Nov 9 2008 12:15PM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
RIA,
Rich Media,
Office,
Web 2.0,
Technology,
PowerPoint,
Google Docs,
Silverlight,
Microsoft,
Review,
Business,
PowerPoint 2007,
Google Apps,
Online Apps,
Office 14,
Office Live,
Google Presentation
According to Anita Hamilton’s “Late to the Game: Microsoft Office Online” on TIME, the rivalry of paperless office technologies like word processor, spreadsheets or presentations, etc. has been not the old style ”Microsoft Office or IBM Lotus” for more and more companies. Giving Google Docs or Zoho a try is the recent popular choice for us.
Although Microsoft Office is still the dominant in the area of business applications for office, it can’t ignore what’s going in the current markets. It has been quite a few months after I introduced Microsoft’s project “Office Live Workspace Beta” (refer to Live Workshop Rivalry: Build Your Presentation Mind On the Road), and I cited that we really need better Web capabilities on the coming office suite (refer to On The Road: Microsoft Office Has To Bet Its Future On The Web). But why Microsoft decide not catch up the way until 2010?
Microsoft Wants to Make the Best Web Office
I have to thank for all the efforts on those gorgeous ribbons and SmartArts in Office 2007, which really help me a lot on presentations. However, online compatibility is the biggest weakness in the Internet times. The coming Office 14 would be really late for the online office market, but I guess Microsoft won’t make that launch another miss. Heard from Workspace Team Blog, the Sliverlight technology has been added into the new Office Live Workspace. Based on the great rich media technologies from Microsoft Silverlight, maybe the expected Office 14 could move all rich features in Office 2007 to the Web. Isn’t that the best idea to conquer the online land for Microsoft? We’re waiting.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Oct 1 2008 10:29AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Web,
iPhone,
Apple,
Mobile,
RIA,
Rich Media,
Web 2.0,
Technology,
Learning,
Adobe,
Flash,
Review,
Business,
Corporate,
Online Apps,
Flash Video,
Solutions,
iPod Touch
Since Adobe Flash Lite in Windows Mobile platform smartphone is greatly common, and a lot of people benefit from mobile Flash applications with interactive rich media such as Mobile Learning, why the popular Apple iPhone still can’t support kinda Flash plugin for Safari or standalone Flash container for the hottest Flash streaming such as YouTube?
Yesterday Adobe at Flash on the Beach 08 Conference (FOTB) said the company is actively developing a port of its Flash animation plugin for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but Apple’s mobile operation system is a “closed platform” and so is out of Adobe’s control. Adobe indicated that it will not use Flash Lite but a better approach to faster iPhone processor and graphics chip.
Apple definitely will approve the great deal I think. And finally we get what we expect of familiar Flash-based interactive applications on mobile devices as exact two-win. I promise, the enhancement of Flash will extended iPhone as the mobile business center. Certainly Adobe Flash for iPhone/iPod Touch will optimize the experiences on Web.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Sep 14 2008 11:26AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Web,
YouTube,
IT professional,
RIA,
Rich Media,
Enterprise,
Web 2.0,
Technology,
Learning,
Adobe,
Silverlight,
Microsoft,
Flash,
Review,
Business,
community,
Corporate,
Online Apps,
Flash Video,
Webcam,
Web Presentation,
Business presentations
The NBC’s Olympic Games in Silverlight boomed Microsoft’s rich media technologies a lot, but it still stands outside the stage where Adobe Flash dances. Microsoft is not the god, neither is Adobe. Actually Silverlight did well in many specifications as newly developed kit for the Web, while Flash seemed old and out of some emerging developments. To fight the mainstream, let’s look around what Silverlight.
In the developer Niraj Swaminarayan’s Silverligh vs. Flash - An Analysis Report, we can see that some parts are not that crucial for most Web developers. So I take my hands to the opinion that, the so-called rivalry is really not that important like lots of observers said. YouTube can be a Silverlight based video sharing community as well as Flash offers.
