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Sarah Perez over at ReadWriteWeb has just given a heads up that Atlantic Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, has just launched an new AIR app called Fanbase. This app has to be one of the best examples of AIR i’ve seen to date.

Rather than just taking the easy route and simply re-inventing the MP3 player in an AIR based format, Fanbase combines music, video, chat, and images. Fans can even customise the app by choosing which artists they want it to display from the dropdown menu or the “Manage” screen. Whilst we’re talking about artists, Atlantic Records has some huge ones with their roster including big names like Death Cab for Cutie, James Blunt, Buckcherry, Gnarls Barkley, Jet (great Aussie band), Panic At The Disco, Paramore, Rush, Staind, Rob Thomas, Simple Plan, Missy Elliot, and a stack more.

Atlantic Records collaborated with imeem, the music social networking site that lets users upload, create, and listen to music. Through the integrated imeem music player, Fanbase will automatically capture the latest music from any particular artist and stream it directly into the player. Fanbase’s video content comes from YouTube and Brightcove and the chat feature is provided by Meebo.

“We’re always looking to elevate the experience and interaction our fans have with our artists,” said Eric Snowden Creative Director of Digital Media for Atlantic Records. “Through Fanbase we’re delivering that experience digitally, on-demand and in a manner that allows fans to create a much deeper connection with their favorite artists.”

To demo Fanbase, you can download it from here.

If you’ve been thinking about learning Flex but have found it either too hard, too expensive, or just too time consuming, have we got a treat for you.

Flex in a Week is a free video tutorial series that allows you to learn Flex at your own pace. It comes with a set of exercises that takes you through the foundations of Flex and onto some of the intermediate concepts. Definitely enough to get you started!

If you run into problems and have questions, you can ask a question on the Flex in a Week forum.

Whilst you’re in a learning mood you might also want to check out one of the other great, free tutorial videos we have on all the other Adobe products over at the Adobe Video Workshop.

Kudos to Matt Chotin and the Flex Team, Ted Patrick and the Community Management team, as well as Jeremy Allaire and the Brightcove posse, for making this all happen

It was bound to happen, and dare I say this is only the thin edge of the wedge, with AIR being used for less than pure purposes

I happened upon this latest use of Adobe’s AIR technology over at Andrew Shorton’s blog where fellow devo *ahem* Adobian, Eagled Eyed Shorts was on the case “researching great examples of our AIR technology in use when he stumbled across this latest example.

Keeley Hazell is a Sun (UK Newspaper) Page 3 model, a role that usually involves her appearing topless, or tastefuly kitted out in lingerie, splashed across page 3 of The Sun. Always keen to create a better, longer lasting ‘user experience’ The Sun (which allegedly has the highest circulation of any English-language newspaper in the world) approached digital agency glitterati Glue London to create Desktop Keeley.

Desktop Keeley is a slick, well designed AIR based RSS reader with a little extra twist. When you get bored of reading the latest news you can select the “Come out to play” option from the menu to kick off a chroma-keyed video of Keeley (resplendent in lingerie or bikini) striding out onto your desktop. Alternatively, you can have her appear at a specified time interval to give you a private show. *NOTE TO UNSUSPECTING PLAYERS* be sure to turn this app off before you head into boardroom, or conference presentations – unless you want an embarrassing (but pleasant) surprise!

If you’re keen to have a Desktop Keeley all for yourself, jump on over to The Suns page and download it (warning: semi nudity). Or if you’re like Andrew and I and more keen in the ‘research’ side of things you could watch the sneak peek behind-the-scenes at Desktop Keeley shoot. Where you can see all the technical, green screen chroma-key action being recorded/edited (it’s all very eduacational……I promise)

Apparently if you tap the ‘t’ key 5 times, then the number 5, 4 times, then write ‘keeley’, and hold down the space bar – nothing happens – which is a shame