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Wondershare PPT2Flash Professional

Reviewed by Geetesh Bajaj, professional Microsoft PowerPoint MVP, view more info of the writer at http://www.geetesh.com/

Introduction
About PPT2Flash Professional
Download & Installation
Using PPT2Flash Professional
How PPT2Flash Fared
Pricing and Support
Conclusion

Introduction

PPT2Flash Professional is a PowerPoint add-in which allows you to convert your PowerPoint presentations into Flash SWF movies with all the slide objects and movements recreated. It works with all PowerPoint for Windows versions from 2000 to 2007.

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About PPT2Flash Professional

PPT2Flash Professional is from Wondershare, a company based in Guangdong, China that creates custom applications for the enterprise market. Learn more about their products and download a free trial version of PPT2Flash Professional from their site…

My contact at Wondershare for this review was Sabrina Fu - thank you, Sabrina.

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Download & Installation

Download the installer from the link on Wondershare’s product page, run the setup routine and follow the instructions. If you are using PowerPoint 2007, you’ll end up with a PPT2Flash Professional tab on the Ribbon as you can see in Figure 1.

Figure 1: PPT2Flash Professional tab on the Ribbon

All the options on the PPT2Flash Professional tab are explained below:

1. Publish: This group of options allows you to publish presentations to Flash, and view them.
2. Settings: This brings up the Conversion Settings dialog box where you can tweak various output options.
3. Player: Here you can select a template for the Flash output.
4. Edit: This is where you can make changes, add Flash SWF movies on slides, insert quizzes, import audio, record narration, or do screen captures. Note that you insert quizzes with Quiz Creator — and that is a separate product.
5. About: This group allows you to register and update the program — in addition, there are direct links to the user guide and online forums.

Note: Users of earlier versions of PowerPoint will find a new PPT2Flash menu –

this menu provides the same options as described above.

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Using PPT2Flash Professional

We use an evaluation presentation as a benchmark to determine how any PowerPoint to Flash converter product works. Learn more about this benchmark presentation developed with our FlashPPT site here…

We’ll share results of this benchmark later on this page — first, let’s explore how you do the actual Flash conversion using PPT2Flash.

1. Open any existing presentation inside PowerPoint. With the presentation open, select the PPT2Flash Professional tab on the Ribbon, as shown in Figure 1 above.
2. Click the Publish button to bring up the dialog box that you can see in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Publish dialog box

You’ll find that you can publish the presentation to various outputs:

1. SWF / Web: Creates a Adobe Flash SWF with or without the HTML container
   LMS: Generates output with various Learning Management Systems such as SCORM and AICC
   EXE: Creates an executable file that will work on Microsoft Windows systems
   E-mail: Sends converted Flash output as an email attachment

1. Once you select the output option, click the Convert button — this will start the conversion process — the time taken for conversion will depend upon the size and complexity of your source presentation.

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How PPT2Flash Fared?

This benchmark presentation had 20 slides with content of various types: pictures, clip art, shapes, narration, music, Flash movies, videos, etc. Each slide was given between 0 to 5 points each for a total of 100 points, and 50 extra points were allotted to the program interface, support options, output, PowerPoint 2007 compatibility, and pricing.

PPT2Flash Professional gained in many areas, such as maintaining transparency of both inserted and native PowerPoint slide objects, PPT2Flash did an amazing job

Inserted video files converted well too — and text quality and positioning of shapes was very accurate.

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Pricing and Support

PPT2Flash Professional costs $199.95. Multi-user and academic pricing options are available.

Support is through email, an online FAQ, and user forum.

Conclusion

PPT2Flash Professional provides most features you may want in a PowerPoint to Flash converter product — and works best in situations where you want to create small output files in Flash SWF that you can put on your website, CD, or send as an email. Click here to view more info about this product.

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We are delighted to make known about our special Christmas giveaway. “Wondershare” is providing us 3 FREE licenses of PPT2Flash Professional (worth $199.95 each) to giveaway to 3 lucky it’s my Windows readers.
To be the victor of these licenses, you just need to do few things as:

• You must be subscribed to it’s my Windows Newsletter- If you aren’t subscribed, then subscribe now and it’s free.
• Write down a significant comment in this topic. While leaving your comment, use the same email ID which has been used to subscribed for it’s my Windows newsletter otherwise you won’t be eligible for this giveaway.

The winners will be announced on 31st December 2008. ALL THE BEST !!!

Giveaways, Reviews, Software

OMG ! Lots of rumors were there…What is next ? after Windows Vista? and answer n “Windows 7″

Windows 7 is the next iteration of Windows operating system that Microsoft will release. It will be the successor of Windows Vista and was previously codenamed Windows Vienna. Well, Vienna is the history now. Microsoft named it as “Windows 7″ officially.

