I really like trying out new apps when I read about them. Most of the time, I try apps that offer free trials or the ones that are completely free. I LOVE FREE. Anyways, I started seeing more articles about apps that use Adobe AIR. There are many AIR applications to choose from through the Adobe AIR Marketplace. And you can find many articles on the web about AIR apps. So, I decided to show you what AIR apps are currently my favorite and that I have on my Mac. Trust me, I have a lot more, but these are my favorite AIR apps that I use most often. The AIR apps that I have are all FREE. (To be directed to the AIR app website, simply click on its icon next to the title. To view the screenshot larger, click on the thumbnail on the right of the descriptions.) So let’s get going….

ADOBE SHORTCUT
I find Adobe Shortcut to be a really useful app for those times when you’re in, let’s say… PhotoShop and you’re tired of manually clicking in the menu bar for tools or actions when you can use shortcuts. But, what are the shortcuts? How can one remember every shortcut available? No need to do that when you have this app. Just open it up and look for what you need and Voila! there’s a shortcut for practically everything! What’s even cooler is you can save the ones you most frequently use in the ‘My Favorites’ tab for quicker access! Yay! This app literally saves time and energy.

clDESKTOP
I love shopping. I especially love shopping when I can save moolah! So, that’s where CraigsList comes in. Of course you can always use CraigsList on the web, but the clDesktop has a much nicer interface. All you do is type in your location (which can be saved), select a category (I normally check For Sale), then whatever your interest is (i.e. furniture, music instruments, housewares, etc….you get the drift) and it displays a list. Sort of like the web site…cleaner and with better pictures. You can even have the option to save certain types of searches. I have Music Instruments as one of my saved searches.

EBAY DESKTOP
As mentioned above, I love getting deals whenever I shop. Just like CraigsList, I also like checking out eBay for great deals. When I check out eBay, I use the eBay Desktop. This app has a nice user interface and I usually do searches and check my eBay account. I like how simple it is to use. Just type in a search and it displays the results and you can click on little radial buttons to narrow the search. It’s really quick and gives the same information as if you were on the eBay web site. There are many other functions, but you’ll have to check it out for yourself.

FACEDESK
I like using Facebook, but I don’t always like how the site works. This app is quick and it also saves your login information so you don’t always have to login. You can do all the pokes, updates, etc. as you do on the web site in this app also. It’s really nice when you don’t want to open your browser.

FLICKROOM
Lately, I’ve been using Flickr a lot. I’ve been posting new desktops, checking out new entries in the Appleviews pool, and checking out designs that aren’t in the pool. What I love about Flickroom is the nice interface. It is super clean and easy to use. It has the same functions as Flickr and offers other useful features like the ability to tweet about an image, upload multiple images by dragging them from your desktop, chat with other Flickroom users, view recent uploads of your contacts, etc.

READEFINE
I read Google Reader everyday. But, I read it in Readefine, which is an AIR app which uses Flex 4, creating a really nice, clean layout for your RSS feeds, text or HTML content. It displays multiple columns for easier reading and you can adjust the text size, line height, column width, etc. to your liking.
This app uses Flex 4 and creates a nice layout for your RSS feeds, Text and HTML content by displaying multiple columns for easier reading. It can read content from the web, a file on your computer (by copying and pasting), or Google Reader content. It also allows you to tweak settings like the justification, column width to your liking.

SHIFD
I used to bookmark EVERYTHING that I’d find on the Internet in my bookmarks (wish lists, sites to read later, reviews, etc.), only to forget where I bookmarked it, what the bookmark is, etc. Then, I found Shifd.  Now I just add a description and copy and paste the web site URL and add a tag as to what the information is for. I have a WISHLIST tag and a READ tag at the moment. Now I can find what I need in my bookmarks. Yay! There are many other ways to use this app, but you’d have to decide for yourself if this is an app that you’d like.

SNACKR
Sometimes, I don’t have a lot of time to read my RSS feeds in Google. When I don’t read them, they pile up and then I end up having hundreds to read. This app displays your RSS feeds in a ticker like style either on the top, bottom, left or right side. If you see an article that catches your eye, you can click on it and it brings out a little window with a snippet of information and you can read the full article by clicking on the ‘View Post’ button on the bottom right corner, which opens the web site where the article resides.

TWEETDECK
I use TweetDeck to check out what’s going on with all my friends on MySpace, Twitter and Facebook. All in one app! You can adjust what you want to see. You can update your Twitter, Facebook or MySpace – all from within TweetDeck. I am currently tracking All Friends in 2 of my Twitter accounts, Full News Feed in my Facebook account and Friends Activities on MySpace. I love the idea that I can check everything in one place!

I only listed the top 9 AIR apps that I use more than any other. I have many more; but, again, this is just a small list. Anyways, if anybody uses AIR apps and has a suggestion or an app they’d like to suggest, feel free to leave a comment and share the wealth with our fellow readers!