Adobe releases hardware-accelerated Flash 11 and Air 3

Adobe Flash is a platform that is loved and hated in equal measure. Whether used to deliver video content or interactive games, Flash can be used to deliver a uniform experience across a range of platforms, providing it’s not iOS. The Flash player is a browser plugin that allows for the deployment of this content online and the move to version 11 has a strong focus on performance.

Also updated is Adobe AIR, the company’s solution to freeing Flash, JavaScript and HTML app from the constraints of web browsers. The app has now hit version 3, and both releases offer greatly improved rendering to allow for smooth animations at a high frame rate.

This is all thanks to the new Stage 3D architecture that takes full advantage of hardware acceleration and allows for the development of console standard games. In addition to high definition video, the software also promises optimization for 64-bit platforms and while the architecture is currently only available for Windows and Mac and some connected TVs, there is more to come.

Adobe is hoping that the mobile version of Stage 3D will mean that it is possible to target not only the BlackBerry and Android markets, but also iOS. Among the other new features of AIR 3 are support for JSON, G7.11 audio compression and JPEG-XR. There is also easier creation of cubic Bezier curves and LZMA compression support to help reduce the size of applets.

You can find out more by paying a visit to the Adobe AIR 3 review page or the Adobe Flash Player 11 review page.