Picasa photo challenge goes to Europe!

Posted by Christina Lin, Picasa Forum Guide

Last fall, as northern hemisphere-dwellers were enjoying the picturesque crisp days of autumn, we had an idea to host an Autumn photo challenge to uncover the hidden talents of the Picasa community. We were excited by the creativity and skill that our Picasa lovers displayed in our gallery &mdash see for yourself!

On a recent visit to Europe, we were so impressed with the architectural variety of the historical and contemporary buildings there that we were inspired to host the first Picasa Photo Challenge in Europe. We invited Dutch, French, German, Polish and Spanish communities to show off their best photo of architecture. Our Picasa community in Europe impressed and delighted us all. Unfortunately we could only choose one winner for each language group. The most ‘liked’ picture won the challenge and they are proudly featured on our Featured Photos page.

We want to thank all of our European users for their enthusiastic participation and a send a big congratulations to the winners!

ejwiersema, Dutch community


Raphael Melloul, French community


Jürgen, German community


Robert Mlynarczyk, Polish community


Jumy, Spanish community

Keep on clicking!

Democracy Photo Challenge: Voting begins today

Posted by Michael Bolognino, Product Marketing Manager

In the few weeks that have passed since we announced the first ever Picasa Web Albums powered contest, the Democracy Photo Challenge, nearly 3,000 photos from 131 countries were submitted.



A jury has narrowed down the field of democracy themed photos to 36 finalists and now it's up to the general public to vote for the 12 winning photos, by clicking the "like" button under any photo in the finalist Picasa Web Album.

The winners will be announced on the United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Democracy, September 15, with the winning photographs exhibited at the UN in New York.

Vote now

Democracy Photo Challenge Winners & Exhibition

Posted by Michael Bolognino, Product Marketing Manager

Back on July 7th we announced the Democracy Photo Challenge, a photo competition that asked people from around the world to use the medium of photography to express what democracy means to them.

Nearly 3,000 photos were submitted by photographers from 131 countries, capturing the unique and many times stunning interpretations of this personal concept.

Wednesday, on the International Day of Democracy, the 12 winning photos were officially unveiled at the United Nations in New York City, where they will be exhibited in the South lobby until October 11th.



If you're in the New York City area we invite you to visit the exhibit to view the photos first hand, and if not, to take a virtual tour of the winning photos and add your own voice to the conversation by leaving comments or "liking" your favorites photos.

The Picasa team is honored to have helped the US Department of State and their partners further this global conversation through photography, and excited to launch more photo challenges in the future.

Plantarian health NewYearHealth Challenge

Plantarian Healthy Double One Diet Challenge:
A 11 day challenge to eat more healthily and sustainably starting  on 1:11:11 www.1worldday.org    

 

New World Record attempt for health and sustainability at www.1worldday.org

Candybar or slider QWERTY? Sandy beach challenge: Nokia E5 vs Nokia E7 vs Motorola Milestone

Well, I've been away on vacation for the last two weeks and of course, I had to stay in touch with the world. So my only weapon of mass messaging was the Motorola Milestone.



Normally the Milestone does the job pretty well, even if it's keyboard is below average. But when the Milestone meets the sand of the Black Sea beaches, that's when the trouble starts. It got sand everywhere. And with my hands all moist with sunscreen, I had a very hard time using the phone's most basic functions. So that's when I started thinking, "What phone could perform in these conditions without a hassle?".





Two phones that I've used and reviewed in the past came to mind. The first was the Nokia E7. The pop slider of the E7 would have spared me the trouble of grinding the phone against the sand every time I needed the QWERTY, but would I be able to use the touchscreen as I needed it? The E7 would have probably been rendered useless by the sunscreen as the Milestone was. You can read my full Nokia E7 review here





So here is the winner of the beach messengers, the Nokia E5. No touchscreen means no greasy hands on the screen and the candybar QWERTY would have avoided the getting sand everywhere inside the phone's mechanics. You can read my full review of the Nokia E5 here.

So, ladies and gentlemen, the winner and champion of the sandy beach is.... Nokia E5.