Adobe Unveils Versatile Acrobat Update

Previewed at FOSE, update accepts input and links to databases, as suited to Web-based applications.

Saumya Roy, Medill News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Adobe Systems is developing an update to its Acrobat Reader that will let users enter information into forms and submit them online, enhancing the value of online form completion on government Web sites. Company officials gave a preview of the program here at FOSE, an annual trade show of government-related technology and applications.

The updated Acrobat will accept typed or pasted user input to an online form, which is not possible with the current version. The form can be linked to a database so that it can respond to input with intelligence, said Bruce Chizen, Adobe president and chief executive officer, addressing the conference. For example, if a user enters a Social Security number into a form, the software could be programmed to automatically enter the appropriate name.

This more capable version of Acrobat can also perform and validate calculations in forms such as tax returns and other tasks, Chizen said. Users can also attach notes on the forms. He did not indicate a release date for the update.

Expanding Acrobat's capabilities and its use online will play an important role in bringing more government transactions online, Chizen noted. For example, the Internal Revenue Service has drawn criticism for not accepting e-filing of tax returns directly on its site. Currently, it only provides forms for download, not electronic completions or submissions.

Reader Use Spreads

Promoting online transactions, such as filling out electronic forms, saves time and money and makes government agencies more efficient, Chizen said in his keynote.

Adobe software is frequently used to move government functions online, and to make more resource materials available through government Web sites. Chizen said the official records of congressional proceedings are maintained in PDF files, the format generated by Adobe Acrobat. Also, more than 500 million tax forms have been downloaded from the IRS Web site, he said.

Adobe also announced a test version of Acrobat Reader 2 for the Palm operating system. This version of the Reader will allow users to open PDF files not only on handheld devices running the Palm OS but also on Windows and Macintosh systems, Chizen said. Adobe is preparing versions of the program in English, French, Italian, Spanish, and German.

"With enhancements in the latest version, we're now able to offer a much larger audience more freedom in the way they access visually rich Adobe PDF content," said Richard Bess, director of product management for Acrobat Reader.

Acrobat Family

Adobe already offers several versions of its Acrobat software. The latest version of the full application, Adobe Acrobat 5, was introduced last summer. The full version costs $249, while the Acrobat Reader is distributed free of charge.

Adobe also unveiled a midrange product, Acrobat Approval 5, in late summer. The product provides some input functions, including form completion, spelling checking, signatures, and forwarding of existing documents created by Acrobat. It costs $39 for a single user, with volume rates available.

Adobe has supported an Acrobat Reader on the Palm OS since last spring. A version for Pocket PCs, a Microsoft platform for handhelds, was introduced in September.