Flypaper is a cool, new presentation creation program that lets you create Flash presentations that you can instantly upload to sites like YouTube, MySpace,a nd Facebook. In its present beta incarnation, it has some rough edges and any comparison with PowerPoint would be probably like comparing apples and oranges since Flypaper seems to provide a very different concept altogether.
Flypaper is a free application that runs on Windows XP and Windows Vista only (no Mac yet) -- it's a large download at 89 mb whereabouts, but it's fun to play with and may evolve into something very useful. The screenshot above shows the interface -- click on the screenshot to see a larger preview.
Flypaper does get into new terminology though: slide layouts/designs are called 'models'! Here's a quick one slide pres that I created in Flypaper, and then uploaded to Youtube.
Omnisio, a new startup allows you to mix and mash videos from several online video sites like YouTube, Google, and Blip.tv to create new videos. You can choose start and end points to trim the existing video clips, combine them in a sequence you want, and create a new online video clip that you can share.
These shared clips are entirely embeddable -- and you can have comments that actually hover over the video on these shared clips (see screenshot above). Many users find this distracting, so it's nice that you can turn them off.
More importantly Omnisio is about to introduce new features soon that will allow you to synchronize PowerPoint slides with video -- this will take Omnisio to the professional league.
Membership is free and very quick -- and you don't even need to be a member to view some sample clips. The clips are great -- and can allow you to get hours of fun.
SlideRocket gets more exposure each day -- and the product gets better too. I have been working with this online presentation product for a long while now, and the implementation is awesome.
I do miss a few things -- surprisingly, I miss PowerPoint 2007's tabbed Ribbon interface since SlideRocket options do require many clicks. And I wish they built in some Flickr authorization so that I can access all my Flickr photos from my account. As of now, I can only access the public photos. And my minor rants may not be too fair, since this is still a beta product.
The screenshot below shows the SlideRocket interface -- click on the screenshot to view a larger picture.
SlideRocket is based on Adobe's Flex technology, and Josh Catone provides a great intro to the underlying architecture of SlideRocket on his ReadWriteWeb blog...
Josh Lowensohn provides another walkthrough on the Webware site...
Scrapblog is an awesome site that lets you create online digital scrapbooks -- and it works so much like PowerPoint! They have added a slew of new improvements: Photo Cropping: The new photo cropping options now allow you to crop to cookie cutter shapes like circles, rectangles, and stars. There's also a freehand scissors tool that lets you cut edges any way you want. And an eraser option lets you erase areas of photos as required!
Photo Editing: Scrapblog now provides one-click effects -- these effects include 12 new built-in effects like black and white, sepia, antique, matte, vignette, a comic book effect, and even the ability to flip your photo. There are also advanced options that allow you to adjust the contrast, saturation, tint, or other fine grained settings.
New Themes: Scrapblog now also provides new themes, stickers, backgrounds and frames.
Doing makeovers of slides is such a satisfying task – maybe that is because removing the ugly and replacing it with near perfection is a reward in itself. Over the years, I have understood that the approach required to do any actual makeover is never the same – in the same way as the fingerprints of two humans don’t match, the approaches required to do various makeovers are dissimilar.
Suggesting makeover approaches is a large part of my work – that’s why I find it amusing to hear new schools of thought in the presentation sphere that promise to be a solution to all slide problems. These beliefs range from the no-bullet approach for slides to the total denouncement of slideware. Then there are opinions about keeping things simple and clean – and of providing more visual content. And there’s another school of thought that looks at creating diagrams, charts, and other info-graphic content in a way that’s more effective as is the debate between linear and linked presentations. Each of these approaches is unique and very useful in their own way – and properly applied, each of them may make a difference. But in the same way that a physician will not prescribe a drug for common cold to a patient suffering from body pain, the makeover artist will first examine the slides and then suggest an approach that may use, discard, or combine these approaches.
authorSTREAM, a site that lets you upload and share your PowerPoint presentations upped the ante today by offering a slew of new options:
Download original presentations: You can now download the original PowerPoint presentation (or other file) if the author of the content enables the relevant option (see figure below).
