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Posts tagged with "pdf"

GoodReader for iPad Adds AirPlay for Video, Encryption, Better PDF Annotations

GoodReader, the popular file manager and document previewer for iOS, received an update last night in its iPad version that, reaching version 3.6, adds support for enterprise-class encryption for files and documents, alongside many other features and bug fixes aimed at improving the performances and stability of the app.

Encryption in the new GoodReader for iPad is based on Apple’s implementation of data protection (introduced with iOS 4.2) that requires a passcode to unlock an iOS device. To put it simply, whilst Apple’s passcode feature is responsible for encrypting and decrypting files as soon as a device is locked / unlocked, GoodReader can apply an additional security measure in the form of app-specific password and documents’ passwords. GoodReader doesn’t encrypt data – iOS’ encryption functionalities do that – but with this update the app integrates Apple’s advanced security with its own restricted access features in a single package. So while iOS will do all the work of encrypting your files when a device is locked (and until it stays so, not even a jailbreak can decrypt those files with direct access to the filesystem), GoodReader now takes full advantage of iOS’ capabilities to protect your documents and folders in case of a stolen or lost iPad (the iPhone version hasn’t been updated to version 3.6 yet).

On the server side of things, GoodReader 3.6 features better support for all online services like iDisk and Dropbox, more stable SugarSync connections and faster SFTP downloads. In case you haven’t tried the app, GoodReader is a pretty sweet way to gain access to files stored in the cloud, download them locally, and edit them.

The biggest new feature of 3.6, however, is the improved support for PDF annotations. GoodReader for iPad now offers an option to “flatten annotations”, meaning that all the drawings and annotations you take on a document – like a PDF – can be flattened into the main body of the file and previewed by Apple’s own iOS apps like Mail, Safari or iBooks. Previously, annotations were only visible in desktop apps like Preview and Acrobat Reader as iOS can’t read by default the annotations’ metadata. GoodReader now offers a workaround to save a flattened copy that’s nothing but the original file with all annotations applied within a page. You can send these annotated documents to other apps with the Open In menu, or share them via email with anyone (GoodReader will even ask you if you want to flatten a document upon hitting the share button – just to make sure).

Last, GoodReader 3.6 can stream videos to an Apple TV in your room thanks to AirPlay support, which requires iOS 4.3 or later. GoodReader might not have the most elegant interface design seen on iOS, but it sure is packed with features, and it’s an app that keeps getting better and more powerful on each release. Get it in the App Store at $4.99.

Printopia 2.0: AirPrint From iOS To Your Mac Apps

When I first reviewed Printopia by Ecamm back in November, I was impressed by how easily the app allowed me to send documents from an iOS device to a shared printer on OS X via AirPrint. The problem with AirPrint we discussed in November – which Apple hasn’t fixed yet – is that unlike the first betas of OS X 10.6.5 and iOS 4.2, the final versions of these OSes didn’t ship with AirPrint support for shared printers. AirPrint works out of the box with a bunch of HP printers, but Apple promised last year that it would also work with any printer previously configured and shared on a Mac. No need to install additional drivers on iOS: as long as a printer was shared on OS X, it would show up in AirPrint. With 10.6.5 final, that wasn’t the case. AirPrint support for shared printers was pulled at the last minute, and a series of unofficial hacks surfaced to re-enable it without reverting back to a beta of 10.6.5 (Mac OS X has reached version 10.6.7 since then). Among those hacks and apps, Printopia was without the doubt the most elegant one because it provided a GUI in System Preferences to manage shared printers, and allowed you to print a document to a virtual location on your Mac or Dropbox.

Version 2.0 of Printopia, released yesterday, builds on the great virtual printing functionality by adding support for unlimited printers in any location (could be your Downloads folder, the Desktop – you name it) and PDF workflows and applications as well. The feature is more exciting than it sounds on the changelog: with Printopia 2.0, you can send a document from your iOS device (through AirPrint) to any app on your Mac that can preview, say, PDFs. Example: I’m on my iPhone, and I find a PDF I want to read on my computer. Both devices are on the same local network (but it should work with this kind of VPN setup as well), and Printopia is running on my Mac. I take the PDF, and “print it” to Evernote. The document will automatically open in the Evernote app on my desktop. I tested this with Google Chrome, Preview, DEVONthink, Yojimbo, Numbers, Pages – it works really well. But there’s more. Not only you can print to applications, you can also print a document to an Automator workflow that supports the file type. Here’s another example: last night, I sent a PDF document to CloudApp’s own “Upload with Cloud” workflow, and AirPrint sent the document to CloudApp, automatically returning the file’s URL on my desktop.

Printopia 2.0 opens the door to a lot of possibilities for virtually printing documents anywhere on your computer, and of course support for physical shared printers is still there. Printopia 2.0 also introduces support for passwords you can assign to any virtual or real printer and settings for paper size / tray and colors.

