PDF viewing on S60 just got a whole lot slicker. Adobe Reader 2.5, using some of the very latest core Adobe Reader code, has been ported and released through Quickoffice's on-device Quickmanager module. Although the viewer is not now free, this collaboration makes a lot of sense, with the best of Adobe's latest code and Quickoffice's proven Symbian coding skills. Read on for review screenshots, links and the full press release.
Read on in the full article.
$15 for a reader is a little bit insane
Ah, but what a reader. 8-) Seriously, if I was a travelling professional wanting to carry around 100 support PDFs of all my company's products, $15 would seem a bargain if it let me zip round the files a lot faster.
I agree $15 dollars is insane for a reader that is free on just about every platform.
I've already paid over £400 to buy Acrobat Pro 8 from Adobe, so you could say I'm mad to moan about £7.50, but add the complete 'pain in the arse' it is to transfer the Quickoffice licence from one device to the next and I really can't be bothered to try and explain to them that I have Adobe Reader LE 2.5 as well.
If a standalone downloadable version is made available I will consider buying it, but not through the QO Quickmanager.
Now will it run out of memory on the N95 with large PDF's.............
Well what about PDF+? Isn't that about $20 too?
Given this is really an Enterprise focused product I suspect for many pricing may not be that much of an issue. Interestingly most data suggests pricing for mobile software is relatively price elastic (i.e. the number of copies sold isn't that greatly impacted by price).
I guess it depends on how much you need PDF viewing. The new version is a lot faster and does support a number of improvements including the latest file formats and better viewing. I don't doubt plenty of people will e happy to pay for it.
Previous versions of Adobe Reader LE could handle only "small PDFs". If this is the case this time too, pretty useless IMO.
PDF+ is much much better. You can open (and read) large files with that.
My test PDFs so far were in the Megabyte or bigger range and opened in around a second. In the interests of science, I just tried two 10MB PDFs and each also opened that fast.
I then tried searching for a text string in a 60 page PDF and the search took 2 seconds. Personally, I think this sort of performance is worth paying for. If you need PDF reading a lot then the price is insignificant and, again, don't the programmers at Quickoffice deserve to be paid for the effort they've put in to do such a cracking port?
"Given this is really an Enterprise focused product I suspect for many pricing may not be that much of an issue."
Exactly, if it helps you earn more money it will pay for itself (and 15 dollars wouldn't take much of an increase to earn back).
Also, a lot of business users will get the cost of this software back when they do their taxes anyway, so it will be free in effect.
Rafe, don't you mean "price inelastic?"
My biggest gripe is not the cost it's the fact it can only be downloaded through Quickmanager, if you then change device you can't just reinstall it as you have no installation file. With Quickoffice itself it took 3 weeks to get a installation file and unlock code from QO so I could reinstall it from my N80 to my N95, as a business user I don't need that kind of hassle everytime I buy a new phone.
Chill, guys, I have it on good authority that a separate, standalone installer will be released shortly. Quickoffice like to test run new applications/versions by leaking them out slowly first through Quickmanager, to try and iron out any problems. Sensible strategy, if you ask me....
Unregistered wrote:Rafe, don't you mean "price inelastic?"
Yes I probably do. Been a while since I studied economics!
There is free version 1.1 of PDF reader. Direct dowlnoad links here.
Do big pdf files work? Here's an 18 Mb big pdf file to try...
h t t p : / / w w w . m e t r o . s e / s e / m i s c / p d f / 2 0 0 7 / 0 8 / 1 5 / S E S T O _ 2 0 0 7 _ 0 8 _ 1 5 . p d f
(sorry for all the spaces in the link... only way I could post it.)
/Jonas
@Ratkat, QO sent me my Activation Code and link for download in 24hrs of the request
This Adobe Reader works well. Have been happy with my $15 purchase.
Biggest drawback to this V2.5 reader is the apparent lack os being able to save settings or to use shortcut keys. Also I have been able to find no user forum for this product. The Adobe forum are dead on this product and there is no forum at quick office.
Also, I dont mind paying $15 for an active development cycle. Remember adobe 2.0 for the pocket pc; Years without an update.
after paying the $15 the install process did not supply the unlock code. company does not respond to email, support requests or answer their phone.
as an owner of a 5 star rate internet sales company, i find quick office 'support' to be nonexistent.