February 4th, 2007

Google Docs to support PowerPoint presentations soon

Posted by Garett Rogers @ 11:59 am

Categories: Google Docs

Tags:

If you dig around the language files in Google Docs, you will find what appears to be traces of a new service preparing for launch soon. Meet Google Presently — an online presentation creator that will likely read and write the most common formats like Microsoft PowerPoint and Open Office Impress.

Here is a snippet from the telling file hosted on the Google Docs server. 

var MSG_VIEW_PRESENTATION="View presentation";
var MSG_PRESENTATION_SETTINGS="Presentation settings";
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?";

Based on the information we can see in this file it is easy to assume:

• You will be able to convert documents to presentations
• Presentations can have themes
• Zoom capability
• Opera isn't supported

[Thanks Ionut and Nate!]