Adobe adds more developer tools for mobile apps

Adobe Systems has added several new tools geared toward mobile app development across multiple platforms in the latest release of its Creative Suite 5.5.

The new release features Flash Builder 4.5, Flex 4.5 and Flash Builder 4.5 all of which support Android, BlackBerry, and iOS mobile operating systems. Flash Builder 4.5 and Flex 4.5 give developers access to a common codebase designed to reduce development time and get their app creations out on as many platforms as possible, according to the company.

Updates to Dreamweaver CS5.5 (Live View mode, CSS panel and Multiscreen Preview panel) are geared toward optimizing websites for viewing on multiple devices, and let designers preview desktop, tablet and smartphone browsers side-by-side.

Upgrades to InDesign, meanwhile, are focused on increasingly popular apps for tablets. Developers building apps for tablets can use  InDesign CS5.5 in combination with the new, integrated Folio Producer toolset to add video, audio, panoramic views, 360-degree rotation of objects, pan and zoom of images, integration of HTML5 content and other interactive overlays, the company said—and test how content will look and operate on an array of tables from within the program.

Adobe also announced more flexible subscription-based pricing for use of the platform, offering its customers use of Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium for as little as $95 per month, or Creative Suite 5.5 Design Standard for as little as $65 per month.