Google created a lot of buzz around its Web2.0 Spreadsheet anouncement a few weeks ago. Many other players including Zoho had launched similar or even superior functionality before Google did. So now Zoho is launching ZohoShow to provide Powerpoint-like functionality on the web.
I test drove the ZohoShow and it appeared to be a good enough presentation tool. I am quite sure that it lacks some of the bells and whistles that Microsoft offers but then disruptive innovation can be achieved by providing a good-enough product for the under-served masses that do not require high-end features and want a cheaper (free) product.
In the long run its not clear to me that Zoho (AdventNet) can compete with the likes of Google and Microsoft with their deep pockets, so then the question is who will acquire them? Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft – the usual players or even some companies that have be n sitting on the sidelines of this Web2.0 revolution.
Things I liked about ZohoShow:
-UI is intuitive
-Similar to Powerpoint
Things I didn’t like about ZohoShow:
-Limits PPT imports to 1MB when most PPT files are much larege
-Still raw but I am assuming the idea is to release early and iterate often to improve the experience.
All in all thumbs up to the Zoho team for having a complete Suite offering.
Here are some other points of view on ZohoShow- Islam Ghalimi proclaims Zoho is Complete Miguel Guhlin’s impressed with ZohoShow and Colbert Low comments on ZohoShow online presentation tool. Also, see Zoli’s post.