Instagram was an instant hit when it was launched for the Android platform. Not surprising, though. The app, which was earlier only available for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad already had a huge fan following. When iPhone fanboys realised that they had lost an ‘exclusive service', they were miffed. Twitter exploded with iPhone owners crying their hearts out. Then came the news that Facebook had acquired Instagram.

I am an Android fanboy and I was overjoyed when Instagram hit Google Play. I downloaded it immediately, but was quite disappointed. The reason - Instagram on Android was far below my expectations. I had several apps on my phone that were far superior to Instagram.

Why was Instagram then a craze among iPhone owners? I realised the reason when I used the app on an iPod Touch. Many features available on the Apple version of Instagram were not available for Android. I'm sure that the app will be updated soon, but the ‘first impression is the best impression' thing had already taken its toll.

I also found that Apple's App store did not have the wide-range of photography apps available on Google Play. Another reason for Instagram's near-monopoly among photo apps. As an Android user, my favourite photo apps are Streamzoo and PicPlz. Although there are many similar apps, these two feature in-app sharing, like Instagram. Of the two, Streamzoo more or less took on Instagram feature-by-feature.

If Streamzoo and PicPlz already existed on Android, why didn't they succeed like Instagram? The biggest reason - probably the poor-quality cameras in low-end Androids. Entry-level Androids also lack the kind of processing power required to generate photos with multiple filters.

Nobody knows yet what Facebook plans are for Instagram, but if you're looking for alternatives, they are available. And some are even better.

>dinakaran@thehindu.co.in

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