Adobe today announced updates to its Flash Builder and Flex products. Previously, developers could build apps that ran on the Android platform, but the new update extends this support out to iOS and Blackberry Playbook devices. Adobe is claiming this new triple-platform support as "a first for developers."
Currently on version 4.5, Flash Builder is an integrated development environment available to purchase in three editions or as part of Adobe"s Creative Suite. On the other hand, Flex is a software development kit made available free under the Mozilla public licence. Both audiences will be covered by this update, ensuring all developers are kept up to speed regardless of whether they use Flash Builder.
Adobe is keen to show off what the new functionality means for users. In the press release, several websites already using Flex are listed, including the Netflix Queue Manager. The app has seen over 340,000 downloads on the Android Marketplace, and the developers have plans to use the new update to port their app over to the Blackberry Playbook and iOS platforms.
The update is not Adobe"s first experience with iOS development tools. Flash CS5, upon release, came with support for exporting creations as iPhone apps. Apple soon after changed their App Store policy to exclude any apps made in this method, and Adobe announced they had no further plans for iOS support in Flash CS5.