Adobe looks to push Flash and AIR on Android

Adobe is asking for testers to sign up to receive the first betas of Flash Player and Adobe AIR for Android.

The company said in a blog post that private beta trials had started already, and that it will soon open up the testing to public users.

"We are really looking forward to getting these technologies into your hands as soon as possible," said Adobe.

Actual release dates have not been announced, but Adobe promised that the betas will let users do "so many interesting things".

Working on Android will bring new challenges to developers, Adobe explained, and will require them to learn many new skills.

There are separate subscriber lists for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for Android Beta and Adobe Air 2.0 for Android Beta, and potential testers are asked to sign up as soon as possible.

The release may come as a relief for mobile developers looking to work on Flash applications, particularly as its use has been denied on the Apple iPad.

Adobe announced last week that a BlackBerry version will be out soon.

"Google and RIM and Palm are going to be releasing versions of Flash on smartphones and tablets in the second half of the year," said Adobe chief executive Shantanu Narayen in an interview with Fox Business Network.