Viewing PDF Files

[FlutteringBy]

Up until 2 days ago I was using PDF To Go, the basic PDF viewer in Docs To Go that came pre-installed on my A500.......now all of a sudden it will not let me view PDF's & insists that I have to buy the full version.....

Other than Adobe, is there a decent free PDF viewer on the Market?......its too bad, but I really liked the PDF To Go viewer, but that's all I do, view PDF's, so I'm not really interested in buying the full version.....

Many Thanks,
FlutteringBy

 

[pacificwing]

I never liked any of the free PDF readers. The only PDF reader that did what I needed it to do was Repligo. It cost less than a cup of coffee, and is more full featured than most desktop pdf programs.

You could always use adobe pdf reader if you really can't wrap your head around the idea of paying a few bucks for an app, but beware, just like it's desktop cousin, adobe pdf reader is bloated and flaky.

 

[frapshake]

Last week I was looking for a PDF reader that had the features I liked for reading PDF books. I was using the PDF reader in Office Suite Pro, and it was ok for a little while, until I got tired of searching for the page I was at because it doesn't have any bookmark feature. I tried Docs to Go too, but it was worse. I was about to try Adobe, but I saw an app called Mantano Reader, free, and decided to try it, and so far I love it. It works great as a book reader with more functions than other book readers I tried, and it will read epubs too. I realize you are probably looking for a PDF reader to read documents, but this will probably do what you want. It's worth a try anyway. You can always uninstall if you don't like it. It has a great import function too. It will check your whole tablet then give you a list of files it finds, and you just check the ones you want to import.

 

[Spider]

Nice find frapshake. Looks pretty good, if FlutteringBy or anyone else wants it: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=Mantano+Reader&c=apps

 

[jgumphress]

The built in Lumiread app is a pretty nice PDF reader. Better than most of the free PDF readers on Google Play.

 

[frapshake]

The built in Lumiread app is a pretty nice PDF reader. Better than most of the free PDF readers on Google Play.

I forgot to mention Lumiread in my last post. Maybe it would read documents ok, but IMHO, it is terrible as a PDF book reader. I like to read in landscape mode and the default text is way to small to read, and the zooming feature is absolutely horrible. I like it for epubs though. Mantano reads PDFs just like epubs.

Sorry Spider, I should have said Mantano Reader is free in the Market / Play Store.

 

[FlutteringBy]

Thank you both frapshake & Spider......as Spider said, great find frapshake...........

I too didn't care for the way that Lumiread displays pdf's.....I love it for epubs but it didn't do what I was wanting with the pdf's.....

Mantano Reader shows the document just as I want it.....

I have a folder of patterns all in pdf form (I haven't imported them yet) & Docs To Go still insists that it wants to open pdf's.....where do I un-associate that format with Docs To Go?.....I guess I'm looking for the Windows equivalent of the "Open With" screen.....

 

[frapshake]

I'm glad you like it FlutteringBy. I hated to read pdf books until I found Montano Reader.

So, did you try clicking the Import icon at the bottom of the page when you first load Mantano? It will then search your files for all your pdfs and epubs and show you a list to choose from. I didn't check all the features out yet, but I see that you can create collections too, so maybe that would be a good thing for you to do to get all your patterns together in one place. So, load up the program and try the Import feature and see what happens.

 

[FlutteringBy]

Yes, it seems to do most of what I am looking for............I'm still trying to find my way around the organization bit.....as you said, files can be set up as collections, which is exactly what I would like.....but I haven't yet found how to sort by collection....I'm sure its there & I will find it.....have you found a way to "delete" a file from the app Mantano but still leave the file on the tab?....I seem to have imported a couple of files that I don't want to have there.....I "garbaged" one & it wiped it right off the tab....lol....oh well, I thought it might, so it was backed up.....live & learn........

 

[frapshake]

If you click on the settings icon located in the top right of the page, looks sort of like a flower to me, it takes you to the settings. Scroll up the page and you will see the Help section. You can click Help and it will take you to the online help documentation in your browser, or you can download the 54 page user manual. I did that and it's very user friendly. On page 19 it tells how to add to your collections. I didn't see any sort function, but I'm thinking when you click to choose the files you want to add to your collection, it will add them in the order you choose them, but you might have to do them one at a time to keep them in order. Anyway, the manual will help, I'm sure.

In answer to your file delete question...when you get the little box popup after clicking delete, be SURE the only thing checked here is 'Delete attached annotations'. Leave 'Also delete files' unchecked. Then the file will be gone from Mantano, but it will not be deleted from your tablet. I tested this out 4 times and files were completely deleted if I had the Also delete files checked, but still on the tablet if that was unchecked. Just check Delete attached annotations. Sorry you lost that file.

Hope this helps.

 

[FlutteringBy]

Yup, that did the trick!!..........

As you suggested, I downloaded the manual, lots of info there.....

Thanks for checking out my "Delete" query.......I didn't loose the file as I was half expecting that to happen....I had everything backed up so it was just a matter of dragging it back from my desktop..........

I appreciate all your time & help.....I think you have found a winner!!....

FlutteringBy

 

[frapshake]

You are so welcome. Glad I could help. And I do remember you saying you backed that file up so you didn't loose it, I just forgot. That was a smart thing to do.

I think it is a winner too, and I believe I would have paid for it if it wasn't free. I'm so glad I found it. Hope it works great for you.

frap

 

[Douvie]

Aldiko reads epub and PDF files too. That is one that I use. Adobe Reader is free - as far as I remember.

 

[Douvie]

I don't know where you got the idea that you had to pay for adobe reader. I got the free one just like on PC's.

 

[frapshake]

Douvie, no one said Adobe had to be paid for. FlutteringBy's first post said PDF to Go in Docs to Go all of a sudden wouldn't view pdf's anymore and insisted he/she buy the full version.

I also like Aldiko a lot, for everything EXCEPT trying to read pdf books. If I read in portrait mode, I guess I could live with it, but I don't care to use portrait mode, and the case I have my tablet in is awkward in that mode so I avoid it. The text is too small in pdf in landscape in Aldiko, and when I zoom it larger, then the pages won't turn until it's back to default size. A big pain that I find all pdf readers I tried have, except Mantano Reader. I can zoom the text huge if I want to and it won't jerk all over the place, and I can turn the pages and the zoom stays the way I want it. It reads pdfs like it reads epubs and that's what I like about it.