presentations

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PowerPoint converter

PowerPoint presentations do a great job of presenting complex information to audiences, but they take a lot of time and effort to create yet tend to have a limited lifespan, typically the duration of a project. Wondershare's PPT2Video Pro can help you maximize the usefulness of your PowerPoint presentations by converting them into video for posting online, in product manuals, as training materials, and much more. With 130 different file formats available, including HD, you can probably find something useful to do with your old presentations.

To use PPT2Video Pro, you need to have PowerPoint installed, not just some … Read more

Google Docs delivers presentation basics

In last Wednesday's post pitting Microsoft's Office Web Apps against Google Docs, I said Google Docs doesn't support PowerPoint presentations. Wrong.

Google Docs wouldn't open my test PPTX file, but the service lets you create and edit presentations in the older PowerPoint PPT format, albeit without most of the desktop app's formatting options. You won't find much in the way of transitions, effects, and other advanced features in Google Docs, either. The best feature of Google's online presentation tool is its clean interface, which isn't a surprise considering the company behind the … Read more

Why slides are too wordy

An article by Elisabeth Bumiller in The New York Times about "death by PowerPoint" in the U.S. military has been making the rounds. The following excerpt is representative:

Commanders say that behind all the PowerPoint jokes are serious concerns that the program stifles discussion, critical thinking and thoughtful decision-making. Not least, it ties up junior officers--referred to as PowerPoint Rangers--in the daily preparation of slides, be it for a Joint Staff meeting in Washington or for a platoon leader's pre-mission combat briefing in a remote pocket of Afghanistan.

As an industry analyst, I helped polish many, … Read more

What's in your VC plea?

Editors' note: This is a guest column. See Rebecca Lynn's bio below.

Let's say you have an ingenious new business idea, and you're ready to seek venture capital. Knowing what venture capital investors look for in a pitch could mean the difference between a term sheet and a rejection.

As a VC, I've seen hundreds of pitches. And I can tell you that in today's environment, the best PowerPoint slide decks--whether delivered by first-time entrepreneurs or veteran company builders--share similar structure, content, and zing.

First, what's changed? I recently hosted a panel called "… Read more

Create videos, slideshows with your images

SonicPics is a handy app for creating video slideshows with audio narration using your camera or photos already on your device.

Designed around a simple idea with a wide range of uses (from travelogues to presentations to real-estate walk-throughs), SonicPics has a reassuringly clean and smooth interface. You use a two-button toolbar to work with either Projects or Recordings, which are saved M4V files of finished projects. With Projects, you just type in a title and description, add in photos, using your camera or existing photos, and then set the audio recording quality--which will affect the final size of your … Read more

Presentations on the go

Keynote for iPad lets you create presentations using only a touch screen, your content, and a huge number of ways to present your ideas. Like the other iWork for iPad apps, Apple has made it easy to get started using Keynote with a Getting Started presentation that shows you how to use each of the program's features.

The touch screen interface is very intuitive, with slide navigation on the left side of the interface, and close-ups of the slides in your main working area. In the left navigation you can add, delete, duplicate or reorder slides all with a … Read more

iWork apps unveiled for the iPad

Today's Apple event obviously had the new iPad (latest news, screenshots, and specs here) as its main focus, but there were also hints of new software releases optimized for the iPad. We saw the unveiling of iBooks, a book reading software connected to Amazon for book downloading and reading on the nearly 10-inch touch-screen interface. But Apple had another software surprise as well, with downloadable iWork apps made specifically for the iPad interface.

During the presentation, Steve Jobs demonstrated new iWork apps optimized for the iPad's unique interface. All three of the main iWork apps will be available … Read more

BlackBerry Presenter lets you leave the laptop at home

LAS VEGAS--On Wednesday, Research In Motion debuted a new accessory called the BlackBerry Presenter that allows you to make PowerPoint presentations right from your smartphone.

Designed for on-the-go professionals, the BlackBerry Presenter is a small (3.4 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.9 inch) hub that provides connections for hooking up your BlackBerry to a projector or monitor via VGA or S-Video (cables not included) port. It also supports 24 animation and 55 transition styles of PowerPoint 2003 and 2007, and you can even set the time between transitions.

The BlackBerry Presenter is not compatible with the BlackBerry … Read more