A nice introduction to Lightroom (using ver 3 beta 2) by Ian Burley:
 
"You can say goodbye to the laborious and repetitive process of finding an image on your computer, finding the application you want to use to edit your image with, opening it, loading your image, editing, and then saving your image, being careful not to accidentally over-write the original."
 
Link

Just another interim step towards the much anticipated 3.0 release. This is new:
Canon EOS 550D (Digital Rebel T2i/ EOS Kiss X4 Digital)
Kodak Z981
Leaf Aptus-II 8
Leaf Aptus-II 10R
Mamiya DM40
Olympus E-PL1
Panasonic G2
Panasonic G10
Sony A450
Lightroom 2.7 also fixes a slideshow playback bug on Windows could cause Lightroom and/or the computer to crash.
Lightroom 2.7 camera raw cache limit has been raised to 200GB.
Camera Raw 5.7 includes an updated demosaic algorithm designed to provide compatibility with settings applied in Lightroom 3

A very good introduction to the wonderful world of RAW, including a peek at Lightroom 3.0 beta. Nice stuff:
 
"The big drawbacks of raw images are that the files are larger and that you can't share them easily until you've edited them with some kind of software. But here are some of the first advantages I found shooting raw.

Even in a crashy, more alpha than beta stage, LR 2.0 is still a very interesting tryout. Proceed with care, and only with backed up files ofcourse:
"SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 2, 2008 - Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta, a public preview of new and improved functionality to be delivered in the next major release.

Lightroom is the professional photographer's essential toolbox, providing one application for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of digital photographs. Lightroom 2.0 beta will feature enhancements such as dual-monitor support, localized dodge and burn correction and will be the first Adobe application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Microsoft Vista 64-bit operating systems.

"Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta provides early access to requested improvements over version 1.3 and continues our ongoing dialogue and open communication with the photography community," said Tom Hogarty, senior product manager for Photoshop Lightroom and Camera Raw. "We're excited not only for our existing customers, but also for the general public who will have an opportunity to take Lightroom 2.0 beta on a test run."

New in Lightroom 2.0 beta

An improved layout in the Library module allows for a more intuitive approach to image organization by simplifying the location of the features needed to find and filter photographs. A new feature called Smart Collections automatically updates collections with images that match desired criteria such as star-rating, keyword or other metadata. "The Suggested Keywords feature eases the task of keywording by making recommendations based upon keyword associations across a catalog as well as the use of keywords in neighboring images."

Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta includes improved memory handling through 64-bit support for OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Vista 64-bit operating systems. Additional enhancements in Lightroom 2.0 beta include support for a dual monitor configuration that maximizes a photographer's workspace and can be easily adjusted to meet a particular workflow. Additionally, the Develop module has been updated to provide the ability to correct specific parts of an image without affecting other areas. Now, fundamental photographic techniques such as dodge and burn can be performed using the same non-destructive approach, allowing unprecedented control within the Lightroom program.

Beta Availability

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta is available as a 30-day trial for free download on Macintosh and Windows platforms at http://www.labs.adobe.com/downloads. Existing Lightroom 1.0 customers will be able to test the beta for an extended period until Aug. 31, 2008 and can invite friends to take part in this trial period. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4, 10.5 1 GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 or Intel-based processor, or Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise, Intel Pentium 4 processor, 1 GBRAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen."
Lightroom 2.0 beta can be downloaded from here

Lightroom 1.2 includes corrections for the following issues:

● Lightroom 1.1 catalogs with user-specified sort order could not be imported into another catalog

● Lightroom 1.1 for Windows could at times display gray boxes instead of image thumbnails
● The preference to write XMP metadata automatically in Lightroom 1.1 could attempt to write metadata indefinitely for
offline images causing significant performance problems

● Images could be dropped from the Quick Collection upon reordering of the source folder

● Catalogs could not be exported to drives smaller than 250MB
● The Web Module was not accessible in Lightroom 1.1 on the Macintosh platform when Lightroom was installed on
case-sensitive volumes such as the Case Sensitive HFS+ (Journaled) volume

● Errors occurred exporting to a Linux SMB network volume

● Scroll position in the grid view was not maintained when changing the view option using the J shortcut key

● The tokens for image number and image count were not displaying properly in the Slideshow module

● The metadata panel could display incorrectly on Windows
● Slideshows on the Macintosh platform did not display properly when a 256MB ATI graphics card was connected to 30
" LCD

● The Lightroom 1.1 Web module export did not position the copyright tag in the same location displayed in the preview

● The auto-eject functionality on Windows ejected the card reader device in addition to the card
● Noise reduction adjustment for all cameras with Bayer Pattern sensor: The base point noise reduction applied at the
demosaic stage of raw processing has been reduced. The resulting effect is that images with zero luminance noise
reduction applied in Lightroom 1.2 will contain more noise than the identical settings in Lightroom 1.1 but less noise
than identical settings in Lightroom 1.0.

