Google Presentations goes live (and yes, it's beta)
(Credit: CNET Networks)Tonight the stars have aligned in Mountain View, and the long-awaited Google Presentations is finally live, and a working part of Google Docs for all users. Here are some of the specs from Google's release:
"-Create and keep presentations in one place on the Web that's accessible anytime, from any Internet-connected computer.
- Manage, update, and share presentations with colleagues by sending them a simple e-mail invitation.
- Edit together online and in real time, or contribute at different times to the same presentation on the Web.
- Present and control slide shows for all viewers over the Web, with no special setup required. Chat with viewers in real time via integrated chat.
- Import existing presentations to get started quickly.
- Quickly publish presentations to the general public or individuals of their choice."
As expected, it looks and feels a lot like Docs and Spreadsheets and handles Microsoft PowerPoint presentations up to 10MB without a hitch. We'll have a hands-on soon. In the meantime, you can play with it yourself at docs.google.com.

Google Presentations' GUI. It looks a whole lot like Google Docs, so users of that should feel right at home.
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It should be very useful especially for Internet sharing of documents and schedules.
One glaring omission in "Documents" is that there is no easy way to print envelope headings. This is an essential function for any document processor.
Also missing is mail merging capability.