[paularizer]

Can anyone tell me how to read pdfs with safari while offline on the itouch? I'm guessing they would have to be stored on the ipod, and then you'd have to redirect safari to find those files - but I just don't know how to do that, and I'm sure there's way.

For my taste, safari is the most superior pdf reader for the itouch/iphone right now and I would like to use it to read my ebooks instead of the other jailbreak apps.

thanks.

[mdc]

Magnetism Studios

[real]

Here you go

Hope this helps

[HenryMelton]

I've successfully used my iPhone to view pdf's both via the web and by email. However, I find that both time out after a while. When using Safari, you are relying on keeping the PDF in your cache and that will go away shortly, unless you want to regularly revisit the site, ( the topic is offline viewing I believe).

If you email the PDF to yourself as an attachment, and then make sure you download the attachment while connected, you can revisit the mail and go to the downloaded attachment while offline, for as long as that mail message is still in your inbox. I have my iPhone's mailbox set to a maximum of 200 messages for that very reason.

I have done this a number of times. I write novels and I keep PDF's of my work in old emails this way, either as reference for a work in progress, or sometimes to proofread pre-production layout. The trick seems to be to manage how many items stay in your inbox.

I haven't exhaustively tried all variations of mailboxes, so some experimentation would be useful. Once I found a solution for me, I quit looking.

[paularizer]

Thanks for the replies.

I actually discovered a really cool way to read pdf ebooks on the itouch without having to jailbreak it or using safari at all. The way to do this is to update the itouch and get all those new programs that come with the iphone and the new itouches - what we'll be using is the Mail app.

So all you do is email yourself the pdf ebook you want to read on your itouch. You can even attach several pdfs in one email, but keep in mind that while itouch is a mini computer, it's a weak mini computer, so the smaller the file sizes the better. I find that anything under 3megs works fine.

So after emailing the pdf to yourself, open it in the mail program in your itouch. It will show up as an attachment and will download it to the itouch when you open the message. When you open the message and the pdf is downloaded, now you can open the pdf and read it, just like in safari.

The cool thing is that you can still open these pdfs through the mail program even when you're not connected to a wireless signal, because the pdf was downloaded to the itouch when you opened the message for the first time (the mail program stores emails for offline viewing). So you can still access and read your pdf ebooks even when you're offline... say, on the subway, or a bus, or at work when no one's looking.

The only drawback, and it's barely a drawback, is that if you don't access those pdfs for a while you lose them and you'll need to download them again. Exactly how long it takes for this to happen I'm not sure, but it will happen. But it's not a huge deal at all.

And, if you're anything like me and like to take notes when you read, I suggest using the Notes app that comes with the upgrade. It's great having these two capabilities together, especially when you can jump back and forth between the ebook reader and notes app for quick note taking, making the itouch a very cool pdf reader indeed.

Hope this helps others as much as it's helped me!

[James L]

The easiest way is to create an embedded bookmark in Safari. Takes seconds, and it places the pdf on your touch with all the other bookmarks in Safari. When you want to view the pdf, just go to the link in your Safari bookmarks and there it is. The pdf is actually embedded into Safari, not just placed in the cache.

mdc posted the link above.

[HenryMelton]

Ah! Thank you James L. I had been looking for a bookmarkelet generator since I started using PasswordWallet's ability to store an encrypted database of my passwords as a bookmarklet on my iPhone.

So, to recap and review the above:
There appear to be four methods of viewing PDF's offline.
1) use your Mac's built in web server and using bonjour's address e.g. http://mylaptop.local/path-to-my-pdf
advantages: totally local to your net.
disadvantages: expires out of web cache pretty quickly.
2) mail it to yourself. download the enclosure while online.
Advantages: works with large PDF's
disadvantages: iPhone's mailboxes can only hold a fixed capacity before dropping off.
3) download FilemarkMaker from the Magnitism Studios site. Warning, it's a slow site, which is why I gave up on it the first time the link was posted by mdc. Documentation in nonexistent. The program is a droplet. Drop the PDF file on top of the program and it'll step you through the process.
advantages: PDF's that don't expire.
disadvantages: Only works with small PDF's. My novel files weigh in at about 10 to 12 MB which exceed the 6MB limit quoted for FilemarkMaker. There may be an issue with overloading the design limits of the bookmark file and bookmark sync, but I have no evidence of that as yet.
4) MegaPhone is a data sync program for the iPhone that sorta advertises putting PDF's into notes. However, it doesn't really. First it converts the PDF to html/xml or something like that and uploads that into notes.
Advantages: you get the data in an offline form.
disadvantages: It's no longer PDF. The formatting is stripped and large files are split over multiple notes.

[[email protected]]

does anyone know if its possible to read secure adobe files, or DRM files. with your itouch? on the mac you have to have the app adobe digital edition to view them and so far everything i've read says its impossible to read the elsewhere. but like many people i enjoy reading ebooks, its just that most of mine are secure. so if anyone knows of any good ideas or tips to try i'd love to hear. thanks