Google has entered the Mac side of free photo manipulation with the Monday release of Picasa for Mac. Although officially a beta version, the application previously limited to PC users is drawing positive comments from Apple iPhoto fans.
“Even though this early build of Picasa is missing some features, I’m going to use it and not iPhoto,” writes CNET‘s Rafe Needleman. The reviewer said Picasa’s features makes it the best option for day-to-day use.
Along with the usual ability to remove red-eye and basic photo editing, Picasa for the Mac integrates with Google’s free Web Albums, allowing photos to be easily shared. Apple requires the $99 annual Mobile Me online service, according to CNET.
Some features, such as geotagging and photos from your Webcam aren’t included in this beta version.
Google’s Picasa for Mac requires Mac OS 10.4 and an Intel-based system.
Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.
