Adobe is working on client-based software that will run Flash applications separately from a browser, whether online or offline. The company is working on a project code-named Apollo, which will let applications written for Adobe’s Flash software run without a Web browser.

Apollo programs will function when a person is offline and automatically update data when the user gets back online. For example, a person could book an airline ticket from a handheld or laptop offline; when the person reconnects to a network, the software will complete the transaction.

In addition, Apollo applications will behave like other desktop programs: They will have a separate icon for launching the program and appear in operating system utilities, like the “Add or Remove Programs” feature in Microsoft Windows.

An early version of the Apollo software is expected to be made available to developers on the Adobe Labs site later this year. Programmers can write applications to run in Apollo using Adobe’s current line of tools.