Google Adds Real-Time Collaboration, More than 50 New Features to Presentations

Goggle Docs has updated its presentation tool with real-time collaboration and more than 50 new features.

"Presentations are made to be shared--whether it's presenting your thesis to your professors or inspiring colleagues at a conference," according to a post on the Official Google Blog. "And the best presentations are made together, collaborating with others to build a compelling story that captivates your audience."

Features designed to facilitate collaboration include:

  • The ability to see what other team members are working on with presence markers;
  • Simultaneous editing from remote locations;
  • The ability to track changes and who made them or revert to an earlier version of a presentation through revision history; and
  • Built-in chat.

Other new features include:

  • Transitions, including fades and 3D effects;
  • Animations;
  • The ability to draw charts, designs, layouts and more;
  • New themes; and
  • Rich tables, with merged cells and other options.

The company says that the new features will roll out gradually, though some are available now. Start using the latest version of Google presentations by clicking on the gear icon in the documents list and then checking the box next to "Create new presentations using the latest version of the presentation editor" in the editing tab.

Also according to the Official Google Blog, "Many of the new features were built using technologies that are only available in modern browsers. If you’re using an older browser you’ll be able to view, but not edit, the new presentations."

More information is available at googleblog.blogspot.com. A guide for getting started with presentations is available at docs.google.com.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

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