Abdio PDF Reader

The Abdio PDF Reader application makes reading portable document format, or PDF, files simple. As a basic reader, it's a compact program and a quick download, but it isn't designed to be a full-feature editor. The Abdio Reader installs in seconds via an easy-to-use installation wizard. The reader's interface is simple but not exciting; it looks a bit dated and resembles the default Windows XP theme. Anyone who has used Adobe Reader or other Windows programs will find the interface intuitive.

One of the impressive things about Abdio PDF Reader is its speed. Other PDF readers usually buffer an entire document and spend resources creating elaborate layouts, a process that can take more time than busy users want to spend opening a simple document. This reader loads documents in a second or two even for lengthy e-books and documents of 100 pages or more. It also handles graphics well and does not artificially dither the images. Even when reader opens multiple documents at once, the Abdio Reader can handle it.

The Abdio PDF Reader includes plenty of handy navigation options. The application supports scroll wheel and mouse movement for ease of use. Hotkeys let readers move between full pages or zoom the top or bottom of a file. A go-to tool also makes it easy to jump to a specific part of the document. With the search bar, finding key phrases is as intuitive as using a search engine. To keep the desktop neat, users can tile multiple windows with a single click; this feature is especially useful for writers, students and anyone who does frequent research. Toggling between continuous mode and page mode displays text in scrolling format like web documents or as individual pages.

While the reader is not a full text editor, it can handle minor changes. Copying and pasting into documents is straightforward, for example, and text selection takes only a few clicks. Clicking on images allows users to retain them on the clipboard, paste them elsewhere or save the image to a disk drive. The reader does include an option to print the PDF files, but there are no text or image processing tools within the application. To rotate an image or change margins, users will have to work through the standard Windows printer interface.

The Abdio PDF Reader does have a few drawbacks. The program has not been updated in years, and its interface shows its age. The reader does not run correctly under Windows 7 and Windows 8, which could be a problem for many users. It also causes stack errors under updated versions of Vista. The rendering portion of the program does not handle all modern PDF tricks. Additionally, the reader does not allow users to fill in fields in a PDF document before printing. The Abdio is a good option for people running older systems with limited resources, but for newer machines and greater functionality, other options may be preferable.

Pros:

- Very simple interface

- Fast document loading

Cons

- Does not work on Windows 7 or 8

- Does not always render modern PDFs correctly