Saturday, May 11, 2013

PDF reader apps for I-pad

One blog I read about the music apps suggested that the pdf reader app might work well enough to view music. Obviously, you wouldn't get the metronome feature or composers. But many of the programs are free. And I don't need too many features for the fiddle music collection... So I'm looking. Went through all these. Don't think so... Need DropBox and a way to handle the music better.... if the first one was free, I'd try it.

http://appadvice.com/appguides/show/PDF-Readers-For-iPad


PDF Readers For iPad

Handle PDFs the right way

Overview

Using the iPad in business or education means needing to access your PDF files. There are many apps for the iPad that allow for PDF viewing, including Apple's own iBooks. Keep reading below to find out which PDF app is for you. Whether you need access to online storage or a viewer that can handle huge PDF documents, we have got you covered in this AppGuide.

Essential Apps

  • $4.99

    GoodReader for iPad

    by Good.iWare Ltd.

    GoodReader for iPad has the best balance of features and usability of all the PDF management apps. It has great connectivity with its support for online servers including Dropbox, [I do like dropbox! - bfg] MobileMe, FTP, box.net, FilesAnywhere, Google Docs, WebDAV, and Mail Servers. It also has included support for VGA output so that you can show your documents through a projector. GoodReader is one of those apps that just keeps on improving, making it an essential app for every single iPad out there.
  • $9.99

    PDF Expert - Fill forms, annotate PDFs

    by Readdle

    PDF Expert is a fantastic app for those who deal with PDF files often. The app retains a basic interface while giving the user a large variety of features. To begin getting a PDF into the app you can either use the “open in” iOS feature or you can grab files from a computer. Once the PDFs are in, PDF Expert provides many options to manipulate the PDF such as adding stamps, highlights, freeform highlights, notes and signatures. Once you're done editing, you can export the PDF as a regular PDF, flattened copy (that protects your annotations) or an annotation summary. Truth be told, this app shares a lot of functionality with other PDF apps out there, but there is no doubt that PDF Expert presents its features in a clean, intuitive matter and that makes this app one of the best in its category.

Notable Apps

  • $8.99

    Air Sharing for iPad

    by Avatron Software, Inc.

    Air Sharing HD has all of the great connectivity features of GoodReader with the added benefit of a very Mac Finder-like user interface. It does not support VGA output but has its own killer feature: printing to any shared printer on your local Wi-Fi network. It was a very difficult decision not to recommend Air Sharing HD as Essential. Two areas that made up my mind were the relatively expensive price tag and difficulty connecting to FTP servers.
  • Free

    Documents by Readdle

    by Readdle

    ReaddleDocs also has a friendly user interface and many connectivity choices. It has FTP and VGA but lacks printing support. However, a unique feature for ReaddleDocs is online storage through its own Readdle Storage. You are eligible for a free account with 512MB of storage for sharing files. PDF viewing is straightforward but lacks support for viewing multiple pages in landscape orientation.
  • Free

    iBooks

    by Apple

    With Apple's iBooks, PDF support is front and center. When PDFs are added through iTunes, or through App file sharing, a separate book shelf is added for PDFs. The reading experience is quite enjoyable. Connectivity support is lacking and many of the features associated with the above apps are also missing, such as VGA support. However, if you are the type who likes to keep all of your reading content in one place, you will be pleased with the free iBooks.
  • $5.99

    Save2PDF

    by EuroSmartz Ltd

    Save2PDF is a PDF reader with a unique capability that allows you to create new PDFs from almost any file format. The way it works is simple. Say you have a Word document in another app that has the "Open In" button. You can export the document in Save2PDF which will promptly convert the file into a PDF. You can even merge file formats such as Word and Pages documents into one. While this app doesn’t have features such as annotating, it’s great for people who want to create new PDFs on their iPad.
  • $2.99

    FastPdf+

    by MobFarm srl

    Fast PDF lives up to its name with both large and small PDF files. Text renders very quickly as you scroll through large documents. It has a nice iBooks-like bookshelf for organizing your files. Files can be downloaded via url, found using the built-in browser, shared via Wi-Fi, or transferred between apps with file sharing. If speed is what you're interested in, then check out Fast PDF.
  • $1.99

    iPDFs

    by PullRibbon

    iPDFs, while not the most functional app in the world, can be argued as the prettiest. If you just love those page-turning effects with your PDFs, then iPDFs may be your answer. With book-like page-turning effects and a gorgeous UI, iPDFs is the app of choice for those who are looking for simplicity. For those who are looking for more serious features, this app probably will be underwhelming. With basic note and annotation functionality missing, I recommend you think twice before purchasing this app, unless you are just looking to read PDF books with it.

