Adobe AIR is the latest version of Adobe's cross-platform runtime environment.

The headline addition this time is support for Adobe's Stage3D, a new architecture which allows developers to access accelerated 2D/ 3D rendering capabilities across all platforms (desktop, mobile and TV).

Other performance enhancements include H.264/AVC software encoding for cameras, which makes it easier to stream high quality video from your computer's camera.

AIR 3 also delivers new support for standards including JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), G.711 audio compression, and JPEG-XR, while support for Protected HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS) protects streaming video without the need to deploy a licence server.

There are a host of small tweaks, everywhere you look: optimised garbage collection, easy creation of cubic Bezier curves, a secure random number generator, and more.

And support for LZMA compression means deploying all this power won't result in bloated applets: SWF file size can fall by as much as 40%.