Web search leader Google Inc said late on Monday it has added a variety of new features to its Picasa digital photo service, including the ability to e-mail pictures via its Gmail service. Google bought Picasa last summer to improve photo-publishing on Blogger. The latest Picasa update, which is free, also features faster photo posting to Blogger. Picasa’s rivals range from Yahoo to Microsoft, to online photo service Shutterfly and Adobe Systems Inc.
With the explosion in popularity of digital photography technology providers are scrambling to create a foothold in the growing market for managing, editing, printing and sharing photos.