instagram

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Facebook may dominate the social media landscape today with 845 million users, but experts say that instead of consolidating around the market leader, the social media landscape is fragmenting, leaving big opportunities for startups, especially those targeting mobile users.

This could be good news for entrepreneurs and investors who might be green with envy over Facebook's projected $5 billion gain from its upcoming initial public offering. But for consumers, it means that managing Facebook, Google+, and Twitter accounts is just the beginning.

Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist and principal at Union Square Ventures, discussed this notion of a more … Read more

The Foodspotting app, available for both iOS and Android platforms, lets you find good dishes in your area and share marvelous plates of food with others.

Foodspotting is like Foodily without the recipes. Or Instagram solely for meals of food. In fact, you can connect your Instagram account to Foodspotting, and Instagram photos tagged with #food or #foodspotting will show up in your Foodspotting feed. (Maybe I need to wait longer for the two to sync, but the Instagram photo I tagged with the #foodspotting tag has yet to show up in my Foodspotting feed.) The app lets you upload … Read more

In the span of weeks, a friend of mine who shall remain nameless (but goes by the initials Elinor Mills) has become completely addicted to the photo-sharing app Instagram. The world has become one big Instagram photo opp for her as she points her iPhone at flowers, friends, train tracks, oil-slicked sidewalks, and anything else in her path--and still tries to get some shut-eye now and then.

Happily, I've come upon Stitchtagram, a service that makes custom handmade throw pillows from Instagram photos, and now feel confident that Elinor can stay close to her beloved app even while she rests up between Instagram shoots. … Read more