Google has released Picasa 2, free photo management software that makes it simpler than ever for people to organize, edit and share their digital pictures. Available at http://www.picasa.com, Google’s new version of Picasa offers photographers of all skill levels easy-to-use tools that automatically organize even the largest photo collections on a PC and turn average snapshots into great pictures.
New and improved features of Picasa include:
• Advanced editing tools — Fix pictures with more powerful tools, 12 photographic filter effects, color and lighting adjustments, red-eye removal, photo cropping and straightening.
• Improved organization — Add captions, quickly and easily search across all photos on a computer, attach labels and stars for better photo organization, reorder pictures and clean up cluttered folders.
• Backup capabilities — Archive photos from a computer to a CD or DVD, save photos on an external drive and create gift CDs with personalized slideshows.
• Enhanced sharing features — E-mail photos, upload photos to a Blogger blog or send and discuss photos in real-time via Hello, Picasa’s free peer-to-peer software, available at http://www.hello.com.
“With Picasa 2, we’ve made it easier for people to organize, improve and enhance their photographs, as well as create photo CDs, personalized slideshows, desktop collages and much more,” said Lars Perkins, GM, Picasa, Google Inc. “Digital photos are an important and growing category of personal information and Picasa is in line with Google’s commitment to develop advanced technologies that further help users to find, organize and share information that’s important to them.”
Worldwide WiFi Hotspots Reach 50,000 Milestone
The number of worldwide WiFi Hotspots has surpassed the 50,000 milestone according to recent numbers released by JiWire (www.jiwire.com). In addition, London tops JiWire’s list of WiFi-friendly cities for having the greatest number of Hotspot locations, followed by Tokyo and New York. For a full listing of the Top Ten Hotspot Cities and Top Ten Countries, go to (http://www.jiwire.com/search-hotspot-locations.htm).
Through relationships with more than 400 individual Wireless Internet Service Providers, JiWire is able to offer users the world’s most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to free and commercial hotspot locations. The website also provides unbiased authoritative how-to guides, product reviews and industry news, demystify the hype and enabling mobile professionals and wireless enthusiasts to connect to the Internet without wires.
“We’re predicting a 100 percent growth of Hotspots in 2005,” said Kevin McKenzie, CEO of JiWire. “Hotels and other location types that naturally cater to the business traveler will be large contributors to this rapid growth.”
Business.com Makes Finding Business Contacts Easier
Business.com (www.business.com), the search engine designed and organized for business, has added a “People Search” feature to its core business search capabilities. “People Search” allows users to search summaries of 24 million business people via a database developed and powered by Eliyon Technologies. The technology behind Business.com’s “People Search” continually scans millions of corporate websites, press releases, electronic news services, SEC filings and other online sources, compiling up-to-date and accurate information.
Business.com’s “People Search” provides business users looking to connect with fellow professionals, summaries of individuals based on data compiled from numerous sources on the Internet. This new service delivers a much more focused experience than traditional search engines, returning only detailed information relevant to finding business people. People Search furnishes available contact information for professionals found on the web including employer, job title, work and educational history and e-mail address. Results are precise, easy-to-view and linked to all source documents used to prepare them.
Baby Book Software Delights Parents
Down South Software has created Growing Tales, a digital baby book software product. Growing Tales is a 21st century update to the traditional baby book, allowing parents to easily capture, store and track the developmental milestones of their children using a simple software program. Key sections of Growing Tales include Special Memories, Health & Development, Busy Schedules and Education.
A single copy of Growing Tales can be used for an unlimited number of children. Growing Tales can be purchased online at www.growingtales.com.