businesses. They can establish a more persistent connection with existing customers by

* Deliver fully branded experiences with desktop functionality
* Leverage existing personnel, processes, and infrastructure
* Develop and deliver RIAs efficiently using proven Adobe technology
* Increase the ROI of your web investments

In other word consumers can place orders for items, search company catalogs, and perform other task that usually require a constant internet connection without being connected.

This can save millions of dollars in overhead, reduce the need to allow employees to have connection to the internet or use an internet browser. This also reduces security overhead and the use of firewall software. The benefits can go on and on. In the end this could mean goodbye to Internet Explorer and Firefox on company desktops.