Former called Apollo software, was released in a beta version .The AIR makes Web-native applications operate like desktop programs.

The much-anticipated software, now called the Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR), is expected to introduce a new class of hybrid applications that meld the Web with the PC.

A free AIR software development kit to be released Monday is aimed at developers building those applications.
Also on Monday, Adobe released the beta of Flex 3, its software development tool that can now be used for writing AIR applications in addition to Flash and HTML-based Web applications.

Adobe's AIR also brings an offline component to Web applications. But AIR applications can operate without the need for a browser.

The key advantage is that software developers can use their existing tools and skills to build these desktop applications. Typically, a developer will use AIR to write a desktop application that links to an online service, as Adobe has done with its video playback application, Adobe Media Player.