Instagram has updated its app to version 3.0, adding significant support for location -- both for browsing your own photos, and finding those taken by others.
Among other things, the focus on location will allow users to find other pictures taken around them -- at a concert or sporting event, for example -- but will also allow them to navigate through old photos as well. Instagram founder Kevin Systrom told The Verge that it was often difficult to find older photos because of Instagram's focus on the timeline.
"One of the biggest problems in social media is that you often post things that are very ephemeral," Instagram Founder and CEO Kevin Systrom told The Verge. "Things live for a couple hours and then they float off into the ether." Instagram 3.0 was designed to be useful for browsing, but also as a tool to better surface old content. Until now, you'd have to thumb through a friend's pictures chronologically, whereas in 3.0, you can browse your own or someone else's photos on a map, setting aside date and time.
In addition to the focus on mapping, Instagram has also redesigned the profile and photo upload screens, and streamlined processes throughout the app. One especially useful new feature is infinite scrolling on photo feeds, making it easier to browse through dozens of photos at a time.
Instagram was purchased for $1 billion by Facebook earlier this year, though that purchase has yet to finalize. The app is available free on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Top Rated Comments
Same thing with the content issue. If you loathe the "another Starbucks coffee cup" type of post, well, don't follow those people. There are quite a few folks who wouldn't dare post anything that trite and pedestrian.
If you dislike too many images in your Instagram feed, it's because your judgment in who you follow is poor, not the app itself. It's like hating television because most of the shows are crap or hating the library because most of the books are boring. There are good shows (I like to think of PBS's "NOVA" as one of them) and books, you just need to be more wisely judicious about what you look at.
It's not Facebook, you don't have to follow your friends. I occasionally unfollow Instagrammers if I think their content quality is lacking/uninteresting.
Now, if you don't like looking at photos on your smartphone, then yeah, Instagram sucks.
Granted there are some cool ones but people get really carried away with filtering the sh%^% out of everthing.
I was recently sent a photo, put in into my iphoto library and the exact location it was taken showed up on maps. I'm certain the sender would have been surprised or even horrified to know they were sending their location along with the photo.
I see this becoming a huge and potentially dangerous problem with stalkers, internet dating, ect.
Most times and with most photos I could care less if the location data is included, however there are times I think privacy should be important.
I would only want location info given out when I expressly authorize it