Title says is all. Go to Adobe Labs for the alpha version of the Linux AIR Player. We've also posted an update to the Flex Builder 3 for Linux alpha, adding support for AIR creation.

Just a reminder, the 11 city On AIR European Train Tour starts tomorrow in Madrid. The team is already there setting up (although, unfortunately, I am not joining them this time around). So if you are in (or near) Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Stockholm, Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, Munich, or Milan, be sure to drop by!

I've been wearing Bluetooth headsets for about as long as they have been around, and have owned lots and tried even more. And I have a new favorite, the BlueAnt Z9. Here's the scoop:

Pros:

• The Z9 is small, one of the smallest and lightest headsets I have tried.
• It is also extremely comfortable to wear, even for very long periods. It is so comfortable that I often forget I am wearing it.
• Sound quality is superb, at least based on what the people on the other end of the connection are telling me.
• Many very lightweight headsets have optional ear loops, but they often feel like afterthoughts, not fitting the devices well or coming apart (Plantronics devices seem very prone to this). The Z9 ear loops (there are 3 of them, all identical, or so it seems) fit well and stay in place properly.
• Battery life is really good.
• It comes with both an AC charger and a USB cable. The latter is an absolute must for anyone who travels, and I automatically rule out any Bluetooth headset that does not include this necessity.
• The Z9 comes with a built in clip, making it easier to carry the headset in your pocket or attached to your shirt and so on.
• The headset is firmware upgradeable. The actual upgrade process is convoluted and horribly unfriendly (yes, I tried it). Still, it's nice to know that firmware updates are an option if they are needed.

Cons:

• I have only found one downside with the headset, and that is that I find the volume too low. Others hear me fine, the problem is me hearing them. It's fine in most environments when cranked up to the highest volume, but in noisy environments the volume is definitely too low. I contacted BlueAnt and they suggested that I update the firmware which I did, and unfortunately it did not make a difference. This is a shame, and hopefully they can release another firmware update that really does fix the problem.

The verdict? The BlueAnt Z9 is definitely the very best Bluetooth headset I have owned, and is highly recommended (but keep that one negative in mind). It is available from Amazon.com.

Just one this week:

• Amcom Computer Services (San Ramon, CA) is looking for a senior ColdFusion developer. Requirements include 8+ years of software development experience, ColdFusion 7 expertise, familiarity with frameworks and design patterns, and advanced use of SQL, CSS, JavaScript, Web Services, and XML. Flex experience preferred. Details posted online.

Click here to propose MAX 2008 sessions and speakers.

Boston is now the proud home of the newest Flex usergroup - BFUG. Their inaugural meeting is April 8th, 2008. If you are in the area, be sure to drop by!

Hot on the heels of a Jolt Award win and a CODIE nomination, ColdFusion 8 has been nominated for a Great Indian Developer Summit Award (the only nominated Adobe product).

I am in the Rio de Janeiro airport, waiting for my flight back to the U.S. (I'm home for the weekend and then head to India next week). This morning I presented Flex 3 and AIR and a launch event here. And like the events in São Paulo and Brasilia earlier this week, this one was a winner. A standing room only crowd of close to 200 packed the auditorium for a lively and highly interactive event (bringing the total attendance for the launch events here to over 700!). Brazilians are a lively and passionate bunch, and are most definitely not shy. The questions and comments came hard and fast, and good questions and comments at that. 3 hours flew by, and once again I had to omit about half of my content. The rest of the day was spent meeting with customers and partners, right up until I had to head to the airport.

So, 4 days (with no more than 5 hours sleep each night), 3 launch events, 2 press interviews, 5 partner meetings, 8 customer meetings, 1 video shoot ... all fueled by more cans of Guaraná Antarctica than I can count.

Tchau, Brazil. And muito obrigado!

I just arrived in Rio de Janeiro, several hours later than planned. I spent the day today in Brasília, first meeting with customers and partners, and then presenting at the Flex 3 / AIR launch event. Over 160 people crammed into the hotel conference room for 3 hours, and the event was amazing! The crowd was so involved and interactive that half way through our allotted time I had to ask them to stop asking questions, I was still on my opening slides - I don't think I have ever had to do that before! The energy and enthusiasm at this event was truly incredible, this will be a tough one to beat. Although, we'll try - we do it again here in Rio de Janeiro in the morning.

I just wrapped two jam-packed days in São Paulo. Yesterday started early, my flight from the U.S. landed at 6am, I got picked up from the airport at 7am, arrived at the Adobe office at 9am, in time for my first meeting at 10:0am. Then back-to-back meetings and presentations (and even a video shoot) until after 9pm! I asked the local team to fully utilize my time in Brazil, and they took my request really seriously!

This morning I presented Flex 3, AIR, and Data Services at a 3 hour launch event. Almost 200 people filled the room, and another 150 joined in via Connect from 5 other Brazilian cities (ones I'll not be visiting). As I have come to expect from the crowd in São Paulo, the event was lively, highly interactive (despite the language barrier), and I did not even get through all of my prepared content. This was my 5th trip to São Paulo, and the city has never disappointed me.

It's now after 11pm local time, and we just arrived in Brasília, the capital of Brazil. Tomorrow morning we host a similar launch event here, and then I'll meet with several customers and partners before flying to Rio de Janeiro to do it all again there on Thursday.

