.KEYWORD acrobat
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS 2.0 has room to grow
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY Since Stephen Vance first took a look at Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS a new version has been released. In this article he takes a look at the improvements that Adobe has made as well as the issues that still need to be addressed in Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS 2.0.
.AUTHOR Stephen Vance
In February 2002, when I wrote my first article for PalmPower Magazine about using expansion cards (at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200202/expansion001.html), the main motivator was the ability to carry documentation in my shirt pocket. Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS addressed this problem by allowing me to download Adobe’s PDF (Portable Document Format) files to my handheld.
That article looked at the 1.0 version of Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS. However since that time, Adobe has released two more versions, 1.1 and 2.0. This article takes a closer look at the improvements that Adobe has made since then.
For the record, all of the tips and tricks from the previous article still work in your repertoire of Palm OS utilities. Although there has been a version of PDF2PDB.EXE released to accompany the new version, I have been unable to find it on Adobe’s Web site as of this writing. Even the link to the search page result just brings you back to the main download page.
.BREAK_EMAIL To read more about the new Acrobat Reader for Palm OS, click here.
.H1 New features
Adobe has added a number of useful features since the first version. Most notably in the context of the previous article is the ability to directly load PDF files onto expansion cards. I have seen reports on the mailing lists of people having trouble with MultiMediaCards and Sony MemorySticks, but I have successfully used both Secure Digital and MultiMedia cards on my Palm m505 with no problems.
Another noteworthy feature, particularly on the Palm m505, is the support for color PDFs on color handhelds. When you first install the application, the desktop software recommends you set your color preferences automatically through a HotSync operation. You can reset them manually at any time through the preferences screen. You can repeat the automatic process by pressing the Get Best Settings button on the Preferences dialog.
One of the most common questions in the 1.X versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS was, "I didn’t set any sort of encryption. Why is the software complaining that it can’t convert an encrypted document?" If you look at the document security settings in a PDF file, you’ll see a number of options that the author could set, including whether the document can be printed, changed, etc. If the author restricts any of these settings, the document becomes encrypted even if the author did not set an explicit encryption password. Early versions of Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS would prevent such documents from being converted for transfer to the PDA. Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS 2.0 allows you to view secured PDFs.
The 2.0 version also adds a desktop application for the Macintosh, satisfying a significant voice in Adobe’s customer base. They also added language support for French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
.H1 What’s missing
The Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS mailing list has low volume, but people have some common questions and desires. One of the most common features lamented as missing from Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS is the preservation of links. This is highest on my wish list for enhancements. I understand why Adobe will not support arbitrary links, but I really wish that an inline table of contents would remain functional when downloaded to the Palm handheld. The reader can use the known structure of the document to present a table of contents, but I would rather use the one that the creator of the document assembled where available. Likewise, if the author of a document chose to provide excellent cross-references, I would like to be able to us them. In fact, I feel that they’re more important on the handheld than on the desktop because of the limited speed and screen size of Palm OS devices.
Bookmarks would also help immensely on the Palm handheld, but they were omitted. Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS will take you back to the spot you last viewed in the most recent document. If you need to reference many locations in multiple documents, it becomes cumbersome quickly.
Another common question is whether forms are supported. Adobe has not yet included support for forms, nor have they indicated such intent. The latter is not surprising, given that I have seen no mention of future feature plans.
Some find the lack of support for embedded fonts significant. Given the storage these fonts would require, it seems a practical omission. However, this prevents use on documents with unsupported languages, as noted for the Xiino reference manual in my review of Palm OS Web browsers (at http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200208/browser001.html and http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200209/browser0902001.html).
.H1 Support issues
One of the other common topics in the user forums revolves around device support. There are several reports of difficulties with Sony Clie handhelds, as well as occasional reports against other devices such as one for the Palm m130. There also seem to be issues with installing as a user with Administrator privileges and trying to use it as another user. Palm OS 3.5 or higher (including 5.0) is required, as well as Palm Desktop 4.0 or 4.01. I have seen reports of problems with Palm OS 3.5 on non-Palm OS devices, but it seems far from universal.
I have encountered one or two problems converting and viewing files. I have had frequent problems opening files on network drives from the desktop application. I have also found one document (the SEI CMMI Full Staged model at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/pub/documents/02.reports/pdf/02tr012.pdf) that converts cleanly but will not open. Attempting to open it on the handheld gives the Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm OS "I’m thinking" icon and then returns back to the file index.
.PAGE
.H1 Conclusion
Overall, Adobe has put together a solid and functional product. There is obvious room to grow by acquiring new features and capabilities, but it satisfies a need as it stands and remains a free download. I hope that Adobe will continue to enhance it and take full advantage of the faster processing that Palm OS 5.0 should make available.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Adobe’s Acrobat Reader for Palm OS 2.0, visit http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readerforpalm.html.
For more information on Adobe’s user forums, visit http://www.adobe.com/support/forums/main.html.
For the article, "Making expansion cards work for you," by Stephen Vance in the February 2002 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200202/expansion001.html.
For the article, "A survey of Palm OS Web browsers for IT professionals," by Stephen Vance in the August 2002 issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition, visit http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200208/browser001.html.
For the article, "Four Palm OS Web browsers show their stuff," by Stephen Vance in the September 2002 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue200209/browser0902001.html.
For more information on the SEI CMMI Full Staged model, visit http://www.sei.cmu.edu/pub/documents/02.reports/pdf/02tr012.pdf.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Easy, flexible article reprints
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.BIO Stephen Vance is a Contributing Editor for Computing Unplugged Magazine. His Web site is located at http://www.vance.com. He can be reached at steve@vance.com.
