Adobe AIR and 10 Great Apps

 

Are you feeling winded by all of the things that need to be done by a Web Designer/Developer? Does time seem to just breeze by? Adobe AIR is oxygen to a designer who loves widgets (or gadgets) and also anybody who loves saving time (or in the case of some apps wasting it) and having their tools right at their fingertips, truly a breath of fresh air to those of you in need of additional tools.

First off what the heck is Adobe AIR? Adobe AIR stands for “Adobe Integrated Runtime” hence A.I.R. The idea behind AIR is to allow web and flash developers to bring their creations to the desktop. Creating an AIR app (i.e. Application) can be done using Flash, Flex (pretty much like Flash without all the drawing tools, coder friendly), or even Dreamweaver, you can even download the AIR SDK (Software Development Kit) and use any number of text editors to create your very own app!

 

I have been thinking a lot about AIR recently and it hit me to do a blog on my favorite apps and then recommend a few more. I may even do a bunch of tutorials on AIR at some point down the road. Let check out these apps:

 

The first thing you will need it AIR itself to be able to run these apps, you can download it here. Go do that and I will wait for you to get back and start checking out these very sweet, useful, and free applications.

Doomi: This is a great little app. I use it all the time as I am a list oriented person I write a list on my notepad at my desk as well as a list on my desktop. The beauty of this app is you can manage the list and create, delete, and set timers on any list item. A very simple, easy to use “organization” app. Get it here!

 

Kuler: Adobe has their own little color app called Kuler. I hardly start a project with out at least glancing at this app and getting a few color ideas or hex codes. You can easily copy the hex code of any color or of an entire color scheme, or even just download the scheme to a few of the Adobe programs! I, however, prefer coping the hex codes. This app requires you to sign up with Adobe (this is free) and you are then good to go! Get it here!

 

 

Google Analytics: I am always using analytics checking the traffic levels of my site as well as checking the demographics of the users of my site and this tool brings the Analytic Dashboard to my desktop! I love this tool! You simply setup your profile using your Analytic login information and away you go! The app sports a pretty nice interface a little nicer even than the online experience. Get it here! (look to the bottom right corner of the page).

 

WebSnapShot: Well hey I am using this app right here in this post, all these screenshots were taken using this app. This guy is very useful for bloggers and designers alike who want to get that webpage off the web to show a bit of it, or use it as a reference for something they are working on. Get it here!

 

 

TimeLoc: This is a very cool app and useful for anybody who charges by the amount of time they spend on a project. Basically this app allows you to record the time which it displays and you can add it to a project and manage other projects right from within this little app. You are also able to input an hourly rate which it keeps track of for you, very sweet! Get it here!

 

 

Em Calculator: Ever wondered how to get proper sizing using ems? This calculator is the answer for you if you are not concerned with how ems work, but rather just want to use them. Great little tool, Get it here!

 

 

Font Picker: Great app for selecting and comparing fonts! If you do a lot of designing and want to quickly check out what text will look like with different fonts, side by side, this does the trick! Get it here!

 

 

Icon Generator: This is more of a cool app, but still useful. Generate icons styled like a web 2.0 starburst/badge or like the new (well, old now) CS3 logos! This app creates the standard icon sizes from 128×128 down to 16×16. Upon creation you can save out a png file for use all over the place! Get it here!

 

 

WebKut: This app is pretty cool in the way it basically captures screenshots, but only where you decide you want it to, hence “cutting” that part of the webpage out, pretty neat and pretty useful too. Get it here!

 

 

Snippely: This is a pretty polished app which allows web developers to copy and store code snippets they find around the web in one convenient place! Get it here!

 

I hope you guys enjoy Adobe AIR as much as I do! Check these apps out as I guarantee there is at least one thing in here that will help each and every one of you as you go about your designing business everyday! Until next time have a wonderful time everyone! Download Adobe AIR!