The D-tech Blog team unanimously decided to introduce a new category to the blog, exclusively dedicated to AJAX and Adobe AIR® applications. YIPEE!!

I saw this really cool post at NetTuts+ on 20 really amazing AJAX effects and after checking them out, I was really impressed. Though most aren’t really AJAX, they still provide quite amazing functionality.

Let me quickly run you through my top 5 out of the lot. Enjoy;

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1. Image Menu

Image Menu 2.2 is a really impressive script which creates a horizontal menu using a couple of images. Each time you move your mouse over any image, it reveals more of that image. This amazing JavaScript resource was developed by Samuel Birch

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2. Image Flow

Image Flow an unobtrusive and “user friendly” JavaScript image gallery script featuring a scroll-bar which allows users seamlessly browse through the images. It kinda reminds me of what the guys over at XING used for their Guided Tour (which leaves me open-mouthed each time I must add).

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3. Search Field CSS/JS

SearchField is a simple light-weight Auto-Suggest script which guides the user by providing hints to assist them find what they are looking for as they type. It’s actually one of my personal favourites because of the ease of configuration.

Actually, I am a bit biased in favour of this because I found it just about the same time I was battling with a similar thing on one of my projects

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4. jQuery checkbox

jQuery checkbox adds a little flair to checkbox fields in forms. It adds a toggle button very similar to that of the iPhone interface, giving a very distinctive on or off. It’s great for usability, and the dynamic skin can be turned on or off, on the fly.

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5. Control Tabs

Last but by no means least, Control Tabs is a “sweet script” that gives many different ways to configure tabs on a page. It attaches/creates a tabbed interface from an unordered list of links/anchors that point to any elements on your page that have an id attribute.

Since it attaches these behaviors to HTML that already has semantic meaning, it will degrade gracefully for browsers that do not support JavaScript, and is search engine friendly. It attaches in one line of code for simple use cases, but is highly customizable and can be used in a variety of edge cases.

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Quite amazing, I’m sure you’d agree.

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Not any more! New technology developed by Adobe® changes  all that, offering a platform that provides a new environment for creating powerful Web software that can run without a browser.

The Adobe® AIR™ runtime, introduced last year, lets developers use proven web technologies to build rich Internet applications that run outside the browser on multiple operating systems. Adobe AIR offers an exciting new way to engage customers with innovative, branded applications, without requiring changes to existing technology, people, or processes.

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How AIR Works

You are most likely already familiar with Adobe Flash- the browser plug-in responsible for powering much of the Internet’s multimedia content–from YouTube videos and Flickr slideshows to addictive Web-based video games. Flash applications are however limited by the fact that they require a host application, most often a web browser.

AIR covers for this limitation, creating “stand-alone” applications that run from your desktop just like any other application. AIR apps are developed in much the same way that Flash applications are, providing developers with a new environment for creating powerful Web software that can run without a browser.

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Business Benefits

With the Adobe® AIR™ runtime, you can deliver branded rich Internet applications outside the browser that give you a closer connection to your customer.

Adobe AIR uses the same proven, cost-effective technologies used to build web applications, so development and deployment is rapid and low risk. You can use your existing web development resources to create engaging, branded applications that run on all major desktop operating systems.

With Adobe AIR, you can:

• Establish a more persistent connection with existing customers
• Deliver fully branded experiences with desktop functionality
• Leverage existing personnel, processes, and infrastructure
• Develop and deliver RIAs efficiently using proven Adobe technology
• Increase the ROI of your web investments

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As an AJAX developer myself, you can only imagine my excitement.  AIR applications run across operating systems on the WebKit HTML engine and are easily delivered using a single installer file. With Adobe AIR, Ajax developers can “use their existing skills and code to build responsive, highly engaging applications that combine the power of local resources and data with the reach of the web”.

I just downloaded and installed the latest version of AIR, and SDK (Software Development Kit), and am already impressed with the capabilities so far.

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