Yesterday saw the commercial release of Microsoft Office 2010.  I’ve been using MS Office for years and have used this particular version at home and work since it was first launched as a beta release candidate several months ago.  It goes without saying that I am a big fan.  It’s as if someone has fettled away all the burrs and rough edges from the 2007 version and produced a finely tuned product.  However upgrading or purchasing Office 2010 in a commercial environment isn’t a cheap proposition. More and more organisations and individuals are looking at alternative options to save money and differentiate with unique functions.

In the first in a series of blog posts looking at the alternatives to the individual elements of the MS Office suite today I’m taking a look at some potential substitutes for Microsoft’s presentation application, PowerPoint.

Desktop Alternatives

1. Apple iWork Keynote - http://www.apple.com/iwork/keynote/

If you are a Mac user then it is likely that you already prefer Apple's presentation offering available as part of the iWork suite.  The slick use of graphics, animations and effects are what you would expect from Apple.  Its a shame that Keynote is only available for the Mac, but it will only be a matter of time before some of its unique selling points make their way to other applications.  The integration with the iPhone is the killer feature though, with an app to use the iPhone as a Keynote remote and the promise of iWork being fully supported by the iPhone 4.  Its not free, but at less than £50 for the full suite, its a cheaper alternative to MS Office for Mac users.

2. OpenOffice.org Impress - http://www.openoffice.org/

The best things in life are free and the OpenOffice.org suite of applications is the forerunner in free alternatives to MS Office.  Impress is a dead ringer for the XP version of PowerPoint and has pretty much the same functionality. Admittedly it isn't as advanced as the latest version of PowerPoint but is a fully capable alternative for all but the most die hard power users.  OpenOffice leads the way with an XML based Open Office file format so by default uses .ODP files, but you can easily change the default settings and open, edit and save .ppt files.  One gotcha to look out for is that newer .pptx files created on PowerPoint 2007 and 2010 don't convert perfectly if they have utilised some of the newer Office features.

3. IBM Lotus Symphony Presentations - http://symphony.lotus.com/

Lotus Symphony is IBM's latest foray into the Desktop Office application market.  Symphony Presentations is a free application based on OpenOffice.org's technology so is compatible with both .ppt and .odp files and functions.

Online Alternatives

4. Google Docs Presentation - http://docs.google.com

Google's free online Docs applications uses a simple interface which isn't particularly feature rich, but allows for the benefits of cloud availability and online collaboration.  The colaboration benefit is enhanced by a chat feature.

5. ajaxPresents - http://www.ajaxpresents.com

Ajax is another online full Office suite from ZoooS. It has extensive capabilities including the ability to open, edit and save both .ppt and .odp formats.  The interface is a little busy, but is free so worth a look.

6. Zoho Show - http://show.zoho.com

Version 2.0 of Zoho's online Show application is still in Beta mode but has all the fundamental features you would expect.  There is an integrated chat feature and online collaboration and remote presentation functions to take advantage of the cloud based status.  Presentations are embeddable to blogs and websites and the elegent UI will be familiar to users of Zoho's CRM application.  Zoho Show is free for personal use and can import and export .ppt files.

7. Slide Rocket - http://www.sliderocket.com

Slide Rocket is a paid Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application that has a slick user interface and powerful online collaboration and remote meeting functions. There is a free option which doesn't extend to all features but provides a perfectly adequate 250Mb of storage and unlimited presentation files.  As you would expect you can import and export .ppt files and the library and synchronisation functions look pretty impressive.  The paid service starts at $12 per month and offer up to 1GB storage per user.

8. Empressr - http://www.empressr.com/

Empressr is a free online Presentation application that attempts tp bridge the gap between a desktop office applications and social media.  It is a flas based application that integrates nicely with Wordpress, Twitter, Flickr and other Social Media platforms.  One nice feature is the ability to track viewing stats and channel Twitter feedback.

9. Prezi - http://prezi.com/
If you are looking for something distinctively different to the PowerPoint clones then Prezi is definitely different and distinctive.  The cool, unique zooming and panning transitions are completely unlike any other presentation tools I've seen before and take a radical step forward in presentation technique.  Prezi is a SaaS offering that has a desktop version via a Prezi Pro account.  The free version is public facing with up to 100Mb of storage with paid versions that allow for private content starting at $59 a year.  There are elements of social media within the user community with public facing Prezis available to view via the site's Showcase section.  Users are encouraged to "pat on the back" and "say something nice" about other user's output. Output is easily shared, embedded and downloaded to be run offline or via websites, blogs and social media networks. Definitely worth having a play with.