instagram

Instagram updates to 2.5 with 'visual improvements'

Instagram gets faster and brighter today as it rolls out its new 2.5 features for iOS.

Among the new items are a spruced up profile tab, different ways to search, commenting improvements, and visual and speed enhancements. There is also a noticeable Facebook feature that lets users share likes, or little hearts, to Facebook if they want.

Of these new features, the app does seem quite a bit faster with photos loading more quickly. The most noticeable change is the "Explore" tab, which was exchanged for the "Popular" tab and also has a new icon.… Read more

See the world with Instagram-colored glasses

Is Instagram just a handy photo-sharing platform, or does it represent some unconscious longing for better times when all was analog?

Whatever the case, these concept glasses let you view the world through the prism of retro photography.

Designed by Markus Gerke of Berlin, Instaglasses are specs that would take photos with an integrated camera and, of course, Instagram filters.

When seeing an Instagram-worthy scene, users would push a button between their eyes to activate the camera. It would display filtered images in the lenses, as seen in the pic below. … Read more

Getting started with Flipboard for Android

Flipboard is your one-stop app for many networks and news sources. In fact, Flipboard supports Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Google Reader, LinkedIn, Instagram, Tumblr, and a few others! Once you have all your networks linked to the Flipboard account, a beautiful stream of information will appear in the app.

Here's a quick guide to getting your feet wet with an app favored by many:

First you'll want to get a copy of Flipboard for Android. After it's installed, open the app and flip your finger upward on the screen to reveal the Get Started and Sign In … Read more

Create an Instagram collage for your Facebook page with InstaCover

Do you feel your Timeline cover is lacking? If so, check out Web app InstaCover. It lets you quickly and easily assemble a collage of your Instagram photos to spruce up your Facebook page.

To get started, head to Insta-Cover.com (note the hyphen), sign in with your Facebook account, and grant permission to the app. Next, you'll be presented with InstaCover's panel for creating a collage:

Enter your Instagram handle in the User ID field in the Target Photo section. If you have a sprawling Instagram collection, you can filter your photos by using the Category or … Read more

U.K. regulator to investigate Facebook's bid for Instagram

Fearing a monopoly of the photo upload market, the U.K.'s competition regulatory agency wants to investigate Facebook's $1 billion bid to buy Instagram, the Guardian reported today.

The Office of Fair Trading is afraid the social network might stop picture uploads to other sites from the app, or restrict other apps' ability to upload to Facebook.

When contacted by CNET, Facebook said it's working with the U.K. agency, but didn't offer any other details.

"We'll continue to work closely with the OFT and look forward to answering any questions that arise," … Read more

Browse Instagram photos by location with Instamap for Android

Despite having an official mobile client available for Instagram, there are still a lot of third-party apps out there for viewing photos from the service. Instamap, one of the alternative clients, offers a feature not yet present in the official app: finding photos by geotag. Think of Instamap as Instagram meets Google Maps -- a lovely pairing.

Grab a copy of Instamap for Android. After installing, open the app and choose whether or not to use your Instagram account when browsing photos around the world. If you sign in, then you can Like or comment on photos, as well … Read more

How to browse Instagram on your desktop with Chrome

Instagram, the popular mobile social network for sharing photos, can be fun and addictive. However, unlike Facebook or Twitter, Instagram doesn't have an official desktop presence to go along with its mobile app. If you're already on your computer, picking up your Android or iOS device just to check your Instagram feed is less than ideal.

Nicole Cozma recently went over using Extagram, a Web site that allows you to browse Instagram on the Web. Another desktop solution is a Chrome extension that allows you to check your feed directly from the Chrome browser. Here's how to … Read more

Camera+ boasts 8M copies sold in two years

Camera+ gets the bonus of selling its 8 millionth app on the same day as its second birthday. Quite an achievement in the face of other popular apps like Instagram and Hipstamatic, especially when the company has publicly refused VC funding and offers of acquisition.

The company's founder John Casasanta wrote in a blog post today that over the past two years, Camera+ has been approached by several companies looking to buy, including Adobe, Zynga, Google, and Twitter. Camera+ declined every time because of the company's goal to retain its independence. It also turned down its first round … Read more

Facebook doubles down on size of news feed photos

Facebook's news feed may have seemed a little different today...that's because it is. The social network has begun to brandish its new feed with larger photos.

"Starting today, we're rolling out an improved design for posts in news feed on the Web," a Facebook spokesperson told CNET. "Photos are up to two times larger and when a friend adds photos to an album, you'll be able to enjoy more of those photos directly from your feed."

Besides enlarging all photos, the new display also changes how albums are seen. Now, it … Read more

Instagram competitor PicPlz to shut down in July

Instagram competitor PicPlz will cease operation in July and delete all the images and data in its possession, the photo-sharing service announced this weekend.

The photo-sharing first announced the closure Friday on its Web site in a message that began, "It has been a pleasure bringing picplz to our users, but we have decided to move on to other projects and have made the tough decision to shut it down." The Seattle-based startup sent out a follow-up e-mail to users today:

On July 3, 2012, picplz will shut down permanently and all photos and data will be deleted. … Read more