PowerSnap bridges divide between local and Web-hosted photos
Offline photos and online photos converge with PowerSnap. Flickr integration and a slick interface make this piece of software fun to use and easy on the eyes.
PowerSnap is a small and free Windows application that merges photos on your home computer with those on the Web photo service Flickr. Its purpose is simple: provide users with a way to view and manage all their photos, online and off.
PowerSnap has a Flash-based interface that lets you navigate, tag, and arrange your photos. It's similar to what you'd get with most photo browsing applications (see iPhoto or Picasa). What sets PowerSnap apart is its Flickr-user tracking, which essentially lets you create RSS feeds for Flickr members. You can add as many Flickr usernames as you want, and view their entire photo libraries or just their 25 newest shots. You can even create your own feed that other PowerSnap users can subscribe to in order to view your latest shots. It's a lot faster and more visually interesting than navigating Flickr on your own.
There are some limitations. If you're a Mac user or use a photo service other than Flickr, you're out of luck. Also, to view your PowerSnap feeds, your friends and family need to download and install the app. Regardless, it's nice to see a user-friendly tool that approaches the problem of managing on and offline content in a cohesive way.
