Hands On: Instagram for Android
Yes, even Wired has an Instagram feed. And now Android users can view it on their smartphones too. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired. 
After 17 months since its release on iOS, the wait for an Android version of Instagram is finally over. Less than a month ago, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom teased SXSW attendees with a preview of Instagram for Android. Today, the app is available from Google Play for smartphones running Android 2.2 or later. The app is not currently available for Android tablets.
Instagram has reached extreme popularity with iPhone photographers, garnering more than 30 million registered users and 1 billion photo uploads with the iOS app alone. And the app has been in high demand among Android users for months — more than 430,000 would-be users signed up for Instagram on the Android waiting list prior to today, according to the company.
How different is Instagram for Android compared to its iOS counterpart? In a press release, the company states, "Our goal is to have a consistent experience between platforms." After playing with Instagram on two Android smartphones, I found the new app does provide a UI that's consistent with the iOS version, but there are, however, a few missing features: Tilt Shift/Blur, Share from Feed and Live Preview are nowhere to be found. Also, depending on what Android smartphone you're using, the app experience can vary slightly.
I used Instagram on a Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, and when I tapped on the Camera/Share button, the app prompted me to choose a source: Camera or Photo Gallery. When I tapped Camera, it launched the phone's Camera app, not an in-app camera as it does in the iOS app. When I used the app on an HTC Amaze, however, tapping the Camera/Share button launched a familiar, iOS-style in-app camera with a Photo Library button in the lower-right corner.
The process of sharing your lo-fi photos on Instagram for Android is nearly the same as on an iPhone. The only difference is that email, Flickr and Posterous sharing is not available (though you'll still be able to automatically share via Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and Tumblr).
So why are Android users missing out on these features? "Really, it came down to prioritizing and making sure we got something to users as soon as possible," Systrom told Wired in an email. "We cut features that are used by a small minority of folks — live preview, for instance, is used on 1 percent of all photos posted. Our mantra was get something great out, and get it out quickly,"
According to Instagram, future updates will address the differences between the Android and iOS apps. Slight variations aside, Android users do have access to the same Instagram filters and community that make the app such a hit. And it looks like user satisfaction is unaffected. Already, Instagram has received consistently high ratings and glowing reviews in Google Play — at the time of publication, the app had nearly 3,000 5-star ratings.
Is the release of an Android app a sign that Instagram will continue to expand its app to work on other platforms like Windows Phone and BlackBerry? The company is mum on details, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Instagram coming to at least the Windows Phone — though it might take another 17 months or so.
For now, at least one more wave of smartphone photographers can satisfy the innate human desire to retro-fy and share camera phone snapshots.
Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired.
Original Page: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/04/hands-on-instagram-for-android/
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