Adobe is today pushing updates to its application development software product Flash Builder and the open source Flex framework to enable developers to build apps for iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry PlayBook, following support for the Android platform (added last April).
Developers can now opt to use Adobe’s platform to build apps that work across the Web, the desktop and a range of tablets and smartphones, with the ability to reuse most or all of their existing code and use common logic across all platforms.
The new version of Flash Builder (4.5) and Flex (also 4.5) are offered as stand-alone products or as part of Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium and Master Collection. Also, Flash Builder 4.5 for PHP today supports mobile application development for Android, BlackBerry PlayBook and iOS.
The release of the software updates accompanies the company’s announcement of the Adobe Digital Enterprise Platform, which it bills as an “open, standards-based platform for delivering engaging digital solutions across social, Web, mobile, and print channels”.
Using the new Flash Builder, developers can create Flex and ActionScript applications and deploy them using Adobe AIR software, which Adobe reckons will be supported by over 200 million mobile devices by the end of this year. Needless to say, this is a way for developers to work around Apple’s no-Flash restrictions when it comes to building apps for iOS devices.
Last week, the company released the Adobe AIR 2.7 SDK and runtimes. Notably, Adobe at the time of the release said it would be dropped support for Linux to focus on mobile platforms.
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Flash Builder 4.5 Standard will set you back $249, while the premium version of the product costs $699 – upgrade pricing for Flash Builder 4.5 is $49.
Flex 4.5 is available as a free open source framework.
You can find some example applications built with the new software in Adobe’s blog post.
