View PDF Files in Gmail

My local cybercafe computer does not have simple viewing programs like PDF readers etc. and does not let users install software, which makes viewing such files impossible. Gmail’s “View as HTML feature easily lets you preview such files.

Lifehacker points to this wonderful tip

“Next time you find yourself in an Internet cafe or hotel lobby that does not let you install programs, remember that GMail will let you preview all sorts of files that may otherwise be inaccessible to you on such a computer, like bus and train schedules only available as a PDF.”

So next time, just look beneath the attachment for the “View as html” link. Although the formatting is not perfect, the content is readable. This is similar to Google search for PDF files, where you can view such files as html without downloading them.