IT'S NOT A MAJOR upgrade, but users of PowerPC-based computers will find Adobe Acrobat 2.1 to be an incredible improvement on version 2.0, for one simple reason: The free Acrobat Reader and the $195 Acrobat Exchange are finally PowerPC-native. Also new to version 1.2 of Reader (available online from Adobe) is Acrobat WebLink, which extends Acrobat's hyperlinks to the Internet -- click on an Internet link, and Acrobat will automatically launch a Web browser or FTP client to take you to the appropriate corner of the Net.
With version 2.1, Adobe is also finally offering a Mac version of Acrobat Catalog ($500; included with the $1,595 Acrobat for Workgroups), a utility that was previously available only for Windows and that is used for creating full-text-search indexes. And although users previously had to buy a copy of Acrobat Exchange in order to perform full-text searches, Adobe is now offering a tool kit for CD-ROM developers that will enable searching in Acrobat Reader. Upgrade from Exchange 2.1, $29; upgrade from Acrobat for Workgroups 2.1, $199. 800-833-6687 or 415-961-4400.
