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Yahoo, Adobe team on search

Yahoo Search and other services will become part of Adobe Reader, the company's free PDF client.

David Becker Staff Writer, CNET News.com
David Becker
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David Becker
Yahoo and Adobe Systems announced a partnership Monday to combine Adobe's PDF format with Yahoo's Internet services.

The companies said in a statement that they would work on a number of joint projects, including the creation of an online service to convert Web content into PDF (Portable Document Format) files and a toolbar that would add access to Yahoo Search and other features to Adobe Reader, the company's free PDF client.

PDF has become a de facto standard for the electronic interchange of documents. Adobe is in the midst of a broad effort to expand the utility of the format, both as a business and a consumer tool.

Yahoo is pushing new search tools and other services in a bid to stave off competition from Google.

The companies said they will debut a co-branded toolbar for Adobe Reader later this week. The toolbar will provide access to search, pop-up ad blocking and other Yahoo services, plus Create Adobe PDF Online, a subscription-based service run by Adobe offering basic PDF-authoring capabilities.

Future versions of Adobe Reader will use Yahoo as the default search tool, according to the statement, plus access to new services, "such as the ability to quickly and easily convert Web-based content into Adobe PDF files" for offline viewing.

"Our multifaceted relationship will dramatically increase our exposure and reach to consumers via Adobe's installed base of more than 500 million copies of Adobe Reader," Yahoo Chief Operating Officer Dan Rosensweig said in the statement.