Thursday, 10 April 2014

Able2Extract - App Review



Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a long-standing fan of PDF (Portable Document Format), as it allows file sharing across 'all' platforms.

The one criticism one could have of PDF is that it is not easy to then re-edit the document in its native format. In fairness, this would be a churlish reaction as it is not the intended use for the format.

All this preamble is to bring to your attention the App 'Able2Extract' which allows you to convert a PDF file into various formats.

Now for the ACIDS test:

Aesthetics
To get started (obviously having downloaded the App) simply use your favourite PDF viewer/editor and then choose to 'open in' . This will take you directly to the Able2Extract App.

Having done this you will now see your file on the main screen, together with the PDF icon. Now, press the convert icon (two arrows chasing each other). At the top of the screen will be icons for Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), Powerpoint (.pptx), and plain text (.txt). Pick one of those, wait a few seconds, and your screen will now also have this converted file, complete with appropriate icon.

You can now press the icon on the extreme right and (in a similar way to the how you did earlier) and pick the App you want to use for the converted file.

Cost
The App is absolutely free as it is a teaser for the developers' more sophisticated versions for Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

In order for the translation to take place, you must have an active Internet connection which could lead to costs.

Indispensability
The ability to edit (as opposed to annotate) a PDF document that has been received may not be a daily occurrence but, I'm sure there have been times when you would have given a lot for this facility.

Dependability
The App appears to work well, although there are some times when paragraphs appear to indent incorrectly.

Security
Your data is sent to the the developers' servers for translation, which is a potential source of a security risk, although none is implied.

ACIDS Test Rating:

A great time saver.

To find out how the ACIDS Test works, click here.


You can get Able2Extract here and support for the App here.


1 comment:

  1. The developer advises that there has been an update to version 2.0 of the App.

    This includes the following enhancements and alterations:

    - All-new, completely redesigned app with improved conversion accuracy
    - In-app file preview: view the content of the file in Able2Extract itself
    - Improved user experience: totally new interface - native, faster, more user-friendly and stable.
    - You can now keep using the app once the conversion has started and optionally start additional conversions
    - Notifications once the conversion has been completed
    - Further enhanced resource efficiency
    - Even more lightweight: the size of the app is smaller than the previous version

    ReplyDelete

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