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Tech198

Cancelled
Original poster
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,152
Hi all

I know the iPad2 can view PDF's in safari, and from mail attachments, but how can I get PDF documents from my Mac over to the iPad, and read them outsize the browser?

Google reader for iPad or something else maybe?
 
Hi all

I know the iPad2 can view PDF's in safari, and from mail attachments, but how can I get PDF documents from my Mac over to the iPad, and read them outsize the browser?

Google reader for iPad or something else maybe?

iBooks. If you need to mark up the pdf files then iAnnotate.
 
Hi all

I know the iPad2 can view PDF's in safari, and from mail attachments, but how can I get PDF documents from my Mac over to the iPad, and read them outsize the browser?

Google reader for iPad or something else maybe?

Just drag your PDFs into iTunes, and make sure iTunes is configured to sync your books over. They will then available to view in iBooks.
 
How many.?

How many are on display in iBooks?

Is there a second page, or is that it?
 
How many are on display in iBooks?

Is there a second page, or is that it?

ibooks is pretty. it is also free. but, unpleasant if you deal with a lot of files. and, it lacks basic functions.

i regularly transfer hundreds of pdfs over to the ipad, and i bought the ipad expressly for the purpose of reading pdfs on it. i have tried a lot of pdf apps (mainly the ones with trial versions), and i am most impressed with goodreader. i use it every day for hours on end, and it has been well worth the price.

there are several ways to get things into it. the most basic one is this (see screenshot).

1) plug your ipad into your computer
2) click on your ipad icon
3) click on the app link at the top (third from the left)
4) scroll down to the bottom
5) click add files
6) select your files

otherwise, at any point when you encounter a pdf on your ipad (safari, dropbox, etc.) you can click in the top right corner and send it to goodreader to read. very simple.

why goodreader? it handles pdfs really, really well. pretty much anything i want to do i can manage with it.
 

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ibooks is pretty. it is also free. but, unpleasant if you deal with a lot of files. and, it lacks basic functions.

i regularly transfer hundreds of pdfs over to the ipad, and i bought the ipad expressly for the purpose of reading pdfs on it. i have tried a lot of pdf apps (mainly the ones with trial versions), and i am most impressed with goodreader. i use it every day for hours on end, and it has been well worth the price.

there are several ways to get things into it. the most basic one is this (see screenshot).

1) plug your ipad into your computer
2) click on your ipad icon
3) click on the app link at the top (third from the left)
4) scroll down to the bottom
5) click add files
6) select your files

otherwise, at any point when you encounter a pdf on your ipad (safari, dropbox, etc.) you can click in the top right corner and send it to goodreader to read. very simple.

why goodreader? it handles pdfs really, really well. pretty much anything i want to do i can manage with it.

Thanks.

Where do I get Google Reader? I searched the App Store as I read it was a separate app.
 
Google Reader is a web app, visit this: reader.google.com

It's only used for reading RSS feeds, etc. Not for PDFs.

There are apps (I like MobileRSS) that give you a fantastic interface for Google Reader.
 
Thanks.

Where do I get Google Reader? I searched the App Store as I read it was a separate app.

Also check Instapaper on AppStore , it will add to your news-reading experience.
And since you look a new iPad owner you need to check flipboard and Zite
 
Have a look at PDF to EPUB. You can read PDF eBooks on iPad.
Very useful to retain the original text, layouts, images, and hyperlinks in the output EPUB eBooks.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Download calibre it can convert PDF to ePub format for iBooks :) works great.
 
Good reader is really good.

For occasional use, fastest way is I email the PDF to me open it on good reader and save it
 
I just checked, Goodreader will not let you type on a pdf. It will let you highlight, add notes, underline, strikethrough, etc.
 
I just checked, Goodreader will not let you type on a pdf. It will let you highlight, add notes, underline, strikethrough, etc.

Actually, it will -- using what's known as the 'Typewriter' tool. The trick is that this feature will only appear in the annotation popup when you tap and hold on blank area of the PDF. (e.g. if you have text selected in the document, this option won't show up. In the popup, the tool resembles the letters 'abc' followed by a vertical insertion bar) However, this feature really seems designed to add labels and callouts to certain parts of a document (without having to wrap them in a popup note). As stated here and elsewhere, PDF is essentially a page-layout, read-only format. There isn't an easy way to edit the actual text in a PDF without regenerating it.

As an aside, as capable as GR is, PDF Expert has the best support for fillable forms at the moment. I don't believe it supports things like calculations, but if you need to deal with filling out Acrobat-generated PDF forms, this app is worth it.

OTOH, GoodReader has an incredibly useful 'hidden' feature -- the ability to transfer files between your documents folder on the device and your desktop Mac/PC over USB, *without* using iTunes. (google 'File Mangement with GoodReaderUSB' for more details). Unlike iTunes, this utility will let you see and work with the complete hierarchy of folders in your GR documents. It's a great way to send stuff to the iPad if the size (or amount) of files you want to transfer makes DropBox impractical.

As it happens, I use both GoodReader and PDF Expert quite a lot and often find myself round-tripping between them to get things done.
 
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Actually, it will -- using what's known as the 'Typewriter' tool. The trick is that this feature will only appear in the annotation popup when you tap and hold on blank area of the PDF. (e.g. if you have text selected in the document, this option won't show up. In the popup, the tool resembles the letters 'abc' followed by a vertical insertion bar) However, this feature really seems designed to add labels and callouts to certain parts of a document (without having to wrap them in a popup note). As stated here and elsewhere, PDF is essentially a page-layout, read-only format. There isn't an easy way to edit the actual text in a PDF without regenerating it.

As an aside, as capable as GR is, PDF Expert has the best support for fillable forms at the moment. I don't believe it supports things like calculations, but if you need to deal with filling out Acrobat-generated PDF forms, this app is worth it.

I actually use both these apps quite a lot and often round-trip between them to get things done.

Yeah, I type using Goodreader all the time. I don't think you can fill out a PDF form though.
 
PDF Expert is awesome!!!

One problem I have with PDF expert is that when I am reading books I like to be able to take notes in the sidelines.

Also the highlight feature, while I know they designed it this way, is weird in that it follows the contour of your highlight. It's like using a paintbrush in photoshop rather than having a perfectly auto-aligned rectangle.

Anyboyd know of a better program for these two concerns?
 
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