How Adobe Air Apps Work

— -- Most computer users are 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 is popular because it works on any operating system and on many mobile devices, and because it handles media and graphics with aplomb.

AIR creates 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.

Despite AIR's impressive ability to blur the line between your desktop and the Web, AIR apps are by no means Web-only. In fact, some of them have nothing to do with the Web at all.

Here is a roundup of 11 Adobe Air apps to try.