If you plan to attend the events in Brasília or Rio de Janeiro, here are details.

I am in Brazil, my 5th visit here. I arrived in São Paulo a few hours ago for a full week of events here in São Paulo, and also in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro. For the next 4 days it'll be non-stop customer meetings, partner visits, press interviews, and three public Flex 3 / AIR presentations. It's great to be back here!

Adobe Developer Week 2008 is a week long online event with 20 sessions covering AIR, Flex, Flash, Mobile, ColdFusion and Dreamweaver. And it all starts tomorrow, March 24, 20008.

Six positions this week, three for ColdFusion, and three for Flex/AIR:

• Unnamed Fortune 500 company (New York, NY) is looking for a ColdFusion developer. Requirements include 3-5 years experience with ColdFusion, as well as expertise with HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Also prefers experience with Oracle, MySQL, and Flash. Contact recruiter Eva Kriz at Concepts in Staffing.
• WolfNet Technologies (Minneapolis, MN) is looking for a senior ColdFusion developer with SQL database experience. Requirements include object oriented experience within a MVC framework, and proficiency with HTML & CSS. Knowledge of JavaScript, Ajax, and Flex a plus. Please email jobs@wolfnettech.com.
• Unnamed company (AL) is looking for 3 Flex/AIR developers. Telecommuting may be possible. Contact resumes@mrt-llc.com.
• Lattice Semiconductor (Hillsboro, OR) is looking for a lead ColdFusion developer. Requirements include BS degree with 5 years relevant experience and 2 years management experience, and experience with relational SQL (Oracle preferred). Details posted online.

The Adobe MAX 2008 site, with dates and locations, is online. Registration is not open yet, but there is an option to sign up for a mailing list so you'll know when registration opens and more.

MAX Japan has been scheduled for January 29-30, 2009 in Tokyo. Details to follow.

Back in late 2005 I asked What Would You Want From ColdFusion Microsoft Exchange Integration?. That post generated over 100 comments, and the ideas and suggestions and use cases in that thread were in a large part responsible for the powerful and sophisticated Exchange integration tags in ColdFusion 8.

So, I'd like your input again. We've been hearing some rumblings about Microsoft SharePoint and integration with ColdFusion, and I'd like you to weigh in on this idea. Are you a SharePoint user, or is it used anywhere in your organization? If yes, what is it being used for? And do you see any value in ColdFusion SharePoint integration? What type of integration would you like, and how would you use it? As before, I am less interested in simple "yes please" or "no, but you should support x instead" comments. I need specifics, and the more detail the better.

And no, I am not promising features. This is a brainstorming exercise for now. ;-)

Thanks!

Today we announced that Adobe Flash Lite Shipments Pass Half Billion Mark and that Adobe Flash Lite and Reader LE Licensed by Microsoft (for inclusion in future Windows Mobile devices).

Late last week we released two ColdFusion security fixes for ColdFusion MX 7 and ColdFusion 8:

• APSB08-06 Update available for potential ColdFusion MX 7 and ColdFusion 8 Cross Site Scripting security issue (Windows deployments only)
• APSB08-08 Update available for ColdFusion MX 7 and ColdFusion 8 logs invalid admin interface log-in attempts

Two ColdFusion positions this week:

• East Carolina University (Greenville, NC) is looking for a ColdFusion developer. Requirements include extensive object oriented experience, as well as experience with CF8 Ajax integration, SQL, Flex, and ColdFusion frameworks. Apply online (search the "Staff-Information Technology" category for "Business & Technology Applications Analyst - Advanced").
• LaCie (Portland, OR) is looking for a ColdFusion developer. Requirements include 4+ years of ColdFusion experience (or ASP, PHP, JSP, but must be willing to learn ColdFusion), as well as experience with Oracle and SQL Server, CSS, XML, and more. Details posted online.

Salt Lake City, home to MAX 2003 and the 2002 Winter Olympics, is hosting RIA Dev Shed, a full day event on Flex, AIR, and more. Presenters include Ray Camden and Mike Nimer. Regisration is now open.

James Ward and I will be in Bangalore, India, later this month, and will both be presenting at the Adobe RIA Architect Summit 2008, a free full day event dedicated to Flex, AIR, Data Services, ColdFusion, and more. Registration is now open.

Kurt Bonnet wrote to tell me that two tools from Atlassian, Crucible (used for code review), and FishEye (used for source code repository analysis), now support CFML (as of version 1.3.5).

I've managed to get quoted in two InfoWorld stories in as many days, in Silverlight's link to Microsoft developer skills touted I was asked about Flex and the skills needed to leverage it versus those needed by Silverlight, and in Adobe ColdFusion warming to 64-bit OSes we chatted about the imminent ColdFusion updater and more.

I am in London for the very first CFUnited Europe where I am presenting an opening keynote. I am looking forward to seeing whether the event does as well here as it does back in the U.S. See you there!

Building on the success of last year's FlexManiacs, the new WebManiacs is 3 events in one - CFManiacs, FlexManiacs, and AIRManiacs. Over 50 speakers, more than 200 sessions, hands-on sessions, and much more, May 19-23 2008 in Washington, D.C. And early-bird discounted pricing closes on March 14th, so register now.