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AIR allows developers to make aspects of online applications available on the desktop, which will work regardless of operating system or hardware.

Ebay, for example, is using the technology to let users set up auctions offline, with the auction going live the next time the user connects to the

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Adobe has already released a number of products through AIR including its online word processing package Buzzword, and Adobe Media Player.

AIR, which has been in beta since June, is currently available as a free download for Macs and PCs, and Adobe claims it will be available for Linux later in the year.

"Adobe AIR represents a new medium, as the best of the web and the best of the desktop come together," says Kevin Lynch, chief software architect at Adobe.

"Adobe AIR expands the universe of possibilities for web developers who can now deliver a new generation of applications that work across operating systems and both inside and outside the browser, bridging the gap between the web and the personal computer."

The company has also announced the release of Flex 3, the latest version of its open source web application development platform.