For your existing presentations uploaded to authorSTREAM, this option is turned off by default. You can however edit your presentation properties and check the option (see figure below).
Share on YouTube: You can also share your presentations on YouTube. This option is now available for presentations that include narration or rehearsed timings -- these presentations would automatically be available in a video format (MP4) that you can upload and share on YouTube.
Share on iPods: Again this option is only available for presentations that include narration or rehearsed timings.
Gabe Anderson (pictured to the left) takes care of support and community initiatives at Articulate, a provider of rich media products used for e-learning.
In this conversation, Gabe discusses Articulate Quizmaker, how you can create quizzes, and how Quizmaker integrates with Articulate's other products.
Geetesh: Tell us more about Articulate Quizmaker -- and how it makes it easy to create quizzes fast.
Gabe: Articulate Quizmaker 2.0 is a comprehensive yet easy-to-use quiz creator for making highly customized Flash-based quizzes, assessments and surveys without the need for difficult programming. It provides a form-based interface with one-click publishing to Flash so that anyone who can use PowerPoint can create attractive, Flash-based quizzes in no time -- no Flash development experience required. There are 21 different graded and survey question types, which can be published to a stand-alone quiz or survey for use in your own Learning Management System or Articulate Online -- with full tracking and reporting capabilities.
Geetesh: How does Articulate Quizmaker integrate with other Articulate programs.
Gabe: Quizmaker publishes seamlessly to Articulate Presenter so that you can embed your quizzes and surveys directly in your Presenter-powered courses. You can even choose to send the embedded quiz results directly to your own Learning Management System or Articulate Online. Publishing from Quizmaker to Articulate Online is simple - just plug in your account details once, then publish to your account in just one click.
You can see a demo of how easy it is to publish content from Quizmaker to Articulate Online in the tutorials section of our site. Look for the demo called Publishing from Quizmaker.
After adding online presentation sharing 20 days ago, Google Presentations adds a quick new update in the form of vector shapes and PDF output.
AppScout reports that "Google Presentations is getting the ability to save documents as a PDF and PDF-based printing options. Users are also getting some basic drawing abilities and vector shapes, such as word bubbles and arrows.
The Wired Blog Network adds that "Google has released a new desktop uploader for Windows, making to much easier to move a large batch of files into Google Docs."
Google Presentations, a component of Google Docs has added new features. The most significant new option is the ability to create embeddable web slideshows that can be put up on any page, much like a YouTube movie.
The web output uses scripting rather than Flash unlike YouTube -- it will be interesting to see how Google copes up with animations and transitions in its Presentations through this output option. Maybe that's something they will take care of in the future since they don't have animations and transitions available as of now in Google Presentations.
The online presentation scene is getting more crowded -- the newest entrant in Vcasmo. Vcasmo is different from other online presentation sites because it lets you show both your presentation slides and a video clip at the same time.
You need to upload your presentation and video first, resequence the content in a basic timeline editor, and then publish it. For your presentation, you can upload PowerPoint files, Adobe PDFs, and picture file formats.
Publishing can take a while, but Vcasmo can send you an email, or ping you on IM when it's done!
Zoho Viewer is a handy way to upload documents and share them with others via the web. Rather than clogging your friends’ e-mail boxes with weighty attachments, you can upload them to Zoho Viewer and just send a link. Viewer supports Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint files as well as PDF, RTF, ODF and OpenOffice documents, which means even if your intended recipient doesn’t have a particular program installed, they’ll still be able to view it through Zoho Viewer.
FlashSpring Pro is a PowerPoint add-in which allows you to converts your PowerPoint presentations into Flash SWF movies with all the slide transitions, custom animations, audio and video clips, and inserted Flash SWF files intact.
"Hey, take a look at this presentation" suggested an e-mail from a friend. However, there was no attached PPS file but rather a simple URL. "Oh great," I thought... "Now I'll have to go and see where on that file is on a long web page" - grudgingly as usual.
