Adobe Systems Inc. announced that Adobe Reader 8 software is available as a free download. Adobe Reader 8 enables information exchange between enterprises, government agencies, constituents, and consumers who view, print, search, digitally sign, and collaborate with PDF files. Adobe Reader 8 also features a new “Start Meeting” button that launches Adobe Acrobat Connect, an Adobe-hosted software service that provides real-time online collaboration through Adobe Flash Player.

Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player are designed to engage people across a wide array of different channels, enabling collaboration and delivering richer, more interactive experiences that work consistently across multiple platforms.

“As people increasingly communicate and collaborate across the Internet, Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Connect enable an effective workflow around documents, reliably reaching people around the world,” says Kevin Lynch, senior vice president and chief software architect at Adobe. “The new streamlined user interface and graphics acceleration in Reader 8 will enable people to more easily engage with ideas and information.”

Adobe Reader 8 features a new, streamlined interface with user customizable toolbars. Adobe Acrobat Professional users can now enable Adobe Reader users to fill and submit forms, save data, and digitally sign documents. Adobe Reader 8 also features graphics processing unit acceleration, which boosts performance when viewing graphics-intense PDF files, such as 3D content.

The new reader is available from Adobe Inc. at www.adobe.com/go/getreader.