Google on Thursday rolled out a new version of its Picasa Web Albums service, which enables users to upload their photos free of charge. While the service previously focused on private use, the update brings new community features like those offered by Yahoo's Flickr.

A search function now enables users to search for and browse photos from any public photo album. In addition, photos can be more easily linked within e-mails, IMs and Web sites. Storage space has also been increased for users of the free service, who can now upload up to 1GB worth of photos. Those needing more space can pay an annual fee for up to 250GB.