I often find that when I am in the process of looking something up on the internet that I find something that I want to read “sometime” but don’t have time in the moment. There are many options to save it and go back, but not all methods are as efficient.
If I bookmark the page in my favorites right in the browser, it is highly doubtful that I’ll get back to it later, and I tend to make more clutter for myself in that process. I prefer to add a “bookmark” or send a PDF to another app specifically for reading later, then I can look over a list of items that I have saved for later and read them at my leisure. Even better, read them while I’m waiting in line, at an appointment, sitting in the car, or just lounging on the couch.
Managing E-Books and PDFs
If you are an Apple device user, you can add the e-book or PDF to your books app so you can read it when away from your computer.
- Download the PDF and open it.
- Select the Send To icon at the bottom
- Save to Books App
- Now when you open the Books App you’ll find the PDF in your Library.
For Android users, You can follow a similar process using Kindle or other 3rd party apps.
Save an Article to Read Later
There are many ways to manage this. As I mentioned before, the basic way would be to save it to your favorites in your browser. That method has several downsides, including the clutter that it creates.
There are several 3rd party apps that you can use. I’ve selected two that you might be interested in looking at that are Free, able to sync from your web browser to your mobile device, and are fairly easy to use:
- Instapaper: https://www.instapaper.com/
- Pocket: https://getpocket.com/
Pocket App
I’ve used Pocket for years, and I might be partial to it because of that. But it’s reliable and easy to use.
**Quick Disclaimer. Harbor is not associated with Pocket in any way. We cannot be held accountable for your use of this product. This is merely a suggestion.
Pocket extensions are available for most browsers and allow you to bookmark any page to come back to later. You can also add tags for easy sorting. There is a paid version that includes No Ads, Text highlighting, Premium Fonts, Suggested Tags, Full-Text Search, and more.
Here’s how it works:
- When I’ve found an article that I would like to read later, I can click the Pocket extension at the top of my browser and save it to my Pocket account.
Here is a larger view of that icon:
- A Save to Pocket window pops up and tells you that your article has been saved. The open field below is where you can add tags. I add tags that separate my saved articles by topic.
- Now I can open Pocket on my iPhone and find the article to read.
And here is the article in Pocket on my iPhone.
You’ll notice that some of the fluff is removed from the Pocket version of the article. This is a simplified version of the article that eliminates (most) articles, pictures, and other stuff that aren’t necessary in order to enjoy the article. You can also view it at getpocket.com in your account if you happen to be on your computer.
It’s nice to learn alternative ways to perform new tasks. Do you have any tasks that you find monotonous? Give us a call! Our consultants are trained in many areas, and if your consultant doesn’t know the answer, we all know how to get one for you!
About Harbor Computer Services
Harbor Computer Services is an IT firm servicing Southeastern Michigan. We work exclusively under contract with our clients to provide technology direction and either become the IT department or provide assistance to the internal IT they already have. We have won many awards for our work over the years, including the worldwide Microsoft Partner of the Year in 2010. Most recently we were recognized as one of the top MSP’s in the nation by ChannelFutures coming in at #40 nationwide. And in 2016 as the top Michigan IT firm for Manufacturing. There are a few simple things that make Harbor Computer Services the best choice for your business. •We are Professionals •We are Responsible •We care about your business
