What are the best cross-platform application development tools? [closed]

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I have an application I built in Flash that runs with no problems on Windows and OSX. I'd like to extend it to mobile platforms and I want to be able to call programs written in the native language of each platform.

I understand that Flex can be used on mobile platforms and that it can call native code, but I'm a little confused by what I've read about Flex. Can I use the Adobe Flash development environment to build Flex applications? Will our users need the Adobe Air runtime to run the programs? And what the heck does Air add to the capabilities? We need strong audio and video capabilities, a built-in database is not a requirement.

Many thanks for your comments on this topic.

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I understand that Flex can be used on mobile platforms and that it can call native code,

This is almost true. If you use Flex to build an application that targets Adobe AIR 3; then you can make use of Native Extensions which allow you to execute native code not the device. AIR 3 has a public release candidate and I expect we'll hear a lot more about this at Adobe Max next week.

Can I use the Adobe Flash development environment to build Flex applications?

You can use Adobe Flash Builder to build Flex applications. It is possibly, although difficult and uncommon, to use Adobe Flash Professional to build Flex Application. They are two very different tools designed for a very different audience.

Will our users need the Adobe Air runtime to run the programs?

Maybe. AIR 3 introduces something called Captive runtime. This allows you to bundle up the AIR Runtime with your application, so that Adobe AIR is not required as a separate download. The use of captive runtime is the only way to deploy AIR applications to iOS. AIR 3 is the first release to expand that feature to other platforms.

If you choose not to compile your code using captive runtime, then your users will need the AIR runtime installed.

You could also target Adobe Flex in the browser on Android and Blackberry Playbook. In which case, the user would not need AIR installed at all.

And what the heck does Air add to the capabilities?

It really allows you to create mobile applications; as opposed to browser based apps. That's the big one.