New version of Adobe Acrobat headed for November

Adobe announced a new version of its document management software Acrobat. Version 8 introduces the ability to connect to a virtual meeting room for real-time Web conferencing.

The big change to come to Adobe Acrobat, which has been around since 1993, is the integration with Adobe Acrobat Connect 1. The online networking software, which was jointly announced with Acrobat today, will allow users to run live audio and video conferences within the software. The se4rvice will be offered for a fee of $39 per month.

According to Adobe, the new version of the software will also make it easier to share and comment about PDF files among an online network of people. It will also allow users to export existing PDF documents to other popular document formats, the manufacturer said. For example, this will will include to the Flashpaper format developed by Macromedia, which Adobe acquired last year.

Acrobat 8 will be available in November and will be released in a multitude of versions. Acrobat 8 Professional for Windows and Macintosh will carry a $450 price tag ; the upgrade will cost $160. Acrobat 8 Standard, will sell for $300 as a full version and for $100 as an upgrade.