PowerPoint and Presenting Blog: March 2005

This 1,000 by 562 at 100 dpi is the geometry passed along by PowerPoint pilots to create a full-screen display that fits slides made by Microsoft's ubiquitous presentation software. As you know by experience, PowerPoint was written for the computer monitor's square 4:3 layout rather than the 16:9 letterbox screen that digital LCD and plasma television monitors use best. James Coates explains more on the Chicago Tribune site...

Instant Effects, Inc. today announced new product developments to create and deliver stunning 3D presentations from within the presentation standard already mastered by millions, Microsoft PowerPoint. Expanding the product family, Instant Effects announced the latest version of its flagship product OfficeFX, for use by consumers, educators and business presenters, and also unveiled OfficeFX Professional. Based on direct customer feedback, OfficeFX Professional was developed specifically for event production firms and specialty graphics houses seeking a cost effective way to include dynamic 3D media and video in their presentation projects without having to shift from the design and authoring tools they currently use. More on the Business Wire site...

Microsoft PowerPoint is the de rigueur application these days for anyone planning on spruiking to a crowd. Blackboard, whiteboard, butcher's paper and overhead projector are all obsolete. The 35 mm slide projector is somewhere in the cupboard but who knows where we last had it. Terry Lane discusses PowerPoint, Photoshop and Audacity on the Sydney Morning Herald site...

Journalists: download a free seven-page ‘Article Resource Kit’ full of ideas to get you writing about PowerPoint. Why? PowerPoint is everywhere, in all walks of life from business and politics to leisure and religion. Writing about it shows you are in touch with the everyday concerns of your readers. Offering them a different angle will set you apart. Download the kit from the Perspector site...

At the occasion of CeBIT, Europe's leading multimedia associations announce the Winners of the European Seal of Excellence in Multimedia 2005. This time, Take-off's DataPoint won the Gold Seal award. DataPoint interfaces PowerPoint with databases. More info on the PresentationPoint site...

Joye Argo spent a number of years in corporate marketing and advertising for the education and healthcare sectors. She was a national account executive for a Fortune 500 firm before starting her own company providing research consulting to large direct marketing firms. Joye is a principal and Vice President of Business Development at Studio F Productions. In this interview Joye discusses thje importance of using professionally designed templates.

Microsoft Corp. is introducing a new release of Microsoft Office Live Meeting, its hosted Web conferencing service. New features include the ability to launch a meeting from within a Microsoft Office software, more effortless and cost-effective audio controls, and new presenter control capabilities. In addition, Live Meeting 2005 will be available in localized versions with support for seven additional languages, enabling people all over the world to participate in a Live Meeting session. More on the Geekzone site...

You wouldn't expect this kind of packed house for a normal PowerPoint presentation. Chalk it up to the presenter. Sporting a black suit, two-toned shoes and a matching belt buckle — he began his lecture, "My name is David Byrne. This is going to be an introduction to PowerPoint." More on The Seattle Times site...

Microsoft Corp.'s Mac Business Unit (Mac BU) on Monday announced the release of Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Update 11.1.1. The update includes improvements to Excel add-in calculation, improves stability for PowerPoint and Word, adds support for new device drivers and improves the appearance of imported graphics. More on the Macworld site...

Macromedia Inc, no stranger to the Malaysian web development and design community, wants to snare business users as well with its Macromedia Breeze solution. Breeze , built on tools such as Macromedia's Flash and Microsoft Corp's PowerPoint, enables employees in an organisation to communicate, collaborate and undergo training. The integrated solution includes everything from live meetings to on-demand presentations. According to Macromedia’s South Asia senior e-learning consultant Talwinder Singh Minhas, the company’s goal is to make business users aware that Breeze is “an enterprise system and not a tool.” More on the TechCentral site...

The HeadsetPresenter turns any Bluetooth Headset into a slim Powerpoint remote, easily hidden in the palm of the presenter. With the HeadsetPresenter the consumer gets a completely new usage area for a standard Bluetooth Headset allowing wireless Powerpoint control without need for line of sight. More on MobileBurn.com...

Perspector released version 2.2, a update that adds several new features including the Perspector Library containing over a hundred slides that can be inserted into your presentation, including full descriptions and examples of how the slides can be modified to suit your needs. Perspector is a 3D add-in for Microsoft PowerPoint. More info on the Perspector site...