Covers version 1.5 of Adobe AIR Written to help you hit the ground running, this book teaches you how to build state-of-the-art rich desktop applications on the breakthrough Adobe AIR platform. Stacy Tyler Young, Michael Givens, and Dimitrios Gianninas illustrate the power of this technology through practical application examples based on the official 1.5 release of Adobe AIR. You'll discover how Adobe AIR helps you solve problems you just couldn't solve before by extending the reach of your web applications onto users' desktops. Building on your existing knowledge of Adobe Flex, HTML, JavaScript, and Ajax software, you'll master the powerful Adobe AIR platform--moving quickly from task-oriented examples to larger-scale, real-world projects. The authors don't just cover coding--they help you maximize your effectiveness throughout the entire development lifecycle via design patterns, frameworks, build process, continuous integration, and automated testing. If you're ready to build the next generation of rich hybrid desktop applications, Adobe AIR is the development platform you've been searching for...and this is the book you need to kick-start new projects using this exciting new technology.