Adobe Systems announced on Nov. 20 a new release of Acrobat.com that features several major updates designed to make working together across organizations even easier than before, including mobile access. The company also on Nov. 17 announced beta availability of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2.0.

The newly enhanced Acrobat.com incorporates more than 35 customer-suggested features, and has an easy-to-use online file organizer that allows users to store, share and organize files, create PDF files, launch online office applications, and initiate Web meetings, according to Adobe.

Rick Treitman, director of product management for Acrobat.com, said with this set of applications, users can:

"• Easily share files: Users can work together across organizations without the hassle of using ftp servers or worrying about e-mailing large files.

Resource Library:

• Access work from anywhere: Any Internet-connected computer or supported smartphone gives users real-time access to all of their files on Acrobat.com.

• Collaborate in real-time: Users can easily conduct Web meetings from Macs or PCs with Adobe ConnectNow.

• Improve productivity: With applications such as Adobe Buzzword, users can easily work together to co-author and obtain feedback on documents, without the need for multiple versions."

"Acrobat.com is about taking advantage of the Web's ability to connect people in new and powerful ways," Treitman said in a statement. "Adobe's online tools give people the advantage of working together from anywhere, and from virtually any device. This release of Acrobat.com is another step in helping people collaborate and communicate with ease and flexibility."

Meanwhile, the Acrobat.com mobile application created by Adobe partner ScanR enables users to upload document images from a supported mobile phone and have them automatically stored as searchable PDF files in Acrobat.com, Treitman said. In addition, users can read their files stored in Acrobat.com, share files with others and fax documents from their Acrobat.com organizer or directly from their smartphone. Users of the free service will be able to send two outbound faxes and upload up to five documents from a mobile phone. An upgrade is available for users that need to fax or upload more documents.

Also new in this release are enhancements to Buzzword, as well as Presentations and Tables, which were formerly on Acrobat.com Labs and now are available as betas.

"Beta versions of Adobe AIR 2 and Adobe Flash Player 10.1 software are now available from Adobe Labs for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. Flash Player 10.1 is also available for x86-based netbooks, and expected to be available across a broad spectrum of smartphones and other Internet-connected devices in 2010," Adobe said in a news release Nov.17.  

"Adobe AIR 2 builds on the success of AIR 1.0, which has been installed on more than 200 million desktop computers and adopted across industries by companies such as Atlantic Records, DIRECTV, FedEx, The New York Times Company and Salesforce.com. With AIR 2, developers can create more reliable and feature-rich applications in the desktop context, and they can easily add AIR 2 functionality to update current AIR 1.0 applications. New AIR 2 features include enhanced support for mass storage devices and native application processes, as well as peer-to-peer and UDP [User Datagram Protocol] networking," Adobe said.

"Adobe AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1 also bring innovations and optimizations from mobile devices to the desktop. For example, designers and developers can now create entirely new types of applications that use multitouch points and gestures on touch screen devices. Instead of using a mouse, users touch the screen to interact with content and applications," the release continued.

"With the beta availability of Adobe AIR 2 and Flash Player 10.1, we are taking an important step toward realizing the Open Screen Project vision to enable rich Internet experiences across any device, anywhere," said David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president of Adobe's Platform Business Unit. "Content creators will provide multiscreen experiences with uncompromised Web browsing and stand-alone applications across desktops and netbooks, and in the near future across a wide range of mobile devices."

"Flash Player 10.1 is the first consistent browser run-time release of the Open Screen Project that will enable uncompromised Web browsing of expressive applications, content and high-definition (HD) videos across the desktop and devices. Flash Player 10.1 takes advantage of new media delivery options using HTTP streaming coupled with content protection powered by Adobe Flash Access 2.0. Additionally, Flash Player 10.1 now leverages hardware decoding of H.264 video on Windows PCs, netbooks and mobile devices where available, to conserve battery life and deliver an exceptional video playback experience," Adobe said.

"With the HP TouchSmart PC, we're enhancing how people interact with their favorite sites and applications," Satjiv Chahil, senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing for HP's Personal Systems Group, said in a statement. "Now that developers can optimize Flash Player and Adobe AIR content for touch screens with multitouch, the HP TouchSmart will be an even more compelling platform for developers to build truly distinctive touch-interactive experiences. HP and its partners have created a number of touch-centric programs such as the Time 100 and US News and World Report Best Colleges using Adobe AIR. HP will continue to innovate with touch-focused solutions based on Adobe products."