Tag: instagram

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iCloud Photos issues

I switched on iCloud Photos after using My Photo Stream for years and it then turned off by Apple.

I have noticed one problem with iCloud Photos and various iOS apps including Instagram and Snapseed.

The issue arises when you access the PhotoStream, there is a noticeable delay in the images appearing in the app.

With Instagram, you have to wait a while and even tap the screen before the images appear. Then the camera feed appears.

It is a similar story with Snapseed.

It also can take a while to swipe through your images with Snapseed.

It is easier to tap Open from device and then browse for the photo you need then.

I don’t know if there is a solution, at the moment it is more annoying than anything else. Initially I thought the Instagram app was broken, rather than thinking it was an issue with iCloud Photos.

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IFTTT will require a subscription

I have been using IFTTT (If This Then That) for quite a few years now. Though over the last few years my usage has got quite minimal. During some research activities using tweetchats and hashtags I did use it quite a bit for work.

Now in the main I use a recipe to post native photographs from Instagram to the Twitter.

So it was with minimal disappointment to read in my inbox this from IFTTT.

Starting on May 23, all free users will be limited to 2 Applets and unable to access Twitter Applets. We hope you understand this change is designed to help us support our community and continue to focus on improving IFTTT. To ensure that your existing Applets continue without interruption, consider upgrading to Pro or manage your Applets via My Applets.

Now the subscription is not excessive, at £2.50 per month, cheaper if you pay annually. However I really don’t think I will get £30 of value from IFTTT over a year. I can configure Instagram to post to Twitter automatically, or I could even just post manually.

I still also get two free applets if I need to use IFTTT.

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IFTTT Instagram Twitter problem fixed

A couple of days ago, the IFTTT recipe I used to post native Instagram photos to Twitter stopped working. I used IFTTT as the sharing function on Instagram to Twitter only posted the link, whereas with IFTTT the process posted the full image.

However in the last few days, it has stopped working, and I wasn’t entirely sure why. I checked my IFTTT applet process and saw this.

I recall getting an e-mail from IFTTT, which now I can’t find, but I didn’t think applied to the applet I was using. Well it still may not apply, but I did the following and this appears to have fixed the problem.

What I did was re-authorise IFTTT to access my Instagram account.

Go to this page (ensure you are logged into IFTTT).

https://ifttt.com/instagram

Click Settings

Click Edit

You will then have an opportunity to reauthorise IFTTT and Instagram.

And then reauthorise IFTTT to access your Instagram account.

I then posted an image to Instagram and low and behold it turned up on the Twitter.

It’s interesting now though whereas before the applet created an ift.tt address the process now uses the instagr.am address.




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Missing #366photos

Last year I took a photograph everyday and posted it to Instagram and Flickr.

#366photos

On the 1st January I kind of breathed a sigh of relief that it was all over, job done. I wasn’t going to not take photographs any more, but I wasn’t going to feel the pressure of taking a photograph everyday.

Don’t get me wrong I did enjoy taking a picture everyday, it was quite a challenge to ensure that I didn’t repeat a picture, alas there were a few which are similiar…

I also liked the challenge of doing different kinds of pictures and that really did make me think about what pictures I was taking and which filters or how much to crop.

I liked using Instagram, and it was nice getting positive feedback from my Instagram followers.

Though I did feel glad when the year was over, now we are in February, though I intended to take just as many photographs as I did last year that certainly isn’t the case. In January 2012 I uploaded 115 photographs to Flickr, whereas in January 2013 it was just 34.

I think I might get back into a “photo a day” habit, but I won’t be tagging them in the same way.

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1000th Instagram

A week or so ago I posted my 1000th image to Instagram and to be honest it’s not one of my favourites or one of my best…

1000th Instagram

It’s a cooker!

It is part of my Instagram project for 2012, #366photos, in which I take a photograph every day during 2012 and post it to Instagram. You can see all the images I have taken for the project on my Flickr account.

A nice feature of Instagram is the functionality to also post to Flickr. You can also post to other social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. I do like Instagram and I see it less as a photographic app and much more a social app.

