Acrobat
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Acrobat vulnerability may affect Mac users
As if the baked-in security issues weren't enough to deal with, Adobe has announced today that all versions since v7 of Acrobat and Acrobat Reader on all platforms -- including Mac OS X -- are vulnerable to an Javascript exploit that can crash Acrobat. [Correction, per The Register and Shadowserver the vulnerability is not in Javascript per se but the circulating exploits use Javascript to leverage the actual flaw. Thanks to Adam Engst for the heads-up.] The same approach could possibly give an attacker unrestricted access to the target system. More from Download Squad on the scope of the problem; Adobe and others are reporting that there are already exploits in the wild for this problem.Mac users have, of course, a very solid option for handling PDF files other than Acrobat: Preview, installed on every Mac OS X machine. You can also turn off Javascript support in the Acrobat preferences to lock out exploits from proceeding beyond crashing the app to actually doing widespread damage.To change the default handler for PDF files, select any PDF file in the Finder and then select Get Info from the File menu. Under the Open With section, select Preview.app and then click Change All.
Adobe Reader 9 released
Adobe has released version 9 of its Adobe Reader PDF display software. The newest version includes a number of changes including faster launching, "PDF Portfolios" (bundles of PDFs and other document types), native Flash support, and support for the online Acrobat.com beta (through Adobe AIR) with a variety of online PDF services.Adobe Reader 9 is a free download from Adobe and is platform (Intel/PPC) specific.[via Macworld]
Adobe Reader and Acrobat security updates
Danger, Will Robinson! Adobe is warning that "critical vulnerabilities" have been found in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.1.1 and earlier. They are recommending that Acrobat 8 and Adobe Reader users install the 8.1.2 update as soon as possible. Those who are using Acrobat 7 are advised to install the 7.1.0 update quickly as well. A full summary of the security concerns and links to the update files can be yours by visiting the Adobe security update site. Note that while Acrobat & Reader 8.1.2 have been out for some time, the 7.1 update is fresh this week and the security issue is newly disclosed.[via Macintouch]
Microsoft licenses Adobe stuff for Windows Mobile
Well, that's not much of a vote of confidence for Microsoft's own products, now is it? Despite the fact that Silverlight for Mobile development is well underway, Windows Mobile's patron saint has decided to license Adobe's Flash Lite and Reader LE packages directly and make them available to WinMo licensees straight from the mothership. Though Adobe's press release says that availability on specific devices will be "confirmed later," we imagine that it'll be a no-brainer for virtually every ODM to sign right up to offer the goods -- just ask any Nokia N95 8GB owner how cool the in-browser Flash support is.[Via Mobility Site]
Helio outs File Viewer for Ocean, reads most of the important stuff
Helio's Ocean certainly has the hardware credentials to see some duty as a business device, but with Helio's consumer focus, the software necessary to turn the phone into a productivity powerhouse hasn't really materialized. That changes a bit today though with the introduction of File Viewer, a free application that allows Ocean users to read a variety of popular file formats, among them Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents, PDF, plain text, HTML, and several image types in both landscape and portrait modes. Helio's commemorating the event by also upgrading its Mail for Exchange platform to version 1.2, offering a handful of improvements and providing direct integration to the File Viewer. Both are available today; follow the break for the full press release.
Adobe Acrobat and Reader 8.1 released
Adobe's freeware and flagship PDF apps are getting a refresh this week, as Acrobat 8.1 and Adobe Reader 8.1 for Mac are now available through Adobe's download site and via the update option within both programs. New features include the obligatory bug fixes, Adobe3D support in Reader, enhanced Flash and InDesign integration in Acrobat, and a handy-dandy "Send to FedEx Kinko's" button for US users who need to cut down on all-nighters.Unfortunately, the aggravation involved in installing or updating Reader 8 has not decreased appreciably since the first round of vehement complaining. The Reader installers are still segregated into PPC and Intel versions, and the machines I updated insisted on downloading 44 MB of updates immediately after installation; that is, when the installation actually proceeded as expected (didn't work on a machine with a managed user account). Ah, consistency!
