Following their recent purchase by Google, Picasa has introduced Hello, a web-based photo hosting and sharing application. Like Picasa, Hello is free, and provides the ability for Blogger.com (also owned by Google) authors to post thumbnail images int heir blog posts that, when clicked, show a full size image.
Hello works like an Instant Messaging application that allows users to view images together, comment on them, and share them. High resolution images can be downloaded and printed once they’ve been shared. Hello uses AES encryption to keep these exchanges private.
The integration with the Picasa image manager and Blogger.com blogging engine reveals a bit more of Google’s integration strategy. In fact, Hello may be the first thrust by Google into the IM space that many have been predicting.
