Instagram, it’s gotta be cool right? All the iPhone users can’t be wrong twice can they? Not to mention that Facebook just paid $1bn to get hold of it. Maybe just to get rid of the competition, or they actually saw something valuable, very valuable there. They paid $1bn for an App that doesn’t actually generate any revenue.
I’ve had my face pressed up against the glass for a long time, seeing what the iPhoners were playing with and longing for it. Christmas finally came in March and we Android users got our hands on the new toy. Only to find that we already had a dozen apps that could do the same thing, only better. I was initially disappointed. Camera FX, which I was using while waiting for Instagram, is a far superior app. More features, better filters, and uploads to twitter and facebook. But what it does lack is the social networking side.
Instagram is more than an app, it’s a social network in it’s own right. More akin to twitter than Facebook, allowing users to upload easily images of what ever is going on around them. I like the social side. Browsing through photos of people I follow. Checking out ones of those I don’t. It’s just fun.
Then I found out that the Android version has a little, somewhat hidden, feature that lets you turn off the default camera. This means I can use my beloved Camera FX to take bad photos and upload them to the Instagram site! Perfect match.
Then came my next disappointment. Unlike twitter, it’s really hard to access the images you’re following and indeed see your own from the main website. You can edit your profile, but there’s really no way to see the images. AND there’s no way to share your instagrams with non users. But luckily they released the API, which means a slew of nice programmer types have created websites that CAN access your feed. I use followgram.me it was the first I tried and does what I wanted, so I looked no further.
I’m excited again. Check out Instagr.am if you have an iPhone or Android and check out my feed if you just want to see my pics.
June 2014 Update – Instagram goes from strength to strength and now has a decent website. The API is still available, which means I’ve been able to add a feed to my blog. Check out the menu to the right.