If you want to get the most out of AirPrint and you have a Mac, Printopia is the utility to install. With support for real and virtual printers and system-wide integration with apps and Automator, Printopia is a full-featured solution to get any document from iOS on to the desktop. A demo version is available, and a full license can be purchased at $19.95. More screenshots below. Read more

The Best PDF Reader for iPad, PDF Expert, Now Available on iPhone

I am a huge fan of PDF Expert on the iPad: developed by Readdle, I choose PDF Expert when I need to read documents on my iPad (and now iPad 2) because the app’s fast, has a nice interface, can import things from Dropbox and other online services and, most of all, has support for annotations / text notes / highlights / signatures and forms. Put simply: it’s great. And now it’s available on the iPhone, too.

First off, a complaint: I don’t like the fact that the iPhone version is sold separately at $9.99 and it’s not an universal app. Considering the similarities between the two versions, PDF Expert should become a universal app priced, perhaps, at a slightly higher price. PDF Expert for iPhone is basically a “mini” version of the iPad counterpart, and by “mini” I mean that it just fits on the smaller screen. All the features of PDF Expert for iPad have been ported over: highlights, notes, annotations, forms, online services, fast engine. It’s really the same app, working on the iPhone’s screen.

If you already own PDF Expert for the iPad, you know it’s a great app. So if you would like to have it on the iPhone as well, you’ll have to spend $9.99 again. If you don’t have PDF Expert, make sure to read my initial iPad review and then choose carefully between the two versions because it’s not a universal app.

PDF Hero Combines Images, PDF Documents

Available as a limited time offer at $0.99 in the Mac App Store, PDF Hero is a Mac app to combine images and PDF files into a single document you can consequently export as PDF from within the app.

The concept is simple: PDF Hero acts as a “bucket” where you can drop multiple images and PDF files at once. With these files, the app will create a single document where each page contains the files you attached. It should come in handy for those who daily manage dozens of PDFs and find themselves constantly forwarding them to their colleagues or clients, or users who do a lot of image -> PDF converting. In this way, with just a drag & drop, you can create a single document containing everything you need. Please note that the current version of PDF Hero only supports PDFs and images – sadly, .txt or .rtf files won’t be attached. But there is a nice trick I noticed (fluid animations when flicking through attached files aside), and it’s the possibility to keep attaching files to an existing set without having to start over (see screenshot above).

That said, PDF Hero won’t get you to the top of PDF editing and management, but it’s a cool utility to merge images and other documents in seconds. Give it a try.

Folio Case - The Simplest PDF App We’re Giving Away

Why do PDFs on the iPad have to be so formal? Often times we find our selves swiping stiff pages of a manual or some other instructional text only to find ourselves bored with the lack of any real depth. Magnifying glasses, page locks, and even that overwhelming panel of font settings can sometimes be completely unnecessary for simply enjoying the content you’ve uploaded to your device. Folio Case for the iPad brings PDFs back to basics with a bare bones interface designed for familiarity and simplicity. Turn pages - don’t slide them! And download PDFs you find online thanks to Folio’s built in capture tool. Currently on sale for $2.99, it makes a perfect companion to Apple’s iBooks and an excellent reader for all of the online documentation you’re likely to amass this Christmas. But if those last pennies were spent on coffee and not apps, we have you covered.

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Fast PDF 2.0 Offers A Solid Alternative To iBooks

When I reviewed the first version of Fast PDF (universal, $2.99) in late June, I called it “what iBooks for PDFs should be”. It was a few days after Apple released an updated version of iBooks with PDF support, which many – including us – didn’t really like. That version of iBooks (1.1) had poor PDF support as it didn’t let you highlight words, flip through pages or organize documents in collections. iBooks 1.2, released last week, still doesn’t let you highlight or flip through, but at least it’s got the long-requested collection feature. Plus, Apple optimized the engine to make opening large PDF files faster. I noticed that last week.

A few days ago the App Store saw the release of Fast PDF 2.0 as well. A major new version of the app I reviewed in June and used as the default PDF reader on my iPad for months. How does it compare to iBooks 1.2? What’s new? Read more

Apple Releases iBooks 1.2

iBooks 1.2 just showed up in iTunes. The new version features a new Collection functionality to organize books and PDFs, AirPrint support, possibility to experience fully illustrated books available in the iBookstore.

iBooks can now also fit more words per page using automatic hyphenation, although this feature is only available for iOS 4.2 users. Read more

Printopia: Finally An App That Lets Me Enable AirPrint On OS X

Since Apple removed AirPrint support from OS X 10.6.5 (we’re referring to support for shared printers, which was enabled in earlier 10.6.5 beta versions), many tweaks and apps to re-activate the functionality have surfaced on the internet. We’ve covered some of them, such as the AirPrint Hacktivator, but in my personal experience I’ve found these hacks to be unreliable at best. I’ve tried many of them, and I don’t know why – after some time they just stop working for me. Perhaps my local network isn’t stable enough, perhaps I have issues with 10.6.5. I don’t know. But thing is, these apps and tweaks stop working after a couple of print sessions.

Yesterday I found out about this new app for Mac, Printopia, which the Ecamm developers tout as the simplest way to enable AirPrint for every printer you have configured on your Mac, together with the possibility to print from an iOS device to a local directory on your Mac and Dropbox. Read more