In a bid to remain a contender in the battle of online search and services, Yahoo! and Adobe have joined forces.

The companies will share each other's customer databases; and Adobe's popular PDF reader, Acrobat, will be outfitted with Web search features. The alliance will put into the hands of over 500 million people, the estimated number of Acrobat users, online features offered through Sunnyvale, CA.-based, Yahoo!.

The first stage of the partnership will have Adobe offering its users a co-branded Yahoo browser toolbar. When users go to download or upgrade Acrobat Reader, they will be offered the option to download the browser as well. The toolbar-based browser has become an increasingly popular choice for many users. Toolbars become a part of the navigation window, allowing searches to be performed without going to a separate site.

"Adobe and Yahoo! share a common vision for providing consumers with services that help them get the most out of using the Internet," said Shantanu Narayen, vice president of worldwide products, Adobe Systems. "Combining Yahoo's leadership in delivering content and services online with the ubiquitous Adobe Reader, Adobe and Yahoo! will bring a new level of simplicity and relevance to online services."

The toolbar will offer, in addition to search capabilities and access to various Web services, anti-spy and pop-up filtering features. Services that are already fairly common. Adobe will begin offering various Web services that will provide consumers and small businesses easy access to creating documents in PDF. Over time, the co-branded toolbar will launch additional functionality, such as the ability to quickly and easily convert Web-based content into Adobe PDF files. Capturing and converting Web pages into PDF means HTML content can be taken offline for viewing, sharing and archiving.

Dan Rosensweig, COO of Yahoo!, said enthusiastically, "We are excited to enter this strategic relationship with Adobe as it underscores Yahoo!'s commitment to providing users with products and services that enrich their online experience. Additionally, our multi-faceted relationship will dramatically increase our exposure and reach to consumers via Adobe's installed base of more than 500 million copies of Adobe Reader."