Floating in the A.I.R.

For the uninitiated, Adobe AIR, or the Adobe Integrated Runtime, is a runtime environment built to run applications using Adobe Flash, Adobe Flex, HTML, or Ajax. The cool thing about this is that they can be used as desktop application. I'll give some reasons why that awesome in a sec. AIR has changed many Browser apps that before were limited to just use in a web browser. I like Google Analytics, but I hate having a browser out just to see it. Not to mention that in a browser, Analytics runs like pudding, where as a desktop application, it runs quite smoothly. These are some of my favorite application using AIR:

Doomi:

www.doominow.com

Doomi is a neat little app that isn't life changing, but it gets the job done. It is basically a to-do list that will alert you when something is coming up. Sounds simple, cause it is, but you really don't know about it until you use it. Doomi even has a message to you when you put your cursor over the icon in the task bar. The message reads: “Doomi <3's>

ReadAir:

readair.en.softonic.com

This application is pretty cool. It takes your Google Reader page and unlocks it from the chains of a browser. Again, simple, but it is quite nice. Another application you don't think is useful until you use it.

Tweetdeck:

tweetdeck.com

I absolutely love Tweetdeck. It is an amazing replacement for the annoying Twitter interface. It has way more functionality, mostly because it is on the desktop, instead of a web browser. I love the RT and Reply buttons on every one's profile pics, and Tweetdeck will even let you create groups, keep live searches going, and even update your Facebook status. This is highly recommended if you are still using the Twitter Interface.

Desktube:

thedesktube.com

This AIR application brings YouTube to your desktop, where it belongs. It gives you a full listing of all the recently featured videos on You Tube, as well as search and seeing all the top videos. You can even upload videos to YouTube and share videos on Facebook and Twitter. Highly recommended.