● 1:1 previews were not discarded according to the timing set in the Lightroom preferences

● 1:1 previews are not built for an entire set of images when requested after import

 full Lightroom 1.2 ReadMe file for additional details.

Nearly a year after it was originally promised by Adobe, the much touted tool is finally ready. Alot of functionality has been lost on the way, but it may still be usefull to some ex RSP users.  head over to  it's home page for more info and download.

Not a minute to soon, but many many weeks late (i think i speak for the majority of the windows using community), Adobe has finally released the Windows beta of lightroom.
There's still no word if this beta release contains some of Pixmantec's Rawshooter code, and it is also a bit troubling to read "The Windows and Macintosh versions of Lightroom currently contain somewhat different feature sets" in the press release.
 
The press release:
Digital Photography Workflow Solution Now Available for Windows? and Macintosh Platforms
SAN JOSE, Calif. ? July 19, 2006 ? Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the public beta of Adobe? Lightroom? software for the Windows platform, a digital imaging workflow solution for professional photographers. Now available for both the Windows and Macintosh platforms, Adobe Lightroom beta is the efficient new way for professional photographers to import, select, develop and showcase large volumes of digital images. Windows-based photographers now have the opportunity to assist with the development of Lightroom by testing this new beta download and submitting feedback to the Adobe Labs forums at http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom.
?A significant number of professional photographers operate on the Windows platform, and Adobe Lightroom beta is designed to support their workflow needs,? said Kevin Connor, senior director of product management for Digital Imaging at Adobe. ?We have over 3,000 beta testers actively participating in our Lightroom beta for Macintosh forums and we?re looking forward to extending this invaluable dialogue to the Windows community.  Cross-platform support gives us the unique opportunity to incorporate feedback from the entire photographic community, ensuring that everyone can participate in the beta process.?
Cross-Platform Support for Growing Lightroom Community
The Windows and Macintosh versions of Lightroom currently contain somewhat different feature sets, but the core of Lightroom remains consistent across platforms, focused on efficiency and quality from capture through output. As the beta for each platform evolves, the features will converge and the final released versions will be the same.
Lightroom beta cross-platform support allows photographers to effortlessly work on projects from any Windows or Macintosh computer on-location, in the studio or in the office. When combined with the editing power in Adobe Photoshop? software, Lightroom provides one clear path for taking images all the way from processing to final presentation. This allows photographers to spend less time at the computer, and more time behind the lens.
"As a professional photographer, I have to submit photos to clients digitally, usually on a very tight deadline. I need the ability to quickly share a collection on a specific subject so that editors can promptly review my work," said photographer Ann Purcell. "Lightroom beta for Windows is going to be an indispensable solution in this fast-paced world of digital photography."
Radical New User Interface
Lightroom has a modular user interface designed to spotlight what photographers care about most: the image. Photographers can rapidly scroll through hundreds of images and use Quick One-to-One Zoom to instantly magnify the finer points within the image. The Lightroom beta addresses the varied needs of photographers, including the ability to view detailed before and after comparisons of non-destructive edits and dynamically preview print output of multiple images with flexible layouts.
High-Quality Raw Processing
Leveraging the latest Adobe Camera Raw technology, Lightroom supports over 120 native raw file formats, in addition to JPEG and TIFF, and incorporates raw conversion into a single workflow experience. Adobe continues to advance raw processing technology, as evidenced by the new split-toning controls that creates richer black and white images. This extends photographers? creative control, providing new parameters for making adjustments and more freedom to deliver their photographic vision. The latest camera models supported by this beta now include Cannon EODS 30D, Epson R-D1s, Leaf Aptus 65 and Aptus 75, Olympus EVOLT E-330 and SP-320, Pentax *ist DL2 and Samsung GX-1S.
Pricing and Availability
Lightroom beta 1.0 for Windows is available for free download from the Adobe Labs Web site at http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom. Recommended system requirements are Windows XP SP2, Intel? Pentium? 4 Processor, 768MB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen. The final shipping version for both Windows and Macintosh will be released in late 2006. Further details around pricing, system requirements and availability have yet to be determined.
 
 

In a move that heats up the "raw & etc-workflow-for-the-pro" market to hellish levels, Adobe will soon announce their new program "LightRoom" to the world. Squarelly aimed at Apple's illfated (in the reviews) Aperture, Lightroom will do the same AND more, plus having
a tighter (and correctly working) intergration with Photoshop. In Essence, "LightRoom" will be like Adobe camera raw & bridge on steroids. Not wanting to see the gargantuan sucess of Apple's Final Cut pro video editing software to be repeated all over, and this time in the field of digital imaging, Adobe's core market, the move caught alot of industry people by surprise. Availability will initially be as a free demo, and only for the OSX plattform (another hint at the Apple antagonism), but soon a Pc version will follow too. Aren't these exiting times we live in?