Adobe, the software company famous for its Flash software running the online animation, video and graphics on most computers, unveiled a preview of its latest software called Adobe Edge.

Adobe Edge is a new web motion and interaction design tool that allows designers to bring animated content to websites, using web standards like HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language for describing Web pages), JavaScript (the programming language used for Web apps), and CSS3 (Cascading Style Sheets for formatting and animation effects).

Flash Out?

For years, Adobe Flash has been the standard platform for adding animation, video, and interactivity to web pages.
However, critics have said that Adobe Flash is a thing of the past while HTML 5 is the thing of the future. And Adobe Flash Player has been in most PCs for displaying Flash content.

However, amid the soaring popularity of the smartphones and tablets as a primary tool for computing, playing games and browsing the Internet, Adobe Flash has been left behind.

Apple's iPhone (the world's best selling smartphone model), and the iPad (which has more than 80% of the tablet market) do not display Flash animations. Apple, which uses its own iOS platform for it mobile devices, refused to allow Adobe Flash on its mobile devices, saying the software was too slow and raised security concerns for the company's mobile devices.

Mark Anders, an Adobe fellow who is leading the Adobe Edge project, told The New York times that the new Edge Software doesn't have anything to do with Apple. The software, he said, was released at the request of developers and in order to help drive the HTML standard on the Web.

While Adobe has not resolved its issue with Apple, it has managed to stay relevant in the smartphone and tablet market. Google's Android operating system, the open-source platform used by Apple rivals like Samsung, HTC, among many others, is already the top platform for smartphones, being used by more than 40% of smartphones sold this year. While Android-based tablets have barely made a dent in the market, new tablet offerings by Amazon, Dell, Lenovo, and other vendors use the Android platform. Android has support for Adobe Flash.

So will Edge replace Adobe Flash?

The Edge is not intended to replace Adobe Flash. "There is a clear differentiation between what you can do with Flash and what you can currently do with Edge," John Cole, creative solutions architect at Adobe, said. "We have dedicated engineering teams on both sides of the fence - on HTML 5 and on Flash."

Adobe said it released the edge to give developers a tool to create boost Web content on devices that do not support Flash.Edge is designed to work on modern browsers including those on Android, BlackBerry Playbook, iOS , HP webOS and other smartphone mobile devices as well as Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer 9.

"I think Edge shows that Adobe is not ideological about its technology and is willing to invest in multiple things at the same time," Al Hilwa, a software analyst for the research group IDC, told NYT. "Adobe makes its money on development and design tools, so as long as it keeps developers happy, it should be able to prosper."

HTML 5

Looking beyond the war between the Android and iOS, Adobe's relevance (even in laptops and desktops), according to obserrvers, is threatened by an emerging standard, the HTML5.

"Ultimately, though, HTML5 is a Web standard, and Adobe Flash is a proprietary development platform. That alone should eventually dictate that HTML5 will surpass Adobe Flash and reign as the dominant platform for Web-based animation and interactive content," writes Tony Bradley at PCWorld.

Adobe Systems seems to be taking the next step to replace Flash, by releasing a free preview of its new open-standards animation designer, says Richi Jennings in a blog post at Computerworld.

"Adobe is working hard to keep Flash relevant for three big areas -- gaming, advanced online video, and business apps -- but with Edge, it's got a better answer to critics who say Adobe is living in the past," says CNET's Stephen Shankland.

"The work on Edge, which is available for developers to download from the company's Adobe Labs site, is something of an acknowledgement by the premier design software house that the Web is moving away from Flash, says Michael Muchmore, writing for PC Mag. " It is instead focusing on open-standard HTML5 and its many sub-standards, which are capable of creating the same effects in a non-proprietary manner via compliant Web browsers, without a plug-in."

Adobe though says it's not at odds with HTML5 and is instead helping in advancing the standard. "Over the last year Adobe has delivered on several significant HTML5 milestones including contributions to jQuery, submitting code to WebKit, and enhanced HTML5 output in Creative Suite 5.5," said Paul Gubbay, vice president of Design and Web Engineering, Adobe. "Now, with Adobe Edge, we're taking our HTML5 tooling to a whole new level and look forward to getting some really useful feedback from the community over the next few months, as we refine the product."

Early Look

The Edge software made available for developers is still an "early look". The present version of the Edge focuses primarily on adding rich motion design to new or existing HTML projects, that runs beautifully on devices and desktops.

* Create new compositions with Edge's drawing and text tools.

* Import popular web graphics such as SVG, PNG, JPG or GIF files.

* Easily choreograph animation with the timeline editor. Animate position, size, color, shape, rotation and more at the property level.

* Energize existing HTML files with motion, while preserving the integrity of CSS-based HTML layouts.

* Copy and paste transitions, invert them, and choose from over 25 built-in easing effects for added creativity.

Adobe said that Edge will be updated regularly to add new functionality, stay ahead of evolving web standards, and incorporate user feedback to provide the best functionality and experience possible. This is an early look at Edge with more capabilities to come.
While in public preview, Adobe Edge will be a no-charge download that web designers are encouraged to explore and provide feedback on, to help shape future preview releases. To download the software, visit http://www.labs.adobe.com