Adobe AIR 1.5 has appended several new elements to the desktop extension of the RIA (rich internet application) platform of Adobe Flex.

 Some of the most significant enhancements are in the tools for managing larger database files as well as encrypting local data stores. The developers working on Adobe AIR will be able to localize whole SQL data tables and secure them with a 128-bit AES-CCM key encryption.

 The new enhancements have eased the job of authenticating password strength, managing password-driven key creation and salting passwords with random modifications to ensure protection against dictionary-style attacks. Due to this extension, the new features will permit users of Adobe Air to manage session identity using secure cookie persistence. In testing, we've had no trouble cycling encryption keys, thanks to the included re-encryption method. Because of this, there will be no more issues with cycling encryption keys.

 Adobe Air 1.5 also has the feature of XML signature validation. The APIs provide assurance of authenticity to message data as well as to downloaded resources used by users’ applications. Adobe has also included essential tools to substantiate trust levels, validate against signer revocation lists and reference resource manifests with ease.

 On the Adobe AIR Team Blog, Robert Christensen has written about the new capabilities of Adobe AIR in his post Introducing Adobe AIR 1.5. Talking about enhancements in AIR 1.5 he writes:

 “New capabilities include:

 -          Flash Player 10 capabilities: Adobe Flash Player 10 is one of the most significant releases of the player, with groundbreaking new capabilities. We've updated the version of Flash Player included with AIR to version 10. For example, it's now possible to take advantage of custom filters, blend modes, and fills with Adobe Pixel Bender. AIR 1.5 also supports the new 3D effects, including perspective, correct transformation, and animation of 2D plans in a 3D space. Rich media enhancements include dynamic streaming to improve the quality of video playback based on bandwidth availability as well as support for the Speex codec for delivering high-quality audio at lower download speeds.

 -          WebKit update: The version of WebKit included in AIR has been updated to a newer version. The updated version includes Squirrelfish, a new bytecode interpreter that improves the execution speed of JavaScript for common actions. Our internal tests show that HTML-based AIR applications run as much as 35% faster for many types of operations. We have also added support for interactive debuggin fo Ajax-based AIR applications.

 -          Encrypted local database: By popular request from developers, we've added a way of encrypting the local database inside of AIR. This uses standard SQL apis, so there's no need for developers to learn specific crypto APIs. Be sure to check out the Quick Start application by Paul Robertson. ”

 Some other features provided in the 1.5 release are:

 -          Support for five additional languages (Swedish, Dutch, Czech, Turkish and Polish)

-          Debugging support for JavaScript.

-          Improved and updated DRM (Data Resource Management) engine

 References:

James R. Borck (2008). Test Center review: Adobe AIR soars to loftier heights. Retrieved Dec. 17th, 2008 from http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/12/11/50TC-adobe-air_1.html

 Sujit Reddy (2008). Adobe AIR 1.5 is live. Retrieved Dec. 17th, 2008 from http://sujitreddyg.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/adobe-air-15-is-live/