Tips & Tricks-August 2003

Free Stuff!

All of us have encountered PDF files in our Internet travels. Typically, you open the PDF and Acrobat Reader starts up and displays the document in your browser window. You can either read the document on-line or you can print it. Some forms include the ability to fill out the form on-line to be printed. I have taken the free software for granted for so long that I haven't paid much attention to its capabilities. That lack of attention has disappeared with the newest version, now called Adobe Reader.

First, it's still free and can be downloaded from Adobe at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Second, it includes a number of new features that make it even more interesting than before. When I say "new," it's possible that some of these features existed in earlier versions, but the implementation of the features has improved and been extended.

The interface resembles earlier versions, but is more like other Windows XP applications. You can still use Reader from within your browser or as a separate reader for PDF files. Now you can also use Reader to read e-books on your computer. The e-book reader is free, but you do have to activate and the process requires that you have a .Net passport. You do not have to go through the activation process to use Reader for other PDF documents.

Additions to the interface include an Office XP like right-hand help pane, which you can hide or leave open to help you use the product. The screen below has the help pane closed.

The "Hand" tool is the one you use to locate fillable fields on a form. There is also a "Select Text" tool that allows you to select and copy text from a PDF file. You can then paste the text as you would with other Windows applications. You can select, copy and paste images as well. You cannot delete them. Other tools allow you to rotate the page or to zoom in or out.

My favorite new tools are the Search functions and the text reading capabilities. Clicking on the search icon opens a search dialog on the right side of the page. You can search the document you have open, other PDFs on your local computer and PDFs on the web as well (Google is the search engine that is used for Web searches.) If you have a large collection of PDF files on your own computer, you can create a catalog of the files (if you have Adobe Acrobat). Keep in mind that the search is not only looking for titles, but is also searching the text of the PDF files.

The next rather surprising feature is that Adobe Reader can actually read to you. It comes equipped with text to speech capabilities. This works only on those PDF files that were created from text files. So if the PDF was created by scanning a document, the text will not be readable. You start by clicking on View on the top menu, then find "Read Out Loud." You will have the option of reading the current page or the entire document. If you want to change voices and some other options, click on "Edit" then "Preferences." Find "Reading" in the list. You have a choice of three voices, the very robotic sounding LH Michael, the slightly less robotic Microsoft Sam and the least robotic sounding LH Michele. I am guessing that technology from Lernout-Hauspie a company that has made voice recognition software for some time. You can customize the voices by raising or lowering the pitch as well as the number of words per minute. The reading won't win any prizes for dramatic quality, but it is understandable.

There are many options that you can set. I suspect that most of us, including me, have simply used Acrobat Reader in the past without doing much in the way of setting options or exploring the tools. Give it a whirl and keep in mind that it's free.

I have also run across two other utilities that you might want to explore.

We all have browser preferences and most of the major browsers have different features, but almost none have all the features you might want. I ran across a reference to a program called MyIE2 in a magazine or newspaper article and downloaded it. It is a browser that uses Internet Explorer as its basic browser, but adds a number of elements that make it like some of the other browsers. You can open multiple windows and a tab will be added to the main window for each of the open windows.

It has pop-up ad blockers with a list of black-listed files that the user can add to. It has a content filter that will block some spy bots. The list of features goes on. Best of all, it is freeware, although the creator does request donations or at least notes of appreciation.

The second utility Spybot-Search and Destroy is also freeware.

It is similar to products like Ad-aware and Pest Patrol. It searches your computer for advertising and spying bots placed on your system while you are browsing the Internet. The bots track your activity and report back or cause advertising to pop up on your system. The program is relatively simple to use, currently has a list of about 8100 bots with information about the source of the bot and suggestions as to whether or not it may be part of an application installed on your computer. It is updated with some frequency and it's free. Again the creator does request donations.

When you use freeware or shareware, keep in mind that these are not commercial products and while support is often available, you may be on your own. If you are running Windows XP, you may want to create a System Restore point prior to installation of the software in case something goes wrong. Go to your Control Panel to find the links to System Restore. It's very simple and quick to do and may save you some trouble later.