Adobe AIR 2.5 brings support for Android and smart TV

Adobe AIR, everyone’s favorite cross platform sexy app-maker/resource hogger is soon updating to version 2.5, with some important new features. The big news is support for the Android platform and for TV.

Taking advantage of the proliferation of Android devices around today, Adobe is clearly hoping AIR will catch on with smartphone and tablet users. Just like on your desktop, if you try to use an AIR application on your Android device, you will now be directed to download the AIR runtime from the Android Market. This may not be ideal, but Adobe hopes to convince manufacturers to sell devices with AIR pre-installed.

The second big development is a deal to put Adobe AIR in Samsung TVs. There will be a Samsung Apps platform that allows consumers to buy and download apps for their television. With Apple and Google stepping up to make TV the next technology for a platform war in our homes, I wouldn’t like to bet on Adobe managing to succeed here, but the competition should be fun.