John Siegenthaler interviews Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt at the Las Vegas Hilton during the National Association of Broadcasters conference at in Las Vegas on Monday, April 16, 2007.(Photo: AP)

Photo Gallery>>>BEIJING, April18 (Xinhuanet) -- Google CEO announcedthat it plans to add presentation software to its Google Docs Web-based tools for word processing, e-mail and spreadsheets, according to U.S. media reports Wednesday.

Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman and Chief Executive, described the software at a conference for Internet entrepreneurs Tuesday.

Hesaid that Google would add the ability to generate and share presentations to the Google Docs line-up, butSchmidt denied that the online tools are aimed at luring people away from Microsoft.

"We believe we can bring presentations to a new level of user satisfaction," he said. "We don't think it competes with Microsoft, because it doesn't have all the functionality of Office. It's a different way of sharing information, more casual, and a better fit to how people use the Web."

However, Mike McGuire, an analyst at researcher Gartner, said, "it's getting harder to take comments like that at face value. Of course Google is taking on Microsoft. Microsoft has lots to worry about."

McGuire doesn't think Microsoft's large base of corporate clients will immediately abandon Office, "but for individuals, Google is offering a strong, free alternative, and people will look at it very seriously."

People use Google's newsoftware over the Internet and can simply log in from any computer through a Web browser, comparing with that Microsoft Office must be installed on an individual computer.

Google would not release more details about thenew software, though product manager Rajen Sheth said users would be able to store documents online and let anyone with a free Google account view the slides, spreadsheets or documents online.

It's expected to be available this summer, it said.

(Agencies)