An unofficial blog that watches Google's attempts to move your operating system online since 2005. Not affiliated with Google.

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February 4, 2007

Google Prepares a Presentation Tool

I'm sure many people wondered if Google will release a presentation tool, after building Google Docs&Spreadsheets. Well, the answer is yes, and the code-name of the tool is Presently (a play on Writely, the name of the online word processor bought by Google).

You will be able to convert a document into a presentation, create slides and view the presentation in full-screen. Here are some messages from a Google file [update: Google removed the messages, so here's a screenshot], that will be used by Presently:
var MSG_DOC_TO_PRESENTATION="Convert document to presentation";
var MSG_DOC_TO_PRESENTATION_HINT="Once your document is converted to a presentation, you can insert slide breaks using Insert > Slide from the main menu.";
var MSG_PRESENTATION_TO_DOC="Convert presentation to document";
var MSG_POPUP_BLOCKER="Presently is unable to launch your presentation in full-screen mode. Check your pop-up blocker settings.";
var MSG_NEW_SLIDE_TITLE="New Slide";
var MSG_UNSUPPORTED_BROWSER="Unsupported Browser Presently doesn't support Opera and will not function properly. Would you like to continue anyway?";
var MSG_SLIDE_INDEX="Slide %1 of %2: %3";
var MSG_NEXT="Next";
var MSG_NEXT_HINT="Space, Enter, N";
var MSG_PREV="Previous";
var MSG_PREV_HINT="Backspace, Del, P";
var MSG_ZOOM_IN="Zoom in";
var MSG_ZOOM_OUT="Zoom out";
var MSG_ZOOM_RESET="Zoom reset";
var MSG_TOGGLE_AUTOFIT="Toggle AutoFit";
var MSG_PICK_THEME="Choose theme:";
var MSG_THEME_BLANK="Blank";
var MSG_THEME_GOOGLE="Google";
var MSG_THEME_LIQUID="Liquid";
var MSG_THEME_MONOCHROME="Monochrome";
var MSG_TOGGLE_TOOLBAR="Hide/show toolbar";
var MSG_EXIT_PRESENTATION="Exit presentation";
var MSG_END_OF_PRESENTATION="End of presentation. Are you sure you want to exit?";

41 comments:

  1. YOU are really the best to find these kind of secrets Ionut :-D
    GG !

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  2. Just how do you discover these things ??!!

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  3. Accidentally. I was trying to see if there's a way to upload a file from the web to Google Docs using GET, rather than POST, and I checked some of their files.

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  4. I don't like Presently as a name... Google Presently... nah... maybe Presenter.. or Google Slideshow?

    In the coding it says no support for Opera.. were they not integrating support for Opera a while ago on their other products?

    It also has a theme option I see... 'Liquified'... neat.

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  5. Great dig! In order to become a 'killer' online software pack, Google really has to add in loads of features to its existing docs products. Like graphing for spreadsheet and maybe better slide switching effects in Presently.

    @ Conor Cleary
    I don't like the name Presently as well. How about Google Slides

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  6. Isn't it funny they use the name Presently after they killed Writely?

    I wonder if this means they plan to return to cute names instead of Google Docs and Spreadsheets (and Pesentations and Wikis) :-)

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  7. Interesting, but I doubt this is a real product -- hence the silly name.

    I bet it's something they use internally for meetings, as they seem to have a lot of internal tools with strange or inside-joke names.

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  8. Yeah, Zoli.

    Writely
    Wisely (wise is Google Spreadsheets's service name)
    Presently

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  9. Interesting, but I doubt this is a real product.

    Nope. I found this in a JavaScript file that lists all the messages from Google Docs & Spreadsheets (things like: Save, Print etc.) The name might change, but the product is real (and obvious).

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  10. A presentation app on the web? Yawn.

    They need to focus on getting charts into Google Spreadsheet, or just buy Swivel.

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  11. Google removed the messages from the file, but I took a screenshot before.

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  12. Yes, it looks like very logical order.

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  13. There is actually something much larger coming for Project Management leveraging JotSpot, but it will feel more like MS Project.

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  14. I like "Presently" actually, provided that it's prounced PRE'-sent-ly and not pre-SENT'-ly. :-) Though given the fate of the Writely brand, if this product ever goes live, we can be rest assured it'll have a more inspiriting and assured title similar to "Google Docs, Spreadsheets, and Accumen Presenter." And who wouldn't be the first to sign up for Google Docs, Spreadsheets, and Accumen Presenter for Your Domains?