I’m concerning about the impact on my favorite Webcasting industry where the Silverlight platform could not step in currently. If Silverlight lives better and better as expected, what’s the critical issues we’ll face when replacing with Silverlight? The IT infrastractures for a business do not require the value of emerging technologies. That’s why Windows Vista could not become the mainstream with its 2 years’ experiences. Certainly it’s not a bad idea to take Silverlight presentation in the future.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Sep 6 2008 7:43AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Web,
IT professional,
RIA,
Rich Media,
Web 2.0,
Technology,
PowerPoint,
Learning,
Review,
Business,
community,
Online Apps,
Webcam,
Web Presentation,
Slidecast,
SlideShare,
Business presentations
Yep, you can see that I’m really hooked by that kinda video presentation services in the Social Web 2.0 times. Hot star Ominisio married Google, and old Zentation continued his beta as semi-pro. They don’t just bet on the mashup of video and slides, as they really want to engage a stage of our social Web. More than sharing all on Web apps, the mashup culture is one big point in Web 2.0 community life. So as to my personal interests in presentations, I can’t ignore the dying of PowerPoint and the power of Web 2.0. The module of Ominisio shock’d me on the development of presentations. Now the traditional presentation gradually become a part of the lifetime show, not only among slides and words.
Above all, I admit that the video content enrich’d the plain slides as expantory, but some skills are necessary as the catchwords “Content is King”. To show the best presentation, we need exceptional ideas, and some practice knowledge about Instructional Design. That’s the real mashup in the better Social Web Presentation 2.0. We learn from others in social community, so the winner presentations from SlideShare’s recent The World’s Best Presentation Contest could be good examples.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Jul 14 2008 4:31AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Web,
IT professional,
RIA,
Rich Media,
Enterprise,
Technology,
Learning,
Review,
Business,
Solutions,
Business presentations
I never conducted any experiments to compare the effectiveness and cost savings of integrating rich media presentations into the business of any organizations, but I dare to assure that it’s all evolution of traditional presentations. Because of the introducing of rich media technology in current business presentations, the communication of business environment becomes really better ever.
Whatever the administrative level or marketing frontline at any businesses, those presentations with rich media enhanced lead to the reduction of energy and paper consumption on more business trips. I can not count the exact issues that rich media presentations help on businesses, however, at least you can make good expressions with enrichments.
Just think about, adding related video clips, narrations, and other interactive elements to your prepared business presentation; aren’t those all of what you want to present? Regardless of your explanation as the key usages on any presentations, content is the king. Let content speck louder than words! I drafted this rule in the evolution of future business presentations.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Jul 13 2008 4:56AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Development,
Web,
Google,
CIO,
IT professional,
RIA,
AJAX,
Technology,
Learning,
Adobe,
Silverlight,
Flash,
Review,
Business,
Online Apps,
Solutions,
Google Search,
Business presentations
No needs to mention that the proudly announcement of Adobe’s that “Rich Media Search on the Web” on July; as we guess, Microsoft also teams its Silverlight technology up with the rich media content searchable trend. It’s really long long waiting to make this available after years of Flash technology booming. Like Neil Armstrong’s first words on the moon, “that’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind”.
Coming with Google’s “Flash indexing algorithm“, we know the SEOs (Search Engine Optimization) can not live standalone without the requirements from the market. The little thinking from me on search engine optimized rich media: business presentations over the Web now essentially catch up with the help of SEOed.
There’s much to admire about Adobe’s web technology initiatives over the past year or so, such as recent Adobe AIR, Acrobat.com. But this one, advanced RIA technology with SEO compliance inspires me indeed. As most developed Web apps take SEO as better user experience advantage over Rich Internet Apps, now for searchable Flash, I really recommend businesses to do in this way.
