Google Launches Picasa Web Albums

Picasa, Google's free desktop photo management software, now has a new Web Albums photo sharing service available in beta. Similar to Flickr, Photobucket, and the like, it allows the user to upload photos from their desktop and conveniently share them via email or URLs.

Following its design mantra, Google wants to keep the Web Albums interface simple and clutter-free. Photos are presented in captioned thumbnail galleries and can be zoomed or viewed as a slideshow. Images are pre-fetched to allow for quick load times, and the site currently has no ads. Picasa Web Albums come with 250MB of free storage, with a paid storage upgrade option.