Google moves into online presentations

18 April 2007

Google has acquired the technology to create an online presentations-sharing facility.

Tonic Systems, a San Francisco-based company, was acquired by Google under undisclosed terms.

Google hopes that the Powerpoint-style presentation technology will complement its existing Google Docs and Spreadsheets product.

The aim of the deal, according to an online statement by Google, is to help "people collaborate, share and work together online".

Google say that they hope to offer "the best collaboration platform on the web" and some online commentators suggest that the project is being groomed as a rival to Microsoft Office.

These rumours are denied by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who told the Web 2.0 Expo that Google Docs and Spreadsheets "doesn't have all the functionality, nor is it intended to have the functionality of products like Microsoft Office."

It has been an active week for Google, even by its own standards.

The company also acquired online advertising experts DoubleClick and launched a voice-activated search facility during the past seven days.

See your website as a search engine spider sees it

Category: Miscellaneous