Adobe Systems Inc. has released a new version of its
eBook Reader
software. The new version, 2.2, is now available for download from Adobe’s Web site.
With eBook Reader, users are able to view electronic books created using Adobe’s PDF (portable document format) standard. eBooks are sold through online sources like Amazon.com, and cover a variety of topics from classic literature to comic books, best selling fiction to educational textbooks, research reports to business guides.
Adobe said that changes in eBook Reader 2.2 include:
Improved Viewing of Books with Large Pages
— The Fit Width button can make books with large pages easier to read. When you click the Fit Width button, the Acrobat eBook Reader expands to fill the desktop and enlarges the page until it just fits horizontally inside the display area. If necessary, a vertical scroll bar appears. Click the Single-Page View button to restore the Acrobat eBook Reader to its previous size. Single-Page View, Two-Page View and Fit Width are mutually exclusive page-viewing options.
Adobe PDF Options Can Specify Initial Page View
— Publishers of eBooks can use Adobe Acrobat to set options in an eBook PDF file that cause the Acrobat eBook Reader to open the eBook in either Fit Width or Two-Page View. If an eBook PDF file contains both Fit Width and Continuous-Facing open options, the Acrobat eBook Reader opens the eBook in Fit Width view.
New Scrolling and Panning Features
— If an eBook page becomes too long to fit in the display area as a result of zooming in or entering Fit Width view, a vertical scroll bar appears. If the page becomes too wide to fit, you can click the Hand Tool button and then drag the page left or right as well as up or down. Click the Hand Tool button again to stop repositioning the page.
Printing on Non-PostScript Printers
— If the publisher allows, you can now print eBook pages on a printer that does not use the PostScript page description language.
System requirements for eBook Reader 2.2 call for a PowerPC-equipped Mac; Mac OS 9.0 or 9.1 (OS X is not yet supported). Recommended requirements call for a color display with more than 256 colors; QuickTime 4 or higher; Internet Explorer 4.5 or later, AOL 5.0 or later, or Netscape Communicator 4.75 or later.