Mobile apps with retro filters such as Instagram and Hisptamatic have been very polarizing in the photo industry, but the latest member of the anti-Instagram camp has many people scratching their heads. The NCAA has banned college coaches from using Instagram filters while recruiting prospective athletes.
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What if there were an up-to-date live stream of photos from any location on Earth, allowing you to see whatever is happening “right now”? Well, there is: Worldcam is a simple web app that’s designed to do just that. Simple provide it with two pieces of information: city and location. City is pretty straightforward, but location is the cool one; you can type things like businesses, buildings, parks, and more.
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New York City-based filmmaker Casey Neistat has strong opinions on social networks and how they should be used. His favorite one at the moment is Instagram, but he has a message for many of its users: “you’re doing it wrong.” The video above is his guide on how to “not suck so bad” with the photo sharing app. Don’t worry: it’s not about filters. (Be warned, though: there’s a bit of strong language).
You see, Instagram… it’s not about the pictures — it’s about the sharing. This is my family photo album from 1985. This album isn’t just precious because of the photography — it’s the documentation of life that makes me care. The magic of Instagram is that you get to peer into the lives of really interesting people.
As examples, he points to the Instagram accounts of rapper Rick Ross and singer Justin Bieber. While he’s a fan of both artists, Neistat says Ross is one that’s “doing it right”, as he regularly posts photos showing a ridiculous lifestyle that you don’t usually see. Bieber, on the other hand, floods his stream with photos of his own face.
(via Laughing Squid)
It is commonly said that a picture is worth a thousand words. It seems that US smartphone users agree, for Instagram has now passed Twitter in active user count. The legions of Instagrammers aren’t just checking their beloved social network more than their Tweeting counterparts — their eyeballs are glued on it longer as well.
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Instagram is in the process of pushing out version 3.1.0 of its photo sharing app. For iOS, the new version updates the app to be compatible with iOS 6 and the taller screen of the iPhone 5, doing away with the annoying gap that owners of the new phone have been seeing. While it’s certainly a welcome improvement for Instagram devotees, seeing an app be updated for the new display isn’t exactly a rare sight these days.
What’s interesting is what the new update eliminates: live filters are gone.
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Nik Software announced today that it has been acquired by Google. The company is the maker of Snapseed, one of the most popular photo editing apps in the iTunes App Store and a competitor to Instagram.
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I’m going to be in Cologne, Germany next week, covering the latest and greatest photo announcements at Photokina 2012. In addition to posts — and possibly live blogs — on this website, I’ll also be sharing photographs of the products, parties, and press events through our relatively new Instagram account: @petapixel. The photo steam may also be added to the sidebar of this blog. Follow along for the inside scoop!
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Zuckerberg’s crazy $1 billion purchase of Instagram 6 months ago is now looking like a steal. BusinessInsider writes that the photo sharing app, which ended up costing just $735 million when the deal finally closed, has seen meteoric growth since the purchase agreement was made:
Mark Zuckerberg did a lot of things wrong during the first half of 2012, leading up to and through Facebook’s few months as a public company. One thing he did well was buy Instagram for $1 billion. It turns out that was a bargain.
Back then, the photo-sharing app for Android phones and iPhones had 860,000 daily active users. Today it has 11 million. That is 1179% growth in six months.
They also point out that photo sharing site Pinterest, which has far less users, has in recent months turned down acquisition offers of over $2 billion. Instagram has 30.3 million monthly users, and just passed the 100 million registered users mark. These astronomical prices being thrown around make Yahoo’s $35 million — the rumored figure — purchase of Flickr look like an absolute steal. Too bad they haven’t been able to do much with the service so far.
Zuckerberg’s Huge Win: Instagram Proves To Be A Bargain At $1 Billion [Business Insider]
Love it or hate it, Instagram is currently a pretty big deal in the mobile space. Big enough, perhaps, that many smartphone users might not even consider switching to a phone running Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system unless the photo sharing app is available. If you’re one of those people, get ready to think about jumping ship: Instagram is coming to Windows Phone.
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What does your choice of Instagram filter say about your character and personality? Check out the Instagram Horoscope to find out. Marco Kaye and Sloan Schang over at the publishing house McSweeney’s came up with a humorous list of interpretations. Here’s a sampling:
Kelvin: Kelvins are intense. Seriously, who has the time to scroll that far to the right? You are a fierce competitor who believes it is possible to “win Instagram” by log-jamming people’s feeds with dozens of pictures at a clip. A mid-life heart attack is of concern.
X-pro II: If you have a chance to buy an El Camino, do so.
Walden: You’re quiet, charming, elusive, and emotionally transgendered. Stop posting inspiring quotes. Only celebrities can do that. The sensitive and athletic Sierra makes an ideal mate as you both enjoy road trip photographs taken in the side view mirror.
If you’re an Instagrammer, give it a look, and let us know how accurately it described you.
Your Instagram Horoscope [McSweeneys via Coudal]
Image credit: Horoscope by Cali4beach