I was wrong. The link pointed towards AuthorStream.com, a new site which aims to provide the ease of use and "viral-marketing" nature of Youtube, but this time to the world of presentation files.
authorPOINT Lite, a free PowerPoint to Flash Converter has been released by authorGEN, a Raleigh, NC based company that creates e-learning and presentation software. This presentation creation tool is a small download, and works on your desktop to create compact Flash files from your PowerPoints. The tool can also perform batch conversion of multiple .PPS and .PPT files.
authorPOINT Lite retains most PowerPoint effects including animations and sounds without any loss in presentation quality in the Flash (.SWF) output. Flash presentations have a number of advantages over PowerPoint format as Flash files are lighter, more secure, multiple browser and operating system compatible.
I love using SlideShare because it's a one-click process to upload and share my PowerPoints. However, SlideShare did lack the audio streams that make YouTube and iFilm so popular. And so people want to create YouTube movies from their PowerPoints. Not any more -- since SlideShare has added a cool new feature called SlideCasting.
SlideCasting is cool not just because it adds an audio stream to SlideShare's online presentations but because it does this in such a well implemented process:
First, the presentation upload and the audio feature are completely different -- so the ease of use remains for those who just want to upload a presentation without audio.
You can use any audio stream that has a URL -- for example an MP3 uploaded to your own site, or a podcast.
Then you mashup the uploaded presentation and audio together. You can do this (and sync the slide timings as well) through an intuitive interface that includes a view of the slides and the waveform of the linked audio stream.
And you can add audio to any of your uploads on SlideShare -- even the ones that were done before SlideShare added the SlideCast feature.
SWiSHzone creates a well known range of Flash output programs, and when they released their PowerPoint add-in that could create Flash output from a presentation, I really wanted to take a look at the product. Their PowerPoint add-in product is called SWiSH Presenter.
Impatica for PowerPoint takes your PowerPoint presentations, converts them to the Impatica formats that can be as small as 95% of the original file sizes -- and retains most of the PowerPoint formatting. Version 4 of Impatica for PowerPoint adds support for PowerPoint 2007 and Windows Vista. In addition, it adds several other new features.
Helius Inc. announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire PointeCast Corp., a leading global provider of rapid-communication and online training solutions. PointeCast's Publisher product allows users to enhance Microsoft PowerPoint presentations with real time quizzes, surveys, response tracking and other multimedia features and then instantly convert them into the Adobe Flash format for easy integration. PointeCast's robust learning management system (LMS) enables customers to administer and track e-learning and training courses.
Gabe Anderson (pictured to the left) takes care of support and community initiatives at Articulate, a provider of rich media products used for e-learning.
In this conversation, Gabe discusses Articulate Online, and how this service integrates with Articulate's other products.
Geetesh: Tell us more about Articulate Online, and how it is helping people deliver content.
Gabe: Articulate Online allows you to effectively track e-learning activity without the usual cost and hassle. You can publish directly to your Articulate Online account with a single click from either Articulate Presenter or Articulate Quizmaker. All content is hosted on and delivered from the Articulate Online server, so you can easily get your content to your target users with just a link or via a personalized user portal.
Then you can run a number of detailed reports to see how your users are interacting with your content -- who's viewing your presentations and how your users are scoring on your quizzes and answering your survey questions.
And with plans starting at just $199/month, Articulate Online is easier to use and more affordable than complex and expensive corporate learning management systems that are difficult to use and have more features than you need.
Geetesh: How does Articulate Online integrate with other Articulate offerings such as Presenter and Quizmaker.
Gabe: Articulate Online is the only fully integrated hosting, tracking, and reporting platform available that allows direct, one-click publishing from either Articulate Presenter or Quizmaker. You can even embed Articulate Engage interactions, 3rd-party Flash movies, Web Objects, and more directly in your Presenter content before you publish to Articulate Online.
