There’s a new version of the highly popular PDF software, version 9 of the Adobe Acrobat, that is expected to transform how the networked world “create and share electronic documents.”

Software company Adobe Systems Inc. on Wednesday launched its latest version of Adobe Acrobat, which Adobe officials said features a significant upgrade of the software.

Systems managing director for Southeast Asia, Ashley Wearne, said “some 525 million computers have the free Acrobat Reader software installed, to date.

“Acrobat 9 is expected to fundamentally change how professionals communicate and collaborate using electronic documents. Since Adobe Acrobat 9 family was launched in the region, there have been many positive feedbacks about its interactive features,” Wearne said.

The new software includes flash player that is for compatible video and application files in PDF documents. Static documents can also be brought to life as the new version allows flash video format with audio support as well as in print.

Data-mining and analysis will also be easier as the new Acrobat 9 can cull data from survey forms and other forms in PDF format, which can be exported to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet as a .csv file for database use.  A wide range of content can be filed into a single document with the new concept of “PDF  portfolios,” which enable business professionals to assemble multiple media  types—documents, video, audio and even three-dimensional objects into one compressed PDF file.”

Users are also given a choice of several professional layouts and can create their own to quickly integrate content, define navigation and add polish. Communiques like sales proposals, legal documents and product collaterals can be customized.

Acrobat 9 also provides access to capabilities for long distance, live collaboration within a PDF document through www.acrobat.com, a site that offers a new suite of hosted online services introduced as a public beta on June 2. The web site allows users to chat in real-time while literally being “on the same page” as their co-collaborators as they view and work on the same PDF file.

Acrobat 9 users can also access acrobat.com for storing and sharing files and use it as a central location for collecting data as part of a forms-completion process and to gather comments in a shared document review.

The Acrobat 9 family consists of Acrobat 9 Standard, Acrobat 9 Pro, and the new Acrobat 9 Pro Extended software. Acrobat 9 Pro Extended includes Adobe Presenter software for converting Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into multimedia works that can be published as PDF files.

Global business boosts ABS-CBN profits

THE absence of revenues from political ads notwithstanding, listed multimedia conglomerate, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. (ABS-CBN), said its net income from January to May this year grew 13 percent. Recurring profit, which excludes one-time gains or losses, rose to P598 million from P520 million.

Shang keeps bullish prospects for sector

Developer Shang Properties Inc, the real-estate arm of the Kuok Group, said despite the many in the coming year, they remained bullish on their prospects in the real-estate industry.

NTC to adopt Europe digital TV standard

DIGITAL TV broadcasts in the Philippines may soon be realized. This, as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is reportedly considering to formally adopt Europe’s Digital Video Broadcast Handheld or DVB-H as the country’s preferred platform for Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) standard.

A FILIPINA businesswoman and a foreign national allegedly engaged in the sale and distribution of counterfeit Louis Vuitton products at a popular mall in Binondo, Manila were lodged yesterday with criminal charges in a Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC).

Software makes HRD work easier

IN a bid to expand its market, Gurango Software Corp. will embark on an aggressive marketing campaign for its human capital management (HCM) portfolio.

There’s a new version of the highly popular PDF software, version 9 of the Adobe Acrobat, that is expected to transform how the networked world “create and share electronic documents.”

Gaming firm allots P20M for expansion

LISTED gaming firm Pacific Online System Corp. (POSC) is spending P20 million to fund its unit’s rollout of 50 lotto terminals in the next 18 months.

Not Business as Usual: Poster boy

WHICH is a better alternative?

On one hand, there’s the Greenpeace Internet-based initiative asking environmentalists to write Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. to stop power subsidiary, Panay Power Corp., from using coal. Greenpeace even provides a uniform letter, addressed to nobody in particular at Metrobank, with a just “Dear Metrobank” as salutation.