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  15. I'm not too concerned about the name as the functionality. They still have a long way to go with the word processor so I have a feeling that this is going to me very Beta.

    John
    http://www.monomachines.com

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  16. Very interesting. I predicted at the start of this year that Google would acquire or build a presentation tool for their online office line-up. I'm feeling better about my prediction now.

    Great find.

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  17. Nice find! What skin are you using with FF? I realy like it.

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  18. Online presentation software is nothing new to the web. There are already decent releases from Zoho.com (Zoho Show), Preezo, and Empressr in a race to become the first popular. But is this Presentation software ready for big business?

    read my response

    j | sumolabs.com

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  19. Excellent find. But the name Presently is annoying though.

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  20. the screenshot seems to be removed too.. please check

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  21. var MSG_UNSUPPORTED_BROWSER="Unsupported Browser Presently doesn't support Opera and will not function properly. Would you like to continue anyway?";
    Shame on you. It's always the same crap. A more than capable browser that's sniffed out. Then I have to waste my time doing some user js just to bypass our incompetence...

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  22. @mors: What's wrong with that? Google simply says that they don't provide official support for that browser (Opera) on that product. You can still use it anyways. No messing around with userjs needed.

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  23. anytime, google will buy the world.
    and we´ll belong to google
    ghahahahahahaha

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  24. there is already ajaxpresents.com

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  25. Although many blogs started to use titles like "Google Powerpoint", I think the Presently thing will just be a simple way to build slides from an existing document. I think Picasa Web's slideshow feature might be a good starting point. Also Google could let you use pictures from Picasa Web.

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  26. The name Presently is just a code name people. I'm sure they'll work on the whole suite's name soon. Longhorn has been released but its called Vista. Writely has been released but its called Google Docs.... I'm expecting the name eventually to be Google Present. It was inevitable they'd want a chunk of this market. Presentations, Spreadsheets and Word Processing... That'll cost you £99 for Office 2007 Home and Student, Google - FREE.

    They've got a lot of work to do on it yet tho. The word processor needs better formatting options, and the Spreadsheet needs a hell of a lot of work to get charts into it.[

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  27. Google 'Presently' clearly implies 'sometime soon .....'

    Google 'Presents' would be a good name because it implies FREE and allows your to 'present' anything to anyone.

    Soundtracks please ... with imbedded speech too ... and with video segments to round it out ,

    In short a full featured product.

    You'll need to do that to wipe out that old standard Powerpoint - and about time too !!

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  28. .... and naturally ....

    (legal) pictures from anywhere and with great transitions.

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  29. Presentation graphics app need a good graphics engine. HTML is not.

    And everybody would expect support for slideshows, sound and video, like on Spresent

    Publishing Writely document as full screen presentations could be a cheap (but wrong) way to create presentation tool from existing document tool (Writely), since presentation need a timeline - (transitions, animations, etc.)

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  30. This is the only missing piece to compete with MS Office. Google does not waste its time; not a single minute!

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  31. I think at some point web 3.0 or beyond, most of these software toys will all be free and/or open source and intuitive.

    I also think wireless will be so pervasive (like radio) that connectivity will not be an issue, this too will be almost free, and bandwidth will be subsidized by advertising (like TV and radio).

    Although there will be subscription based services for business and enterprise solutions.

    Users will opt for online storage, but it will be encrypted for a price.

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  32. In summer 2006, I started developing a presentation web application myself... I hope to have the site launched in november 2007... Notice that besides Google, Adobe is also about to launch a graphics web application... It will be exciting to see if I can beat these big guys... I think so!!! Because already now the application kicks ass!!! Cant wait to show it off to the public...

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  33. About name I think Google must use common style for all services. Like Apple do. iChat, iMac, iPhone etc, The same maybe Gmail, Gtalk, Gdocs, Gpresenter, Gtable, Gtext or Gword etc.

    I don't understand why Google do it for so long time. Maybe Google waiting for a best moment for buying Zoho?

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  34. Writely is still referenced often within Google Docs & Spreadsheets.

    Heck, they still use writely.com

    =)

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  35. hi there....


    see my review of the presentation tool here:
    http://echofloripa.blogspot.com/2007/09/googles-powerpoint.html

    nice blog by the way : )

    emerson

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  36. Now it is here...
    But i miss one thing: Animations!!!! Google! Please add this feature!!!!

    My testpresentation

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  37. cool just add google powerpoint

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