Adobe Reader 8.0 out for Mac
Santa came early, bringing a little gift from Adobe. Adobe Reader (née Acrobat Reader) Version 8.0 is out and guess what... It's Universal Binary and it's kinda fast. Not like lightening fast, but practically zippy. Thanks, Adobe!Then again, since I have to complain about something (because you all say I do, so I must), I'll tell you how annoyed I am that I have to download an application that I don't want from Adobe in order to download an application that I do want from Adobe. When you go through the download area and click the download link, you get the familiar "Thank you for downloading Adobe Reader. Your Adobe Reader software download will start automatically." But that's a lie. The Reader software isn't downloaded. The Reader Download Manager is downloaded. So you have to download that, install it (grrrrr...), and then it launches and starts downloading the actual program you wanted to begin with, which takes much longer on an 8 Mbps cable connection than it should, and then you finally get the actual Adobe Reader installer. But wait, you're not in the clear yet. After it finally installs, it automatically launches, bugs you a few times about updating the Safari plugin and the immediately starts downloading an update for the Adobe Updater app. I nodded off at that point so I have no idea what happened next, but eventually I opened a PDF with it and noticed how much faster it launched than Adobe Reader 7.0.8. Three dock bounces to launch instead of 6. That must mean it's twice as good, right?Ok, I've gotten that out of my system now. Did I mention the pretty new red splash screen? That's kinda nice.Reader 8 requires Mac OS X v. 10.4.3 or later, weighs in at just over 20MB, and it awaits your call.
Adobe shipping Acrobat 8
Adobe today announced the immediate availability of Acrobat 8 (Universal Binary!), both Standard and Professional versions. Acrobat 8 Pro costs $449 USD, or $159 for qualifying upgrades, while Acrobat 8 Standard is a$299 or $99 for upgrades. You'll need Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later.This version "introduces several major innovations for professionals in a wide variety of areas, such as architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), IT, legal, marketing, manufacturing, and publishing" and enables users to "effectively engage with the rich, high-value information in PDF documents and forms, and more reliably and securely drive their work to completion leveraging the ubiquitous, free Adobe Reader software."The free Adobe Reader 8 is expected to be released in early December 2006 and Adobe Creative Suite 2.3 Premium will include Acrobat 8 Pro, as well as Dreamweaver 8 when it ships this month - although the rest of the Suite isn't UB yet.The Acrobat family has 4 versions now - Acrobat Pro, Acrobat Standard, Acrobat Elements (Windows) and Acrobat 3D (Windows). Plus, the free Adobe Reader. Figuring out which one is really the best for your needs involves using this product comparison matrix. If you want to be able to create forms, for example, you'll need to spring for the Pro version. UPDATE: An older press release indicates that Acrobat 8 Standard isn't even available for the Mac, but it's not really clear to me on Adobe's website. If true, that really sucks. Way to show your continued support for Mac users, Adobe! Care to defend that, John Nack? More details as we get them...Adobe also announced the immediate availability of a free trial of the Acrobat Connect, a hosted service and the first web conferencing and collaboration solution to offer "always-on" personal meeting rooms.
Adobe announces Acrobat 8 Universal Binary, Creative Suite 2.3
Ali Hanyaloglu at the Adobe Blogs has announced version 8 of Acrobat, their software for all things PDF, with a nice surprise: it's Universal. It's being bundled with the also recently announced new Adobe Creative Suite 2.3 Premium, a retail upgrade (don't you love how they like to charge for .X upgrades when 1/8th of the suite is Universal?) which also now includes Dreamweaver 8. GoLive, fortunately, will be spun off into a separate product (yea that's right: I said 'fortunately'), but who knows how long Adobe will grace users with a choice in web design apps, especially since Premium Creative Suite buyers are already getting one major suite in their bundle.Check out the new Acrobat 8.0 page, as well as the Creative Suite 2.3 press release, for details on what's new in this $159 upgrade (admittedly, a deal for Dreamweaver 8 alone). CS 2.3 is expected to ship before the end of 2006, but remember: the rest of the suite isn't Universal yet, and they won't be offering Universal upgrades to CS2. If you aren't dying for Acrobat 8 or Dreamweaver 8, I'd recommend waiting until the first half of 2007 to upgrade, especially if an Intel Mac is in your future.
