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Flash 11 and AIR 3 landing tonight and delivering 7.1 surround sound to connected home theaters
Later tonight Adobe Flash 11 and AIR 3 will hit the tubes delivering with it a host of new features, including hardware acceleration for 2D and 3D graphics -- at least for desktops. Stage 3D support will be added to the mobile variants for Android, iOS and BlackBerry at a later date. AIR 3 will also be sprucing up connected entertainment devices, like Samsung SmartTVs, with the ability to deliver Flash-based games and content to your home theater system. What's more, Adobe has baked in support for both Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound. That means both 5.1 and 7.1 sound can be built into an AIR app, whether it be a game or streaming video, and pumped out at up to 512Kbps though your Blu-ray player or other connected theater component. For more, including a demo of a Flash app on a phone and a TV communicating, check out the trio of press releases and video after the break.
Adobe promises console quality games on iOS with new Air 3
Adobe has announced version 3 of its Air cross-platform development runtime is out now, and the company says it will allow developers to use Flash, Actionscript, JavaScript, and other technologies to create what are essentially console-quality 2D and 3D games for the web, and even iOS. While Flash doesn't yet work on iOS, Adobe Air works on iOS, Mac, Windows, and a few other compatible platforms. The new version of the development kit, in addition with Flash 11, will be able to build out some pretty good-looking games, and run rather powerful applications. I use TweetDeck on my Mac, which is built with Adobe Air, and even the popular iPad game Machinarium was created with the Air technology. Traditionalists may scoff (and, of course, the reason Flash isn't on the iPad or iPhone is because performance still isn't where it needs to be), but truthfully, the more options developers have for making great apps on Apple's platform, the better for us users.
Adobe's launching Flash Player 11, Air 3 bringing HD video and 3D gaming to all
While we've had access to Adobe's Flash Player 11 in beta form for months, the company announced it will finally get official, along with Air 3, next month. Among the many new features included are support for accelerated 2D and 3D graphics with a claimed 1,000 times faster performance than Flash Player 10 and Air 2. That's enough to enable "console-quality" gaming on both computers and connected TVs and on mobile devices (Android, iOS, Playbook) with a pre-release version of Flash 11 (a production release you can take on the go is expected in "the near future"). Other new options include allowing developers to package Air 3 along with their apps in a single install, HD video quality on multiple platforms including iOS, DRM for video rentals, 64-bit support and more. Check out Adobe's pitch to developers with a press release and demo videos after the break, including a look at the hit iPad game Machinarium which was built with its tools.
ASUS officially launches iPod-friendly AIR3 internet radio
Not that this debut is anything shocking (thanks, FCC!), but we're still stoked to see ASUS get all official with its AIR3 sound system. Sure, it's not exactly treading on new ground, but for those looking for a touch more functionality in their iPod sound system, the internet radio inclusion is one that's much appreciated. ASUS talks pretty big about the device's audio prowess, noting that it utilizes a Texas Instruments Class-D amplifier and HDSS (High Definition Sound Standard) certified drivers. Also of note, the unit includes S-Video / composite video outs and supports UPnP sharing via 802.11b/g WiFi or Ethernet; if that's not enough to catch your eye, there's also a useful auxiliary input and built-in weather forecast display that pulls down updates from the world wide web. As ASUS always does, we're left hangin' sans a price or release date, but we suppose it's teaching us a lesson in patience... or something.[Via iPodNN]
ASUS AIR3 iPod speaker system / internet radio hits the FCC
While the iPod sound system boat has already sailed (numerous times), there's always a minor boom in copycats when the holiday season draws near. Thankfully, ASUS' latest contribution to the over-saturated market is one with a differentiating factor, as the AIR3 tunes into internet radio stations as well. According to the posted user's guide in the FCC, the unit can play nice with dock-connecting iPods, stream WiFi radio stations and play back music from any other DAP via the 3.5-millimeter auxiliary jack. You'll also find a 128 x 64 resolution FSTN graphics display, S-Video / composite video outputs, an Ethernet jack and a total of four drivers to kick out the jams. An obligatory remote is also bundled in, though there's obviously no indication of a price tag or release date in those absolutely riveting FCC documents.
