Windows/Linux: Picasa, Google's photo management tool, has quietly announced a new beta that adds basic movie editing, fuller syncing to Web Albums, and many other features and changes. Actually, the biggest change in the new Picasa isn't in the software itself—it's a new "quick view" utility, which replaces the basic double-click viewing tool in Windows with a Picasa-friendly, drop-cloth-style window. Five new collage styles have also been added to the offerings, and Picasa's new "Movie Maker" tool lets you create slideshow-style clips out of stills or trim and paste video clips together. Check out Picasa's help section for more details on what's new and what's changed, or read on for a peek at some screenshots from the new release.

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Earlier this week, Jason de-mystified the process of styling your Windows system with custom themes, along with the tweaks needed to pull it off. Those Windows Vista users who just can't commit to patching, finding and copying themes, however, might find comfort in Vista Visual Master, a free, all-in-one tool for opening up your Vista system to themes, downloading and installing them, and tweaking tons of other graphical elements, including icons, your log-on picture, boot screen, and more. Read on for a peek at how Vista Visual Master can mold your system to your liking and make theming easy.

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More than a few commenters had questions about the Gbridge tool for Windows we featured last week, which works on top of your Google account to provide file sharing and remote desktop capabilities. Why does it bother using Google accounts? Is it any better or different than LogMeIn or Techinline? Is it secure? We spent some time checking out Gbridge, and came away impressed with its ease of use and nifty features, along with a few answers to your questions and screenshots.

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The popular open-source media centre application Xbox Media Centre (XBMC) has rolled out the first beta release of XMBC Atlantis, which brings XBMC to all platforms. That means XBMC now runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, the original Xbox, and even your thumb drive or live CD. Despite its beta status, this release brings XBMC even closer to cross-platform bliss—including iTunes and iPhoto integration for XBMC on your Mac. The new release also boasts a killer new HD skin, so keep reading for a closer look.

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Microsoft rolled out yesterday a new suite of updated betas for its web-connected Windows Live software, which includes Live Writer, Movie Maker, Mail, Photo Gallery, and three others. Some of the Live apps—-which you can now download as a suite or individually—gained a few notable features and tweaks, while others simply earned a brighter coat of paint. I installed the whole "Live Wave 3," took notes on what was notable, and grabbed a few screenshots as well:

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Apple announces that the next major version of iTunes will be available for download some time today. iTunes 8 is not jam-packed with new functionality, but the new Genius feature—which boasts smart, automatic playlist creation—has us madly refreshing the iTunes download page. Let's take a closer look at what you can expect from the new iTunes and how it can improve your digital music experience.

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Free, alternative office suite OpenOffice.org's latest version 3.0 is now available for download by testers. OpenOffice.org 3.0 Release Candidate 1 offers several new features and improvements from its last major release, including better Mac support and collaboration capabilities. Let's take a look at the notable fso you can decide if it's worth taking another look at OpenOffice.org as an alternative to Microsoft Office.

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Surely you come across web pages during the workday that are completely unrelated to actual work, but that you'd love to save for later—and the previously mentioned (and award winning) Firefox extension ReadItLater does just that really well. Once ReadItLater is part of your everyday workflow, it's super-easy to park long articles or interesting tidbits you want to look at over lunch or at home in a "staging area" that's available as an RSS feed, in your regular bookmarks, and even on other computers. ReadItLater may appear unnecessary to power bookmarkers who keep a "later" folder or tag, but on closer inspection it does offer features that make hitting the snooze button on a link much easier.

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Google Chrome officially hit the streets just a few minutes ago, and we've rolled up our sleeves and taken a quick look at everything the newest browser on the block has to offer. Keep reading for a detailed screenshot tour of the exciting new Google Chrome browser.

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Mac only: XBMC for Mac—the open source media centre software that offers a more flexible alternative to Front Row—has been renamed Plex, rebranded, and redesigned. Plex's most recent release sports a new logo, a new skin, and a slew of bug fixes. You've already seen how to turn your Mac into the ultimate media centre with Plex (and the old, default, Project Mayhem skin). Now, take a look what the rebranded XBMC fork looks like sporting its new name and new skin.

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