With version 2.0 of Zoho Show, Zoho continues to make a great argument that they are the premier Web based Office replacement. While I think Powerpoint still has a thing or two on Show, but the difference is getting smaller and smaller.
But Zoho Show 2.0 has one advantage over Powerpoint that cannot be discounted it doesn't have to installed on a PC to work, not to mention it has version control, and allows you to collaborate with others on your presentation.
The blogs seem to like the latest from Zoho, here is a sampling.
Read/Write Web - Zoho Show 2.0 Unveiled - Compares Well to Powerpoint, One-Ups Google:
Web Office vendor Zoho continues its rapid pace of product upgrades and new releases, with the next version of Zoho Show - its browser-based presentations software. The app has a brand new user interface and a bunch of new features.TechCrunch -Zoho Show 2.0, Cleaner Look, New Features:The UI changes focus mainly on improving the editing of presentations, which Zoho says now "matches that of its desktop counterparts" (by which we assume it means Microsoft Powerpoint). Also importing presentations has been upgraded. The video embedded below gives a good overview of the changes.
I'm not a big user of Powerpoint, but in my tests I was impressed by the slickness of the Ajax. I was told that a lot of work went into that, especially for compatibility with VML (IE browser) and SVG (Firefox and others).
What makes Zoho Show different from Powerpoint are features like the version control, sharing, publishing it to be viewable online by anyone, and embedding in a blog or website. These are all common collaboration benefits for Web Office tools. But there's some nice extra touches with this new version of Show - e.g. chat has been integrated, so when you're collaborating with others on a presentation you can discuss it in real time. Zoho Meeting has also been integrated, enabling you to share your whole desktop.
Overall, Zoho Show 2.0 is slick and compares well with Powerpoint; and has added collaboration features. Plus, not for the first time, it's one-upped Google - whose online presentations software is basic by comparison.
As we mentioned in our Web Office 2007 Year in Review post last week, Zoho is arguably the most complete and full-featured Web Office suite on the market. Throughout 2007 the company has announced a steady stream of new products and upgrades. We think Zoho's suite, called Zoho Business, will hold the key for the company going forward - as it continues to integrate its many products and features into a compelling whole.
Over the past two years Zoho has launched 12 applications along with 4 utilities, nearly all with APIs. The team has shown a strong commitment to steadily improving their products, making them a compelling alternative to the incumbent, Google.This morning they’ve released a new version of Zoho Show that cleans up the program’s interface and adds a greater array of features than Google’s Presently. Zoho Show 2.0 features:
- New User Interface
- 50+ Themes
- Shapes and Symbols
- Extensive editing support for text, images, bullets etc
- Clip art
- Zoho Meeting and Zoho Chat integration
Support of shapes, symbols, clip art, and a wide selection of themes are common features business users depend on in PowerPoint, but are currently lacking on Google. However, the guys from recently acquired presentation startup Zenter are certainly hard at work changing that.
ZDNet.com - Zoho refreshes its Show online presentation tool:
Zoho has revamped its online show presentation tool, Show 2.0.
Show 2.0 features a new user interface and more comprehensive editing tools that rival desktop competitors. Zoho’s blog has a video demonstration.
In addition, Show 2.0 has
- More than 50+ Default Themes
- Shapes and Symbols Support
- Extensive editing support for text, images and bullets.
- Clip art support
- Zoho Meeting and Zoho Chat integration
- Enhanced importing of PowerPoint presentations
With Show 2.0 Zoho is working to stay ahead of Google. So far so good.
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