New Acrobat juggles Web pages, metadata to make work easy

For the first time in two years Adobe has upgraded its Acrobat document viewing software. Unfortunately Mac users won't see most of the improvements.

Users can now add summaries, text blocks, audio clips and digital signatures to PDF documents. They can also convert Word, Excel, and other familiar formats to PDF by dragging and dropping them on an icon.

Two additions stand out in the upgrade. A Web Capture feature lets users convert live Web pages -- graphics, text, and hyperlinks -- into PDF form. Acrobat now also supports metadata, so information can be categorized and re-used.

The added capabilities have made Acrobat a better choice for document distribution, according to Fred Harper, Web services team leader, Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems. "It's faster and more cost-effective than ever for us to create materials, receive feedback from reviewers, and then deliver final documents to employees."

Acrobat Version 4.0 is expected to ship in Q2 '99 for about $250. Upgrades will cost around $100.

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