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Rumor Has It, Ep. 24: Google's gunning for iPad, with Asus' help (podcast)

I am writing this blog post from under my desk, because I am too embarrassed to face my esteemed colleagues after the stunt we pulled today. We play the most embarrassing Internet video yet. Starring moi. I have been blushing a deep purple ever since, and because I may now be notorious in downtown San Francisco as that crazy girl in front of the Apple store, I have decided to wear a disguise in public at all times. Guys, it's mortifying. Go watch it.

But--sweet relief!--with the new iPad no longer on our rumor roster, we get down … Read more

Instagram coming to Android 'really soon'

In the near future, Android users will be able to start sharing photos on Instagram, according to TechCrunch.

The popular app is coming "really soon," the app's founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger said at a South by Southwest conference presentation today. "In some ways, it's better than our iOS app. It's crazy," Systrom said.

Instagram is a free photo sharing app that let's users touch up and share photos with other followers on the app; pictures can also be uploaded to social-networking sites like Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. Some describe Instagram … Read more

Instagram possibly valued at $500 million

The free iPhone photo sharing app that boasts users such as President Obama, skateboarder Tony Hawk, singer Justin Bieber, actress Zooey Deschanel, and rapper Snoop Dogg might be getting new funding that will value it at $500 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

One year ago, Instagram was valued at just $25 million. Despite this enormous growth and a base of more than 15 million users, the popular app has struggled to make money since its inception in March 2010.

Unlike other apps and social-networking sites, Instagram isn't well positioned to feature advertising, paid content, or other e-commerce … Read more

Instaprint spits out your Instagram photos Polaroid-style

Sharing memories with family and friends is easier than ever nowadays, with photo-sharing apps such as Instagram. Still, I love Polaroid cameras and photo booths, as they give me an instant keepsake that I can use to decorate my fridge, cube, or home, and remind me of good times. So wouldn't it be grand if there were a way to bring that functionality to Instagram?

Well, now there is, thanks to a Brooklyn-based company called Breakfast.

The New York startup, which says it "specializes in creating digital experiences that utilize custom robotics and devices to bridge the gap … Read more

Flickr to get slicker in upcoming makeover

With Instagram, Google+, Picasa, and Facebook breathing down its neck, Flickr has had to play catch-up to stay in the photo game lately.

Flickr's head of product, Markus Spiering, told tech news site BetaBeat today that the photo-sharing Web site is planning a major makeover to begin rolling out next week. Big changes include larger photos, less white space, and a more polished photo layout. There will also be a new drag-and-drop upload interface, according to BetaBeat.

These changes come on the heels of Flickr lowering the cost of its Flickr Pro premium service last month and Yahoo reportedly … Read more

Instagram update brings new features, filters, UI

Love Instagram? Everybody's favorite photo-tuning app just got a little better--and more than a little worse.

The first thing you'll notice in version 2.1, which hit the App Store last Friday, is the interface: it's a bit prettier, but gone are the text labels identifying each of the five main buttons.

This wouldn't be a huge deal except that the buttons themselves have changed. In place of Feed, there's now a Home icon. Popular has given way to a star, and News is now a heart inside a speech bubble. Huh?… Read more

As it scales, Instagram shows restraint in all the right places

I was prepared to hate Mat Honan's latest feature on Instagram, the popular vintage-filter-photo app for Apple's iPhone. But to his credit, the Gizmodo writer made a little business problem immensely fascinating.

Honan tells a story of how Instagram blew up without blowing up--that is, scaled to 15 million users without losing uptime, industry credibility and each of its 10 employees' minds. The key is that Instagram shunned a Web interface, or a second or third app platform to support, and kept innovating in the narrow space in which they exist: a single photo-sharing app for iPhone users.… Read more

How to craft your own Instagram photo strips

With Instagram, any boring photo is only a crop, filter, and tilt-shift away from becoming a piece of art.

Some might argue that such laziness through filtering discourages true photographic creativity, but there's no denying the Internet's obsession with the photo social network. If anything, it's a satisfying break from Facebook.

Even though it's only available on the iPhone (for now), many businesses have cropped up to provide services that augment what Instagram offers. From Stitchtagram pillowcases to photo magnets, there's no shortage of Instagram paraphernalia.

As a person who appreciates the printed photograph, here'… Read more

U.K. college offering iPhoneography course

If you were still wondering whether the iPhone had made a significant mark on society, news that London's Kensington and Chelsea College has a course offering students the ability to learn iPhoneography (the art of taking photographs with your iPhone) should be enough to answer the question.

The new evening course will be entirely devoted to teaching students how to snap photographs on their iPhones, send them to various post-production processing apps, and create stunning pictures, according to a report by the BBC.

Richard Gray, the instructor for the course, claims that, "with the right apps and skills, … Read more