Adobe goes after tablets in software update

To many, tablet computers have one major weakness: It is hard to create original content on them. But on Monday, Adobe announced a series of updates to its software that might help address that.

The main update integrates Adobe Photoshop, running on a desktop computer, with software running on tablets. Photoshop is an option within the Creative Suite software.

For example, one new feature, Adobe Eazel allows users to draw with their fingers, taking full advantage of the screen's multi-touch interface, and then send the finished image back to a desktop computer. Another app, Adobe Color Lava, lets tablet users mix colours on a touchscreen and create swatches or patterns that can then be shared with a desktop computer.

An update to Adobe InDesign adds new tools that make it simple to create and publish interactive magazine and newspaper content for tablet computers.

Updates to other Adobe software offer new features that will enable users to develop software and content for mobile phones.

Adobe also announced a new software developer kit, Photoshop Touch SDK, which developers can use to build other applications for tablets that can also sync with desktop software.

In addition, Adobe also announced on Monday that it would offer a new subscription model -- month-to-month -- for customers who want to use its flagship software without purchasing it outright. Adobe Photoshop will cost $35 a month; access to Adobe's full software suites will cost $129 a month. Adobe Photoshop CS5 is currently priced between $700 and $1,000 in the United States.

David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager at Adobe, said in a phone interview that the company had traditionally updated its software every 18 months, but that new software releases would now happen on a two-year cycle. Updates, like the one announced Monday, will take place more regularly.

The new tablet software is expected to appear in the Apple iTunes Store on May 3, and will cost between $2 and $5. Adobe said that it would eventually be available for tablets running Google Android and on the BlackBerry operating system.