26 October 2004 Document management vendor Adobe Systems has teamed up with internet portal Yahoo that could make it easier to manipulate documents published online.

Adobe will this week send its users an update notice that will include a Yahoo toolbar, which enables users to search for information from within an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file – one of the primary standards for electronic files posted on the internet – without going through the extra steps of launching a Web portal.

“With a little creativity to think it through, we hope our partnership will help consumers find information and create information,” said Tim Cadogan, Yahoo’s vice president of search.

In future the companies plan to extend the toolbars functions to include the ability to quickly and easily convert Web-based content into PDF files.

Recently the competition among search engine companies has intensified, as they have sought to improve search capabilities. Last week, Google unveiled its desktop search tool that enables users to search through files on their hard drives.

Meanwhile, software giant Microsoft is on the sidelines, busily preparing for its entry into the search market, with its first products expected to ship by the end of the year.