Microsoft unveiled a new application Wednesday for
creating and sharing documents across devices. It's called Sway, and it offers
users the ability to instantly create slick-looking presentations viewable on
any Web browser and device. It's designed so that "you're always
done" -- images and text boxes are arranged and rearranged on the page automatically
as they're added, maintaining a presentation-ready format.
The effect is striking. During a demonstration this week,
photos and text dragged into a Sway document immediately took on the look of a
professionally produced brochure. Sway automatically rearranges documents --
called "Sways" in Microsoft parlance -- depending on what kind of
device you're using, so that a memo you dash off on your smartphone still looks
sharp on a desktop. You can also choose from a number of possible layouts and
cycle between them by clicking the "remix" button.
You share Sways via URLs generated by the program. They're
viewable on any Web browser and on any device. That's important because with
Sway, Microsoft says it's targeting the more than 1 billion people worldwide
who have smartphones but not computers.
For anyone who does regular presentations -- students,
office workers, sales reps -- it's worth taking a look. It's sort of like a
modernized, Web- and mobile-ready version of PowerPoint. Unlike PowerPoints,
though, Sways can be assembled on very short notice. That means the program
could also be a fit for simpler communications like quotes for home repairs or
recaps of family vacations.
The version of Sway Microsoft released Wednesday is still in
"preview" mode. The company wants to get feedback from users on what
more they'd like to see from the program, and it may add additional features.
For now, you need an invitation to get access to the
program. Microsoft says the timing of its public debut will be dependent on
user feedback, but you won't need an Office 365 subscription to use it
following the launch.
New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talks often about positioning
the company for a "mobile-first, cloud-first world," and Sway is
another step in that effort. The goal is to make products like Office, Outlook
and Skype staples for individual customers regardless of the device they're
using, and to transform Windows from a desktop operating system to cloud
computing platform that can be accessed from anywhere.
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