'NextGen' looks like a really neat novel new presentation style ! ;-) Pitty it is tied down to WP and not free standing. I might have a closer look to decide if it can be re-packaged for Elgg - if it's features look like its' worth it.

Has there been a timeframe established for the release of the new Tidypics?  Just curious because I'm holding off on implementing any type of photo gallery for this release.  Just want to be able to give the boss a WAG as to when the feature will be available in 1.8.x (and, hence, our site).  

Thanks!

@Burgs, thanks for suggesting hypeGallery. To be fair, it's not usable at the moment. I am completely reworking the UI now, so if you have any suggestions, let me know. I am going for a Flickr look, with G+ menu UI