Google is planning to release a beta of the popular photo editing/viewing program Picasa on the Mac today.

According to Jason Cook from Picasa the features you will be seeing in the beta will be the most of the features you currently see in the Windows version. They are going to try to implement more features like geotagging in the coming weeks.

The question is how many Mac users will use the program? Picasa think the fan base will be big with many Mac users requesting the program, "We have many Mac users, and we think they'll be excited about this. It makes the Picasa Web Albums experience better" said Cook. With the massive surge of Photo Editing on the internet people are turning away from installing programs onto their systems for the ease of use, but there are still a majority of people that like to edit using a proper program with powerful editing tools.

According to the makers, the program will be different from iPhoto but will not effect the program in any way, you could edit an image in Picasa but it will remain the same in iPhoto and if you rate something in iPhoto, Picasa will read it but don't expect iPhoto to reciprocate.

Today, Amazon announced that is going to start offering customers the ability to purchase and rent digital movies and TV episodes from the Amazon Video On Demand store, via the Roku Digital Video Player. The Roku Player currently supports only the Netflix service, but starting early 2009 it will will offer access to Amazon Video On Demand video store enabling Roku customers to watch new release movies titles instantly.

With this new addition to the Roku service, they have dramatically increased the size of the video content they can deliver to their customers homes.

"With the subscription-free $99 Roku Player that connects to any TV, customers can now choose and watch their favorite new-release movie instantly and access all of their titles from their video library," said Roy Price, director Amazon Video On Demand. "Amazon Video On Demand's large selection makes the Roku Player the perfect choice for hassle-free on demand movie and TV entertainment."



News source: Roku press release

Intel and Adobe have announced that they will be working together to allow digital TVs, Blu-ray disc players and set-top boxes to browse Flash based content on devices which use the Intel Media Processor CE 3100. The idea of browsing the Internet through the TV hasn't been widely adopted yet, but this is certainly a step in the right direction if Internet browsing capabilities are to be brought to these media devices.

The first CE 3100 processor is expected in mid-2009 at latest, and will feature an optimized version of Adobe Flash Lite. "Our effort with Adobe is poised to accelerate a rich, yet relevant Internet experience on the TV that will provide consumers with access to a growing number of Flash based applications that will ultimately be enjoyed across a number of screens seamlessly, from the laptop to a MID and now the TV," said William O. Leszinske Jr., general manager of Intel's Digital Home Group, in a press release.

Adobe and Intel also reported that they are working on an optimized version of Adobe AIR for Intel's new digital platform, which could result in support for applications such as BBC iPlayer, for which a version using Adobe AIR has been released. Although it's got some issues to overcome (namely input, which is currently limited to a remote control), Intel's new platform could be the start of a huge advancement in the capabilities of TV and media players.

Those wishing to build the most powerful, most extreme computer on the planet surely will be weighing up the costs of a new Intel Core i7 processor. Even with the imminent launch of the AMD Phenom II X4, we have reasons to believe the Core i7 will remain as the heavyweight champion.

The Gigabyte EX58-UD4P is meant to offer value for Core i7 users, retaining some of the X58 chipset's most interesting features like 3-way SLI and CrossfireX support, which should come extra handy for gamers willing to burn cash for the ultimate performance.



Just recently we reviewed the Asus P6T Deluxe (also Intel X58 based) which is a bit more expensive, but adds a few features not found on this motherboard. As we look closer into the Gigabyte EX58-UD4P, we will certainly keep in mind how it compares to another top contender like the P6T.

View: Gigabyte EX58-UD4P Intel X58 motherboard review