Decent Apps

  • $9.99

    PDF Reader Pro Edition for iPad

    by iTECH DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS INC.

    PDF Reader Pro is a capable PDF browser with the unique feature of being able to create PDF files. You can access images in your camera roll and combine them into a PDF document that you can read or email. PDFs can be downloaded via url or built-in browser and support text reflow and enhanced text selection. PDF's also have the ability to be synced with iCloud, Google Docs, Dropbox and Sugarsync making it a more connected app than some of its competitors. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a app with a lot of syncing capabilities and don't mind an ugly interface then give this app a try.
  • $5.99

    PDF Reader Pro

    by YUYAO Mobile Software, Inc.

    This universal PDF reader is really a big iPhone app. The interface and functionality is identical to its iPhone counterpart. PDF importing is limited to iTunes and download via the built-in browser. One unique feature this app provides is PDF scanning/creation using the iPhone's camera. If you want to use this feature on a first-generation iPad, you will obviously need to import images into the camera roll first.
  • $1.99

    SimplyPDF

    by eNATAL LLC

    SimplyPDF forgoes typical iPad gestures like pinch to zoom and scrolling, and simply employs tap gestures. The screen is divided into zones for tap forward, backward, and show/hide controls. Once you get used to the interface, you can move around PDF files very quickly. Even though you can't pinch to zoom, you can still zoom using the Focus tool.
  • $1.99

    Just PDF

    by Cross Forward Consulting, LLC

    Just PDF has some nice features such as Dropbox integration and VGA output. However, the interface when scrolling and zooming is slow and the app doesn't support protected PDF files. This will be a deal breaker for some.
  • Free

    Adobe Reader

    by Adobe

    The famous Adobe Reader has now made its way over to iOS. Unfortunately, like the desktop version and unlike other apps here, it doesn’t do very much. About the most you can do is view and organize PDFs as well as their annotations. You cannot make new PDFs, annotate existing ones or really do anything interesting at all. This app is not nearly on the level it should be, but, it's free, so it may still be worth the download.

PDF Annotation

  • $9.99

    iAnnotate PDF

    by Branchfire, Inc.

    iAnnotate PDF fills a great gap on the iPad, which is a full-featured app dedicated to PDF annotation. With iAnnotate you can easily highlight, underline, strike through, add hand written comments, and add text comments to PDF files. The annotations are embedded into the PDF and will show up as annotations in Preview or Acrobat. Hopefully the app will support text boxes in the near future, because right now the only typed text you can enter are comments. iAnnotate is a powerful PDF viewer and editor.
  • $0.99

    SmileyDocs

    by DanielBorsukApps

    SmileyDocs is a file manager for most office documents, but it provides additional features for PDF files, including highlighting and text notes. Documents can be imported through file sharing and Dropbox. The annotation and file management features need to mature a bit. Highlights and notes disappear when zooming, and once documents have been added it is unclear how to delete them.

More Than PDFs

  • $19.99

    Quickoffice Pro HD – edit office documents & view PDF files

    by Quickoffice, Inc.

    You may not think of PDF files when you think of Quickoffice, but it is a capable repository for all of your document formats. If you want to keep all of your work-related files together and you already own Quickoffice, your search for a PDF management app may be over.
  • $16.99

    Documents To Go® Premium - Office Suite

    by DataViz, Inc.

    Documents To Go recently added more online connectivity with Dropbox, Box.net, iDisk, and SugarSync. Its PDF viewer supports protected PDFs, zoom and reflow. If Documents To Go is already your editor of choice, then this is a viable PDF management system. It is also a universal app so you can add all of this functionality to your iPhone as well.
  • $3.99

    DOCUMENTS 2

    by Savy Soda

    Documents 2 is advertised as "The Ultimate All-In-One Mobile Office Suite." With the following list of features, they pack a pretty big punch. In addition to PDF and office file viewing, Documents 2 includes iSpreadsheet, text editor, Photo Viewer and basic editing, sound recorder, online connectivity including Google Docs and FTP. For 1.99, Documents 2 provides a lot of bang for your buck.
  • $4.99

    GoDocs for Google Docs™, Google Drive™

    by Light Room

    If your workflow is built around the Google Apps and Google Docs, then you will want to check out GoDocs. All office-style documents as well as audio and video are viewable within the app. In addition to syncing and downloading your most current version, you can also access past revisions of documents. Lastly, it supports multiple Google account access.

PDF Readers For Comics

  • Free

    CloudReaders pdf,cbz,cbr

    by Cloud Readers

    CloudReaders is another option for comic book fans. It supports landscape files, external display support for presenting your documents, brightness control, and tagging. Free online public domain books and comics are also accessible via the "cloud bookshelf.

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