The last words to notify on this thinking, most traditional manufacturers of Flash authoring tools should rearrange the producing of Flash, to satisfy the SEOed Flash content better.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Jul 7 2008 3:16AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
Web,
CIO,
IT professional,
RIA,
Enterprise,
AJAX,
Technology,
Adobe,
Google Docs,
Flash,
Review,
Business,
Online Apps,
Tips,
Solutions,
AIR
Like Photoshop Express’s photo sharing and photo editing, Adobe can’t help unveiling its complete online office solution to gear up file sharing and documents collaborating using Acrobat.com. From Adobe’s official description, it’s a set of online services - file sharing and storage, PDF converter, online word processor, and web conferencing.
Already one month after its rocket launch to enhance online documentation office upon the mastered Flash technology, Adobe pushed Acrobat all the ways to the de facto international standard. The final release of Acrobat 9 comes that, Adobe actually desires the online service as better component for its desktop apps. Even if the online solution not caught up as Acrobat Professional, but the support of source formats arranged from Word to PowerPoint is really inspired, and better than Google Docs.
That goes here, Google Docs versus Acrobat.com. By contrast, Google Docs has less enhanced editing, and less powerful conversion - not sophisticated in document contents/web conferencing as Adobe’s strength. But popped with Google’s account, the document collaborating, and file sharing is easy and flexible. More than these, Google’s AJAX structure is a little better than complete Flash core in browsers if we don’t get a faster connection.
Anyway, I encourage people to try more business in the online office, Google or Adobe, whatever you like. But it’s really great influences to improve efficiency, avoid complexity, and help environment. Finally, I recommend this AIR “Acrobat.com for My Desktop” to launch acrobat.com as AIR app from desktop.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
May 1 2008 3:49PM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
RIA,
AJAX,
Silverlight,
Flash,
Review,
Business,
Online Apps,
Solutions,
AIR
When I heard the news that, the research from Forrest said the popular AJAX is too old for rich Internet applications, and it will be replaced by Adobe AIR or Microsoft Silverlight in the future, I really don’t agree with that idea. Although the new technologies AIR or Silverlight are hot and appreciated by developers, we cannot deny the further improvement on AJAX, which is just built on the simplest platform over rich Internet.
However, Adobe’s Open Screen Project is really favorable. The project is is working to enable a consistent runtime environment – taking advantage of Adobe® Flash® Player and, in the future, Adobe AIR™ — that will remove barriers for developers and designers as they publish content and applications across desktops and consumer devices, including phones, mobile internet devices (MIDs), and set top boxes. Also, it is supported by technology leaders. I think, most IT guys will be interested in the details, just visit http://www.adobe.com/openscreenproject/
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
Apr 27 2008 5:56AM GMT
Posted by: William Peterson
AOL,
Web,
Google,
RIA,
AJAX,
Silverlight,
Microsoft,
Flash,
Review,
Online Apps,
Live
Beyond the common sense of popular AJAX Web mail, AOL plans on new gadget for old Web mail service, which offers industry-leading performance, unique skinning options and rich media content capabilities. Generally, the spotlight upon those boring slogans is the Microsoft Silverlight 2.0 technology in called convenience of the Web and the performance of a desktop application together.
AOL demonstrated the new RIA Mail at Microsoft’s MIX08 conference. The demo highlighted a version of RIA created specifically for fans of the video game Halo, featuring a Halo mail “skin” as well as Halo-specific content and advertising to create a dynamic online experience.
According to my ever experiences on Flash-based or AJAX-based Web mail services, Google’s Gmail’s still my favorite as its really Internet-friendly technology. However, AOL’s RIA Mail seems shinning and nice. If the high-appreciated future mail service can be launched to beat up Yahoo or Earthlink’s Web mail, I think Microsoft’s Silverlight should be the best weapon to arm to tooth. Also, I guess the new AOL mail may promote Silverlight as its engaging case study.
William Peterson
Presentation Veteran
