Google presents: Docs with Presentations

Google unveiled its progression in the Google Docs and Spreadsheets, which is just Google Docs. But the shorter title includes more – it now has a new presentation component that helps to store presentations online that can be shared by a number of users at the same time.

Google Apps, which contains Google Docs also includes the large storage-capacity service Gmail, Google Calendar (shared calendaring), Google Talk -- an instant messaging client, and the Start Page feature for creating a customizable home page on a specific domain.

In April at Tech Office 2.0, Google CEO, Eric Schmidt discussed the Google Presentations saying it does not compete with Microsoft because it doesn't contain all the functionality of Office. “It's a different way of sharing information, more casual, and a better fit to how people use the Web,” he said.

Google presentations is an interesting feature but it does nothing to replicate the functionality of PowerPoint. It offers all the basic functions but nothing beyond that.

Anything made using Google presentations only allows you to include text or pictures but does not support any animation, transition effects or sound. The files can be imported from your hard disk if they are 10MB or smaller; fonts can be edited, you can choose the colors, the background of the presentation and other small details. It also offers some predefined themes.

The slides can be saved as HTML within a Zip file, so as to be loaded and presented later on any PC with a browser.

Carrying limited functionality, Google’s new tool remains simple and efficient. The major plus is that it allows you to involve friends, colleagues or partners while making a presentation.

The basic idea of this very basic tool is to allow collaborative effort into a presentation, even if the presenters are unable to get together. It is intended towards getting rid of nuisance of assembling slide decks, emailing them around.

The new Google Presentations feature is available online at http://docs.google.com.