Visual Communicator Presents An Option To PowerPoint.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)(COMPUTERS MADE PLAIN)

Byline: TED NEEDLEMAN

One effect of the personal computer revolution is that more people are making presentations.

Software like PowerPoint makes it easy for almost anyone to deliver a snazzy presentation. And the trend isn't limited to the business world.

Want to share a recipe for a delicious pie? Instead of simply writing it down on a file card, you can create a PowerPoint presentation with slides. You then hand out printed pages of the slides or use your computer to click through the pie-making process in front of an audience.

Even teens are getting into the act. Instead of handing in a typed report, students are wowing teachers with computer presentations.

PowerPoint is the most popular presentation tool by far. And it's quite sophisticated. But a small company named Serious Magic Inc. thinks it can go one better. It has a fascinating new application called Visual Communicator.

The company was formed a little over a year ago, inspired by a quote from science fiction guru Arthur Clarke. He said any sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic to a less sophisticated observer.