Adobe Reader 8

Adobe Systems has announced the release of Adobe Reader 8, the latest major release of their free Portable Document Format (PDF) readers software for Mac OS X and Windows.

New features in Adobe Reader 8 include support for Adobe Acrobat Connect, an online collaboration service that works using Flash. A new streamlined interface features user-customizable toolbars, and Reader users can fill and submit forms, save data and digitally sign documents. The software also features graphics acceleration on supported systems.

It’s the first Intel-native version of Adobe Reader to be released. It’s worth noting that the Intel-optimized version is a separate download from its PowerPC counterpart, which may cause some confusion for Mac users and IT personnel who have grown accustomed to Universal binaries, which combine PowerPC and Intel optimizations into a single application.

Adobe Reader 8 is available in English, French, German and Japanese versions. Chinese and Korean releases are coming in early 2007. Available for Mac OS X and windows, Adobe Reader 8 is also coming for Linux, HP/UX, AIX and Solaris operating systems in 2007.

System requirements call for a G3 or better processor, Mac OS X v10.4.3 or later, 128MB RAM, 110MB hard disk drive space and Apple Safari 2.0.2.