How Microsoft to the numver “7″? 

Windows Vista Blog says:

The very first release of Windows was Windows 1.0, the second was Windows 2.0, the third Windows 3.0.
Here’s where things get a little more complicated. Following Windows 3.0 was Windows NT which was code versioned as Windows 3.1. Then came Windows 95, which was code versioned as Windows 4.0. Then, Windows 98, 98 SE and Windows Millennium each shipped as 4.0.1998, 4.10.2222, and 4.90.3000, respectively. So we’re counting all 9x versions as being 4.0.
Windows 2000 code was 5.0 and then we shipped Windows XP as 5.1, even though it was a major release we didn’t’ want to change code version numbers to maximize application compatibility.
That brings us to Windows Vista, which is 6.0. So we see Windows 7 as our next logical significant release and 7th in the family of Windows releases.
We learned a lot about using 5.1 for XP and how that helped developers with version checking for API compatibility. We also had the lesson reinforced when we applied the version number in the Windows Vista code as Windows 6.0– that changing basic version numbers can cause application compatibility issues.
So we decided to ship the Windows 7 code as Windows 6.1 - which is what you will see in the actual version of the product in cmd.exe or computer properties.

October 28th 2008, Microsoft unveiled Windows 7 at PDC’08. The date October 28th has its own improtance, it was birthday of Mr Bill Gates and he has turned 53. Microsoft shared pre-beta release of Windows 7 with PDC attendees. For me, one of the most exciting thing was that I was so lucky and got Windows 7 M3 Build 6801 with Microsoft show cased it to the world for the first time.

Here are few features that I have found so far and differ Windows 7 from Windows Vista. I might have missed something. Let me know if you found something new.

Getting Started: replaced Vista’s Welcome center n no longer appears the first time you boot into the Windows.

Windows 7 - Getting Started

Windows Solution Center: Its replacement of Windows Security Center with more security features, includes maintenace, trobleshooting and system restore. You’ll be get alert with message to take action.

Windows 7 - Windows Solution Center aka Action Center

Aero UI: In Windows 7, aero ui has been revamped with maximize transparent window, aero shake n lots of more (in PDC build). Now aero ui has become more responsive.

Start menu & taskbar: revamped with glassy start menu, orb logo, superbar (in PDC build) with shiny glow n rounded taskbar. Classic start menu has been removed from Windows 7.

Windows 7 - Start menu

Windows 7 - Taskbar

Libraries: User profile which includes documents, pictures, music, dowloads etc recalled with new identity “Libraries”

Windows 7 - Libraries

Windows Explorer: refined with iconless toolbars, more info in detail pane, preview pane, adjustable search box n new navigation pane holding Favorites, Liberaries, Computer and Network places.

Ribbon UI: Microsoft including Ribbon UI of Office 2007 as part of Windows 7. Paint & Wordpad have revamped with RIbbon UI including few more editing n customizing options.

Windows 7 - Paint with Ribbon UI

Caclulator: First impression of any Windows 7 app is lesser than its calculator with new UI n four functional modes, ie. Standard, Scientific, Programmer n Statistics.

Windows 7 - Calculator

DirectX: As in Windows Vista included DirectX 10 for enrich gaming experience, Windows 7 instroducing DirectX 11.

Windows Sidebar: Windows 7 hides sidebar n gadgets are integrated with desktop. This time Windows sidebar become more intelligent. It runs only if one or more gadgets are docked to desktop.

Personalize: The most common place, where every user perform Windows customization with wallpapers, visual styles, mouse pointers etc. Display settings has been separated from personalization.

Windows 7 - Personalize

Display Settings: As I see Display settings has been separated from personalization and placed into desktop context menu.

Windows 7 - Display Settings

Internet Explorer: Windows 7 inlcudes the latest version of IE, ie. Internet Explorer 8 (What’s new IE8)

Windows Media Player: Its my favorite app that is shipped with Windows and I get something different in every Windows release n this time WMP12 with lots of improvement over WMP11. Basically WMP has two views ie. Now Playing view and Liberary view. Full screen locking has been removed.

Windows 7 - Windows Media Player

XPS Viewer: Wise move by Microsoft, usually I work with XPS files and sometimes IE creates a lots of problem while working with multiple XPS files. Thanks to Microsoft ! for de-attached XPS viewing feature from IE and set it as Windows app ie. XPS Viewer.

Windows 7 - XPS Viewer

Windows PowerShell: A powering feature of Windows 7. Windows 7 ships with the Windows PowerShell 2.0 scripting environment and the Windows PowerShell Integrated Scripting Environment (ISE).

