Google to create web-based presentation program?

A localization data file found at docs.google.com allegedly contained references to Presently, which some have speculated is an office presentation program similar to Google Writely. Although the references have since been removed, the original version of the file was copied and is still circulating around the Internet. Google has not yet confirmed or denied the existence of Presently, but the evidence in question seems to indicate that the product is at least planned, if not under active development.

Based on the contents of the localization file, Presently appears to be a presentation application modeled after Microsoft Powerpoint with support for features like full-screen viewing and the ability to convert data between presentation and document formats. The localization file also seems to indicate that the Presently program is unsupported in Opera.

The addition of a presentation application to Google's current productivity offerings could put Google in a position to compete more directly with Microsoft in the integrated office suite arena. Although Google's word processing and spreadsheet applications lack much of the functionality found in Microsoft Office, some Office users take advantage of only a fraction of the software's features. Ease of use and the ability to leverage Internet storage and easily collaborate on documents could give Google's productivity apps enough appeal to disrupt the office suite market, which has traditionally been one of Microsoft's more profitable spaces.