Google version of Powerpoint

The long awaited missing tool from Google’s online docs and spreadsheets range is about to launched. Code-named “Presently” (a play on the Word-like “Writely” application that Google bought and used as its own), Google’s version of Powerpoint is reportedly days away from launch. In a report by the Inquirer it appears that Google intend to add their collaborative presentation application to their existing docs and spreadsheet offering very soon.

As a company versed in passing presentations around our own internal team and in many cases outside members of a pitch team (we do our fair share of joint-agency pitches) this launch is one that we have been waiting for since it was first announced that this project was in development back in 06. We are big evangelists of the power and simplicity of collaborate software or “cloud-based apps” and can’t wait to get cracking on this one.

For those of you that haven’t ventured into this space yet, think of it in this context; you will now be able to write one presentation, save it online where it is accessible to everyone working on the project and all members of the team will have the ability to add and edit the presentation in the one place (with a full audit trail in case someone makes a howler). You can then go to your client without the worry of back-ups and print-outs and simply log-in to your Google account and you’re away… Sounds good doesn’t it! Let’s see if Google have nailed this one and at the same time added another nail into the coffin of Microsoft’s application monopoly.