Presentation Mode

[Jeremy Reichman]

Um ... OmniGraffle can already export to PDF, and the Adobe Acrobat Reader 
(v5) included with Mac OS X 10.1 and later can display in a 'presentation 
mode.' (It's in the 'View' menu, first item, 'Full screen'.)

In that mode, you can use Acrobat as a presentation tool, and it responds 
to most of the same keyboard navigation commands that PowerPoint does.

I haven't actually *done* this in years, but I recall doing it with 
Acrobat Reader 2 or something in college.

I've also done the same thing with the QuickTime Player (née MoviePlayer) 
before Apple started charging for the Pro version. You need the Pro 
version of QTP to do fullscreen playback -- and it also responds to 
keyboard commands.

That said, I would see value in a separate application that links the 
outlining power of OmniOutliner (and live links to OO outlines!) with the 
drawing power of Graffle. But I also see value in Graffle becoming more 
like both Visio (which I've never used, but all the Windows folk at work 
tout it) and Macromedia Fireworks (which I use and love, but is not native 
on OS X yet). Still, work gives me a copy of PowerPoint v.X, so I'd have a 
tough time justifying this hypothetical app on my own. (Has anyone seen 
what Microsoft's volume licensing deals for edu's look like? Don't even 
try to compete ...)

Now if that hypothetical 'presentation' program let me do cool slideshows 
(think iPhoto, but forget that app's abysmal export functions) and export 
them to PDF and/or QuickTime natively, and get transitions (like 
low-bandwidth-friendly native QT crossfades) then I'd perk up a bit. :) 
There aren't many apps that do that, and they all seem to be named 
"LiveSlideShow."


--
Jeremy Reichman