Adobe is a family of computer programs developed by Adobe Systems , designed to view, create, manipulate and manage files in Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF). Some software in the family is commercial, and some free of charge (freeware). Adobe Reader is available as a no-charge download from Adobe’s web site, and allows the viewing and printing of PDF files.

As of April 2007, the current main members of the Adobe Acrobat family are:

• Adobe Reader 8 (previously Adobe Acrobat Reader)
• Adobe Acrobat 8 Standard
• Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional
• Adobe Acrobat 8 Elements (withdrawn before release)
• Adobe Acrobat 3D Version 8
• A growing collection of server and specialist products

I’ll be reviewing Adobe Bridge next, but have you tried this product yet?

Distiller is part of the Adobe Acrobat family of products. Distiller is the main engine for turning PostScript files into PDF documents. Although there are other programs for generating PDF files, Distiller is the primary one. Some page layout programs can generate PDF files from within the program, but are often simply acting as a frontend to Distiller, which must also be installed. With Distiller, you can:

• Create reliable, compact final files
• Easily integrate Adobe PDF into document workflows
• Utilize Adobe PDF technology and standards

The next program I’ll be looking into is Adobe Acrobat. You ready for more?

Today I purchased Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium. The software is a complete solution for creating interactive websites, applications, user interfaces, presentations, mobile device content, and other digital experiences. Get everything you need to prototype your project, design assets, build web experiences, and efficiently maintain and update content.

Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Standard software is a basic toolkit for web designers and developers. Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be introducing ever program associated with Creative Suite 3. There are so many neat features with this software that it’s worth mentioning. Stay tuned!

Pinnacle Studio Ultimate lets you take control of your video quality and style. This Windows Vista-compatible full-featured application helps video enthusiasts harness the power of HD DVD AVCHD, Hi-Fi audio, and automatic Web publishing without compromising ease of use. Pinnacle Studio Ultimate includes BIAS SoundSoap, ProDAD VitaScene, StageTool MovingPicture, and a green screen backdrop.

Create Professional-Caliber Movies
Pinnacle Studio Ultimate helps you harness the power of the latest in technology-HD, Windows Vista, Web Publishing and more. Additional fully-integrated pro audio and video tools give you complete control over the quality and style of your video for superior results.

Your Life in Your Control
Import your videos from most video devices including DV, HDV and AVCHD camcorders, as well as digital still cameras. Pinnacle Studio Ultimate automatically detects scenes and creates clips. Choose from a wide range of keyframe-able effects and transitions, titles and more–all with real-time full-screen previews.

Your Life With Style
Show your personal flair with advanced effects such as Picture-in-Picture, Surround Sound editing and Chroma Key with the included green screen. Automatically generate a soundtrack or import your favorite music. proDAD VitaScene and StageTools MovingPicture give you precision tools to add professional-level video enhancements, while BIAS SoundSoap audio cleaning ensures your movies sound as good as they look.

Experience Your Life Like Never Before
Create professional quality DVDs or HD DVD format discs with multiple menus and animated backgrounds on standard DVD media. Enjoy your movies on your Sony PSP, Apple iPod, DivX certified players, and more. Use the Web upload feature to automatically share your creations publicly or privately with family and friends.

New Audio and Video Tools
The combination of Pinnacle Studio Plus version 11 with highly-acclaimed pro audio and video tools create the ultimate solution for video enthusiasts who want to take complete control of the quality and style of their movie creations.

I originally wrote this post for Helium.

Google’s application called Google Maps Street View that displays actual images of street locations. To think that Google’s new application is watching your every move is pretty creepy. Google Maps Street View has been tested by numerous people since its inception. Many of these people have used this application to see what takes place once they leave their homes. Street View has been used for more than monitoring homes. A company in San Francisco caught several of its employees leaving the office too soon for an early lunch break using Google Maps Street View.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Google ranks as one of the worst in securing privacy for their users. London-based Privacy International, who gave Google the lowest grade for privacy, reserved this category for companies with companies with “comprehensive consumer surveillance and entrenched hostility to privacy.” The backlash against Google’s privacy policies appears to be growing.

Google has found ways to get itself into plenty of legal issues. Though Google claims that they abide by all laws set forth by the government, Google finds ways to generate applications such as Google Maps Street View that tinker with privacy laws ever so slightly. Google obviously won’t say they’re wrong for developing the application, but they should recognize the pros and cons of developing this revolutionizing software since it may not be used just for finding directions.

With the FTC announcing last month that hearings on behavioral advertising will take place in Washington D.C. on November 1st and 2nd, I thought it may be a good opportunity to revisit the Google DoubleClick deal that shook the online advertising world and had people up in arms a few months ago. Why would regulators and privacy advocates be so concerned with this acquisition? First, a little background is in order. Google has dominated search marketing with their AdWords and AdSense program for years, and is what has made Google so profitable as well, accounting for 99% of their revenue as a total.

Since AdWords inception, Google has been able to track what users were clicking on and reporting this information back to paying advertisers to enhance their search campaigns. In addition to tracking paid search results, for almost two years Google has been tracking what users search for in their “organic” or natural search results in order to establish a profile of their users.

I don’t know which way the FTC will go on this issue, but I do know that Google, DoubleClick and the online advertising industry as a whole will be very closely be watching the FTC hearings Nov 1st-2nd.