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Intel® Atom™ Developer Program
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Originally published as a blog by Bob Duffy at :
http://appdeveloper.intel.com/en-us/blog/2010/07/16/air-appup-what-developer-needs-know
AIR for AppUpSM:
What a developer needs to know
Who is your audience?
Today Adobe and Intel released a new SDK. The preview of the Melrose Beta* SDK from
Adobe that allows for Adobe AIR* apps to be integrated into online stores such as the
Intel AppUpSM center. The Atom™ Develper Program will offer the SDK starting today and
will be accepting AIR apps to our store starting August 14.
Now that AIR applications are supported in AppUp, it’s probably a good idea to take
inventory of what this means for developers. My thoughts are as follows:
For AppUpSM developers: New automated packaging features
If you are an AppUp developer this is a bit If you’re already familiar with submitting
of a proof point or watershed moment. apps to AppUp you know a bit about the
You’re an early adopter to AppUp and packaging process that requires you to
you’ve been hearing Intel say this store integrate the AppUp authorization code
framework will be evolving and into your application, create an MSI silent
broadening its developer model. AppUp installer, etc. With the Adobe AIR SDK
started which C/C++ with the intention to things have gotten simpler. With AIR apps,
expand into other runtimes and Intel and Adobe have worked out a more
languages. The Adobe AIR* SDK with automated packaging process, where
support for AppUp is one step forward on authentication code and installer
that promise. It doesn’t mean we are done. packaging are done on the backend behind
It just means we are moving forward on the scenes, allowing you to just create
this store framework, allowing developers the app and submit it to the store. For
to distribute apps to a broad market using more information on steps needed see
the tools, languages, runtimes, and our document regarding AIR for AppUp
platforms of their choosing. On which packaging process.
devices?
What AIR brings to the table
For AIR developers If you’re not familiar with AIR I invite you
If you’re an existing AIR developer this to learn more at the Adobe website;
means you now have another marketplace however, I here’s my perspective on
to sell your apps. Netbooks represent what’s cool about AIR especially as it
a large 40+ million install base, and as pertains to AppUp and netbooks.
Intel broadens its partnerships with
OEMs and Retailers & Service Providers,
apps submitted to AppUp will increase
distribution through those partnered
store-fronts.

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Intel® Atom™ Developer Program
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Cross-platform Mix that with the real-time and cached
Clearly one of the big advantages of AIR is data services, apps can provide some
that AIR applications are cross-platform. interesting visualization of real-world
An AIR app is very much a like a Flash* data.
app that you’d have on a web page, i.e.,
The mix of cross-platform development
YouTube* video player, browser arcade
with strong multimedia, on and offline
games, and fancy animated banners you
data, all running out of the browser is
see on CNN.com. Just as with Flash, as long
strong value proposition, and a perfect
as the player is installed on the system
mix for AppUp as we advance it to support
then the app will run consistently across
multiple platforms like MeeGo* and
platforms. For AppUp this becomes a
Windows*, as well as various form factors
strong value proposition. AppUp is a store
like netbooks, phones, tablets, TVs, in car
framework for multiple platforms and
entertainment etc.
devices. The idea of coding once to get
an app in a store that will work across Read my next post on Sample AIR apps
platforms and devices is, well, nothing to look at some example AIR applications
short of Nirvana. that deliver on the features I discussed
above. And for more information on
Out of browser
As stated, Flash apps are also cross developing AIR for AppUp go to http://
platform, so why is AIR so special? AIR appdeveloper.intel.com/adobe-air.
can do all that Flash can do, but it’s a
broader framework for apps that need
to use web services, database calls, and
queries while being able to work off line
as well as online outside of the browser.
You get all the rich media and creativity
you can muster in a Flash application
but as a viable desktop app, without the
browser. As a desktop app there are more
interesting things you can do such as
running services in the background and
integrating with other apps with system
hardware.
Data
AIR applications can make database calls
and leverage Web services and APIs to
deliver data real time from online or local
data services. Data can also be cached
allowing for offline manipulation of data
from previous online sessions or saved
states of the application.
Multimedia
Like Flash, AIR applications excel in
multimedia, slick animations, video
streaming, and responsive UIs that create
the dazzling experiences. AIR apps can
feel more analog a real world as windows,
images, & objects can glide around, grow
or shrink in view and accented with sound
and video.
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