Adobe Announces Initiatives, Apps, and Agreements at MAX 2011

Adobe MAX 2011, the company’s annual event that brings together thousands of designers, developers, and decision-makers who are shaping the future of digital experiences, is underway in Los Angeles, CA. Under the “Connect. Discover. Inspire.” theme, MAX 2011 will explore the next wave of opportunities fueled by the explosion of content creation tools and applications for creative professionals, the merging of digital publishing, content and commerce, and workflows that bring design and development together across multiple screens.

In addition to virtual press conferences and live streaming of keynote sessions, Abobe has made several significant announcements at the event.

Adobe Creative Cloud, a major new initiative from the company, redefines the content creation process.

• Adobe Creative Cloud will become the focal point for the worldwide creative community, where creative professionals can access desktop and tablet applications, creative services, and share their best work with peers.
• Adobe Creative Cloud will power the viewing, sharing, and syncing of files created by Adobe Creative Suite and Adobe Touch Apps, with 20GB of cloud storage, eventually developing into a service that will deliver access to Adobe’s flagship creative applications and services and become an essential resource for creative professionals everywhere.
• Adobe Creative Cloud is being announced in parallel with new set of Adobe Touch Apps for content creation on tablet devices.

Adobe Touch Apps, a family of six intuitive touch screen applications, designed for Android and iOS tablets, enables creative professionals to explore ideas and present their work anytime, anywhere.

• Available soon as standalone apps, Adobe Touch Apps will also become essential components of Adobe Creative Cloud. Files created via Adobe Touch Apps can be shared, viewed across devices and transferred into Adobe Creative Suite CS5.5 for further refinement.
• With stylus capabilities expected to become a key feature on some next generation tablets, Adobe Touch Apps are designed to work with both finger and stylus input.
• The apps include Adobe Photoshop Touch, Adobe Collage, Adobe Debut, Adobe Ideas, Adobe Kuler, and Adobe Proto.

Adobe enters into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Nitobi Software, the creator of PhoneGap and PhoneGap Build.

• A popular open source platform for building fast, easy, cross-platform mobile applications with HTML5 and JavaScript.
• With PhoneGap, Adobe will offer developers the choice of two powerful solutions for cross-platform development of native mobile apps, one using HTML5 and Javascript with PhoneGap and the other using Adobe Flash with Adobe AIR.
• PhoneGap’s open source code has been downloaded more than 600,000 times to date and thousands of applications built using PhoneGap are available in mobile app stores that span devices based on Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and other operating systems.

Adobe acquires privately held Typekit, a leader in the delivery of hosted, high-quality fonts for use on websites.

• Available as a subscription-based cloud service, Typekit’s vast font library gives designers and developers creative license to deliver beautiful type that enhances the web experience.
• Over 250,000 customers use Typekit, including some of the largest sites on the web, such as The New York Times, Conde Nast, and IGN.

Adobe Digital Publishing Suite, Single Edition allows freelance designers and small design firms to publish interactive content created with Adobe InDesign CS5.5 on the Apple iPad tablet device.

• Designers can use their existing skills to create an iPad app, saving on development costs and maintaining complete creative control.
• Single Edition ($395 per app) offers an affordable and flexible end-to-end workflow to publish a single-issue application for sale or distribution through the Apple App Store.
• With over 700 applications built with Digital Publishing Suite currently in market, organizations are quickly seeing the value of content on tablet devices and are expanding the range of published materials beyond newspapers and magazines.

WoodWing Software will now offer Adobe Digital Publishing Suite as its sole tablet publishing solution.

• WoodWing customers can combine the WoodWing editorial workflow solution with the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite in a single, cross-media workflow.
• This alliance enables publishers and businesses worldwide to successfully transition to digital publishing for tablet devices.

LG and TiVo become the latest partners to bring Adobe Flash based applications via Adobe AIR to connected TVs and digital home devices.

• Content partners can now take advantage of AIR to deliver console-quality gaming, premium video and sophisticated, data-driven applications across TVs, Blu-Ray players, and set-top boxes.
• With more than 100 unique digital home devices already certified to support Flash and AIR, including Samsung Smart TVs, Adobe expects rapid growth for Flash-based applications across connected TVs and other devices.
• New gaming apps include Frima Studio’s Zombie Tycoon, VH1’s I Love the 80s Trivia, Raider from PlayJam, and premium video experiences from SnagFilms, Flingo, EPIX, and others.

Adobe announces the availability of Flash Player 11 and AIR 3, a milestone release that will enable the next generation of immersive application experiences across devices and platforms.

• Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 will be available for download starting at 9 pm PT today.
• Dozens of new features in Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 including support for 3D graphics allow developers to deliver a new class of gaming and premium video experiences, as well as sophisticated, data-driven applications with back-end systems integration.

In addition to those announcements made at Adobe MAX 2011, the company has extended its Switcher Program, partnered with Automatic Duck, and acquired IRIDAS technologies.

Adobe has extended its Switcher Program, which allows video professionals who have purchased any version of Apple Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer and want to switch to professional video tools by Adobe t0 d0 s0. Due to high demand, the promotion, which was announced in July, will run through Oct. 31. Adobe’s Switcher Promotion for Video Professionals gives those looking to change a 50% savings on Creative Suite CS5.5 Production Premium or Premiere Pro CS5.5 .

Adobe recently unveiled a partnership with Automatic Duck, a leader in timeline translation and interoperability, which will improve integration of Premiere Pro with other leading tools in the industry using technologies like AAF, XML, and OMF.

In mid-September, Adobe announced the acquisition of IRIDAS technologies, a leader in high performance tools for digital color grading and enhancement of professional film and video content, including stereoscopic technology. Production Premium is expected to gain a comprehensive set of tools so video editors can manipulate color and light for any type of content, including professional film and television.

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