There's no more worrying about FTP applications, LMS integration, or file management. Just click and publish to Articulate Online, and your content is ready to be shared publicly or with your private users.
A number of tutorials, including how to publish from Presenter and Quizmaker, are available here...
Impatica Inc., a pioneer in the viewing and projection of PowerPoint presentations using mobile handhelds, and DynoPlex, Inc. a leading developer of wireless document management solutions, announced today an innovative solution bundle comprising Impatica ShowMate and DynoPlex eFile and Online File Storage. PowerPoint presentations stored on the DynoPlex Online File Storage service are automatically impaticized or converted into Impatica's compact format and downloaded over-the-air to BlackBerry smartphones from Research In Motion. Once on the handheld, the PowerPoint presentation can be viewed in full fidelity on the BlackBerry handset or projected using Impatica ShowMate.
Articulate announced Articulate Online, a new user-friendly hosted service that allows you to track how employees, customers and prospects interact with your e-learning courses, assessments and presentations.
This service also integrates seamlessly with Articulate's other offerings: Articulate Presenter and Articulate Engage, thus allowing easy publish and distribution options.
Rajeev Arora is Vice President, Marketing & Strategy at Elluminate. Rajeev is responsible for establishing relationships with strategic partners and identifying new markets where Elluminate can excel.
Geetesh: Tell us more about yourself, Elluminate, and vRoom.
Rajeev: As the VP of Marketing and Strategy for Elluminate, I'm responsible for building relationships with our partners and finding new ways for Elluminate's products to break into new and different markets. Personally, I've worked in sales, marketing and product development for the software industry for more than 12 years.
Elluminate is an e-learning and web collaboration company that has a very strong presence in K-12 schools and higher education institutions, as well as corporations throughout the world. Our ultimate goal is rather ambitious. We want to use our enabling technology to transform teaching and learning, providing online access for everyone, especially those who would normally would be deprived, and facilitating communication, collaboration, and education on a global level.
Our flagship product Elluminate Live! is a web conferencing application used primarily to foster collaborative online learning in real time -- whether it's through online classes or corporate training. Elluminate Live! incorporates voice over the Internet with video, application and file sharing, file transfer, and more. What really makes the environment stand out from the crowd is its collaborative features like breakout rooms for small groups, interactive polling, social networking features and our ESP (Elluminate Sensory Perception) functionality for moderators. ESP allows a session leader to see when others may be lagging behind, and automatically adjusts the timing of the audio and visuals to allow them to catch up. Users love that our software can be used on any platform, including Linux, Mac, Windows, and Solaris, and that it works on really low bandwidths. For example, one of our users logged on to Elluminate Live! during a cycling trip, using his laptop and a low-bandwidth cell phone Internet card.
Elluminate created vRoom as a free, three-seat version of Elluminate Live! with all the same capabilities as the original software, except for the ability to record sessions. We have such faith that once Elluminate products are integrated into schools and companies, people will find that the possibilities are almost endless. I like to say that we are only limited by our imagination!
Geetesh: Tell us about typical and non-conventional usage scenarios for vRoom.
Rajeev: Many new customers have already shared how they're using their vRooms, including for virtual office hours, one-on-one tutoring, mentoring, and small group work. It's really easy to add vRoom to your email signature and hold impromptu online meetings at any time -- with students, teachers, customers, co-workers, and partners. You name it. IT folks use the application and desktop sharing to train co-workers on troubleshooting tech problems on their computers. They can even take remote control of a co-worker's desktop, and solve the problems themselves.
Some non-conventional uses have also surfaced since we've launched vRoom. A professional artist uses vRoom to host open-studio hours to demonstrate her digital portraiture painting. A teacher used vRoom to enable his high school students to view a live surgery and ask the surgeon questions, sort of a virtual field trip. Other innovative uses of vRoom include holding theater auditions, adding a remote participant to a conference panel, assessing reading and writing skills for K-12 students, reviewing course content in preparation for testing, and setting up a teaching cooperative for home-schooling moms.
