by , 11:20 AM EDT, June 11th, 2007

Adobe's cross-platform application runtime system, formerly code-named Apollo, was officially Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) on Monday. Along with the name change, Adobe also released a public beta of the Internet application development utility Adobe Flex.

Adobe AIR allows developers to use HTML, JavaScript, Ajax, Adobe Flash, and Adobe Flex to develop platform independent applications that function outside of Web browsers just like any other desktop application. Adobe AIR is still a public beta, and the latest update included support for embedded local databases, PDF, improved JavaScript support, and improved Adobe Flex support.

Adobe also released a public beta of Flex 3. Flex 3 is development environment for creating cross-platform rich internet applications that can run within or independently of Web browsers. It includes tight integration with Adobe AIR, allows developers to create graphically rich application interfaces, and offers desktop and enterprise testing and performance tools.

Adobe AIR and Adobe Flex are is available for download at the Adobe Labs Web site.