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Adobe Eyes Desktop Software for Mobile Devices

Adobe Systems sees a trend in computer-software customers taking the desktop experience to mobile devices, said company officials. The multimedia software company is introducing its desktop software to mobile handsets but acknowledges that the transition is a challenge. Meanwhile, a Flash Player for iPhone is in development, a company spokesman said.

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Adobe sees a growing market in mobile applications, said Carol Linburn, senior product manager for Macromedia Flash at Adobe. The company is working with several smartphone vendors, she said. More than 800 million devices have been shipped with Adobe’s Flash, a multimedia software suite by Macromedia, said Anup Murarka, Adobe director of technical marketing for mobile and devices. Adobe is on track to reach a billion devices in 2009, he said. Adobe expects Q3 revenue from its mobile unit to grow to $27.5 million from $13 million a year earlier, Chief Financial Officer Mark Garrett said.

The goal is to streamline interplay between designers and developers, enabling designers to bring their content to new devices and media platforms, Linburn said. Adobe recently launched Web-based versions of its Acrobat and Photoshop document and photo-editing programs. It also unveiled Device Central CS4, a testing and preview platform for mobile content, which is to be available this month.

The company signed up Nokia, Motorola and other handset makers, service providers like Verizon Wireless and chip makers like Cisco for what it calls the Open Screen Project, in which Adobe waives licensing fees and other restrictions on some software. The purpose is to develop a way for Adobe’s Flash software -- used to power Internet video, graphics and other multimedia content -- to work on various mobile operating systems and browsers, Adobe said. Nokia will continue to install Flash runtime technologies on its devices, said Lee William, Nokia senior vice president for devices software. Verizon said the project complements its Open Development Initiative, which seeks to allow customers to use any device and applications on Verizon Wireless’ network.

The biggest challenge is to help multimedia designers and developers, who often specialize in PC applications, learn to distribute mobile content, Linburn said. Testing and optimizing across computer and mobile platforms is another challenge, she said. Developers spend much of their time getting an application to work across a wide range of mobile devices, she said.

Meanwhile, Adobe confirmed it’s working on a Flash Player for Apple’s iPhone. Adobe plans work with Apple beyond what’s available in the software development kit, a spokesman said.