Brainshark’s app solves PowerPoint’s incompatibility with the iPad

Rating: SlideShark is answer for managers trying to migrate to iOS devices

There’s absolutely no doubting the fact that SlideShark from Brainshark must be doing something right. The company claims that it is resolving the problem of Microsoft PowerPoint’s incompatibility with the Apple iOS platform. The company maintains that it is getting two downloads per minute ever since its launch on October 18th [2011]. It’s also believes that the app has consistently ranked among the Top Five productivity apps in Apple’s iTunes App Store. This cloud-based offering now has a whole host of extra features. For example, all accounts now offer a minimum of 100MB of free storage. Other new features include Laser Focus; Hide Slides; Open Sesame; refer a friend; and easy storage upgrades.

Given the number of managers and executives who grew up with PowerPoint, the ability to migrate to the Apple iPad platform via SlideShark must be a major draw.

Let’s start with the laser focus capability. With the ‘Laser Pointer’ feature, users can direct their audience’s attention to key points in presentations.

Additionally – while presenting via a projector or TV – users just press and hold their finger anywhere on the iPad.

A red laser pointer will appear and follow their finger as long as it appears on the screen.

With the new ‘Hide Slides’ functionality, users may opt to hide one or more slides prior to presenting.

The company says this helpful when modifying presentations based on different audiences.

Just tap the ‘Edit’ button in the top right of a presentation to access this feature.

In addition to uploading PowerPoint files to their SlideShark account from the computer, users can now use the ‘Open in’ functionality to do the uploads and conversions directly from their iPad as well.

For example, files received on the iPad via email or accessed via cloud storage services (such as iCloud and Dropbox.) can be uploaded to SlideShark and automatically converted for iPad use.

Users can distribute a personalised URL and earn extra storage by referring friends to SlideShark.

Each time a friend signs up for a free account, the user and that friend both get an extra 25 MB worth of storage for free. Not bad, really.

Finally, users who would like to add more storage capacity to their SlideShark accounts can upgrade with 500MB of storage (on top of the free 100) for $49 per annum, whilst 1GB of additional storage is $98/year.