Adobe Acrobat Reader (32-bit) 5.0.5

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: CNET Staff

The new version of this indispensable product doesn't introduce revolutionary changes, but it doesn't have to. As the low-end PDF reader, it simply keeps up with Acrobat Professional and Standard. This release adds the ability to play back embedded multimedia files in MP3, QuickTime, Macromedia Flash, Real, and Windows Media formats, as well as to submit Adobe PDF forms. It also replaces some of the icons in the default interface with optional, dockable toolbars. You might as well install this now before a Web site you visit prompts you to download it, because you'll need it.

Publisher's description

From Adobe Systems :

The Adobe Acrobat Reader allows you to view, navigate, browse, and print portable document format (PDF) files that have been created by Adobe Acrobat. It also enables you to fill in visually rich, interactive PDF forms. An ActiveX control for Internet Explorer and a plug-in for Netscape Navigator are included and automatically installed in the browser of your choice.

This latest version includes a host of new features, such as the ability to save copies of files downloaded in Web browsers; drag-and-drop toolbar icons, dynamic thumbnails generation, and other usability improvements; improved access to Web-hosted applications and online services; support for Adobe Illustrator 9.0 graphics that contain transparency; compatibility with previous versions of Acrobat Reader; better display of text on LCD screens using Adobe CoolType technology; and more. Plus, you can download Asian font packs that enable you to view Adobe PDF files that contain Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts on nonnative systems using Acrobat Reader 5.0. For a complete listing of updates, please visit the developer's What's New page.

Acrobat is a must-have for checking out elaborate documentation online. You can use it in your home or office to save paper and print out forms from the Web.

Note: Adobe Acrobat Reader's Web Buy feature, which allows you to purchase PDF files through online distributors, may transmit information about your computer to these third-party distributors. This information may include your internal computer ID, your storage device ID, and in certain circumstances, your logon name. You will be warned if additional information is required and may abort the transaction before any information is transmitted. As with any online transaction, your initial connection to the content provider's server may not be secure, and this information could be sent unencrypted over the Internet. This process does not occur when viewing normal, nonencrypted PDF files.

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