Windows 7 - Windows PowerShell

Create Recovery Disc: Its subset of System Restore, faciliates to create recovery disc of backup.

User Account Control: My favorite security feature since Windows Vista. Rumors are everywhere, Some says, “UAC is not a convienient security solution”. But I assure you, you can surf internet without antivirus, plug virus-infected removable drives n etc. You system won’t be affected. Windows 7 has revamped UAC, now no more restart to take effect UAC settings with supressing UAC prompts.

Windows 7 - User Account Control

Reviews, Windows 7

Recently Microsoft has been announced IE8 Beta 2. In comparison with Beta 1 release, the Beta 2 is packed with features and functionality aimed at the home & business users and as well as for IT Professionals and Developers too. IE8 is still under development and may contains bug issues, So its not ready for day to day use and web development environment. But apart from all these things, It has plenty of new features and major IE release since IE6. So give yourself an opportunity to take a test drive of IE8 Beta 2.

Top 5 Features

Accelerators

Accelerators offers resourcefully your day to day surfing activities like mapping directions, translating words, emailing your friends (not even Live Mail, but you can also add 3rd party accelerators to get functionality to send using Gmail, Yahoo Mail etc), and much more few mouse clicks.

Web Slices

Using Web Slices, you can be notified and get updated contents regularly from the Favorites Bar. If a Web Slice is available on a page, a green Web Slices icon will appear in the upper-right hand corner of the browser. We can subscribe and add them to the Favorites Bar effortlessly.

More Web Slices and Accelerators: http://ieaddons.com/

Instant Search

One thing that amazed me is Instant Search and offers preview of search result’s web pages. Instant Search, as you type anything in search box, it display search results with visual preview according to relevant web search. IE 8 offers accelerators to add custom search of top search providers like Live Search, Wikipedia, Yahoo!, Amazon, Google and much more.

Compatibility View

IE 8 is a beta release and most of websites may not yet be ready for Internet Explorer 8 and it distorts UI of web pages. To fix or resolve this issue IE 8 offers Compatibility View button to display the website as viewed in Internet Explorer 7, which will correct display problems like misaligned text, images, or text boxes. You can add any website in capability list by click on Compatibility View button in address bar.

InPrivate Browsing

I am sure; this feature will be taking on by most of users. Sometimes you want to safe browsing without footprints for a specific web browsing activity. Then InPrivate Browsing helps you to prevent your browsing history, cookies, and usernames and passwords from being retained by the web browser, leaving no evidence of your browsing or search history.

You can start InPrivate Browsing by opening a new tab and selecting InPrivate Browsing from Command Bar’s Safety menu or by press shortcut key CTRL+Shift+P.

Rest of all these features, there are lots of chnages has been implemented such as SmartScreen Filter formally know as Phishing Filter, Enhanced Favorites Bar, Tab isolation and Crash recovery. So give yourself an opportunity to take a test drive of IE8 Beta 2.

Download: Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer, Reviews

The book entitled , Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 In C# and VB (ISBN: 978-0-470-18759-3) written by Imar Spaanjaars, holding 734 pages of information, starting with a quick overview of the HTML & .NET basics and installation & configuration of Visual Web Developer, and ending with deployment.  The best thing of this book is available in both C# and VB versions. Imar Spaanjaars is a polished this book keeping his mind “How to learn ASP.NET 3.5 step by step” Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 helps to build dynamic database driven web sites using ASP.NET 3.5. Starting from scratch, the reader will with time learn how to design and create web sites with interactive elements. After reading this book, the reader should be able to develop a database driven web site on his/her own, using best practices and modern standards.

As I stated earlier, the book follows step by step concept with examples in both VB and C#. The organization of book is one of the factor that attract learner to stick with book and I like its structure. Each chapter using Wrox Try it Out and Hot it works sections. This book is containing 18 chapters and 2 appendixes A and B explaining Exercise Answers and Configuring SQL Server 2005 respectively.

The book covered following topics:

• Getting started with ASP.NET 3.5
• Creating Your First Web Site in Visual Web Developer 2008
• Creating Consistent Looking Web Sites
• Programming Your ASP.NET Pages
• Working with ASP.NET Controls
• Navigation
• Using User Controls
• Ajax
• Creating Data Driven Web Forms
• Introduction to Databases, Displaying, Updating, and working with Data
• Working with Data using LINQ
• Security in Your ASP.NET 3.5 Web site
• Personalizing Web Sites
• Debugging and Tracing Pages
• Compiling and Deployment

I recommend to read and give an opportunity yourself to learn and grow, it’s the best suite for beginners that want to learn ASP.NET 3.5 from scratch. In my opinion, It deserves to score 5 out 5.

Thanks & Regards
Ramesh Kumar

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