The Daily App: SlideShark For iPad

One of the challenges of using PowerPoint is making sure that presentations appear as they're intended, regardless of the device on which they're being shown. Solving that problem is SlideShark for iPad, a cloud-based service for sharing and viewing PowerPoint presentations from online and mobile tools developer Brainshark.

Presentations can be uploaded to a secure account from a computer or through the SlideShark app, where they are formatted for presentation on the iPad. Slideshows also can be uploaded to the app from the Apple “Mail” app by simply tapping and holding on the file, which is followed by a prompt that opens the attachment in SlideShark. Presentations can also be transferred to the app from Dropbox, GoodReader and Box. The free version includes 100 MB of storage. If more capacity is needed, users can upgrade to 500 MB for $49 per year or 1 GB for $98 per year.

SlideShark’s editing features allow slides to be repositioned and hidden as needed. The app also ensures that the original colors remain intact.

Slides can be reordered into a different sequence or hidden with the tap of a finger. There are two options for presenting. The first is auto play, which is done by setting each slide with a timer. The second is a manual option in which the intuitive swipe gestures allow presentations to play at any speed. Although SlideShark doesn't support hyperlinks, embedded videos or text editing on the iPad, it's a useful tool for getting PowerPoint presentations across without having to reformat as a result of using different devices.

PUBLISHED JULY 2, 2012