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That’s that then… Instagram bought by Facebook

Yesterday, Instagram announced that they had been bought by Facebook. Though they indicated that it would be “business as usual” for Instagram, do we really think that this is going to happen.

And so it begins... #fote11Generally whenever Apple, Google or Facebook buy another company that runs a particular service, they run it for a year or so and then either integrate aspects of it into their service or not… and then shut it down.

You never know Facebook may continue to run Instagram as a separate service, however I think after a year it will probably cease to exist…

Google took Jaiku and Picnik, two excellent services, deprecated their functionality and integrated aspects into Google+ (probably Buzz and Wave too) however both services are now shut down.

Apple took Siri and integrated it into iOS and made it 4S only whereas before it worked with the 4 and 3GS.

13 #366photosTwitter bought out Tweetie and then created the Twitter app out of it.

Facebook bought Gowalla and integrated it into Facebook and then shut down the service.

I would be very surprised to see Instagram operating as it currently does after a year, if at all.

I do like Instagram, and I see it much more of a social app than a photographic app, there are many apps out there that do a significantly better job at image editing. However they lack the social aspect that you find in Instagram.

Ah well, one shouldn’t really think that things like this don’t happen and it does more often than I like, but that’s life I think.

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Instagram for Android

I’ve been a fan of Instagram (for iOS) for a long time. So I am pleased to see (finally) a version of Instagram for Android.

A beautiful way to share your world. It’s fast, free and fun!
Pick from one of several gorgeous filtered effects to breathe a new life into your mobile photos. Transform everyday moments into works of art you’ll want to share with friends and family.



Share your photos in a simple photo stream with friends to see – and follow your friends’ photos with the click of a single button. Every day you open up Instagram, you’ll see new photos from your closest friends, and creative people from around the world.



The app is not that easy to find in the Google Market Place so use this link which will take you direct to the app on your Android device.

The app as you might expect works in a similar vein to the iOS device. There are some subtle differences, but you’ll only notice them if you use both versions on a regular basis.

Instagram for Android #366photos

There are the same effects you find in the iOS app, and as my Google Nexus One has a pretty decent camera you get some good quality images.

If you have an Android device, well worth a look.

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Tech Stuff – Top Ten Posts of 2011

Here are the top ten blog posts (by views) for 2011.

10. Joikuspot s60 limitation

This blog post which described a major limitation with Jokuspot on the Nokia N95 was the principle reason I bought a MiFi.

9. No joy with Sony PSP and JoikuSpot Premium

This was quite an old post, from nearly three years ago, when my primary method for mobile internet was using Joikuspot on a Nokia N95. Since then I have used a MiFi and now in the main use the portable wireless hotspot on a Google Nexus One.

8. Insufficient Bandwidth

This post described how a problem with my FTTC was causing me to have issues with iPlayer streams. I think in the end it was more of an issue with BBC iPlayer than an issue with my internet connection.

7. New Sony Tablets, the Tablet S

In this blog post I was looking forward to the new Sony Tablet. Having now seen the Tablet for real I am slightly disappointed. It didn’t feel like a Sony product and seemed overpriced for what it was.

6. Instagram on the Desktop

My sixth most popular post looked at a couple of Mac apps that allowed you to view Instagram images on your desktop. I really like Instagram, but sometimes feel disadvantaged when I want to see a feed of Instagram images on my Mac.

5. ITV Player and 4OD on the PS3

An update to the PS3 provided access to the watch again services from ITV and Channel 4.

4. iPhone Portable Wifi Hotspot

Back in January Apple announced a new feature for the iPhone, that allowed you to turn it into a portable wifi hotspot, something I had been doing for a while using my Froyo Google Nexus One.

3. I don’t like BT FON

My third most popular post was a rant about BT FON, well actually it wasn’t a rant about BT FON itself, it was rant that BT routers configured for BT FON also broadcast a BT Openzone SSID which wasn’t a real BT Openzone and so as a result my iPhone (which has free access to BT Openzone) couldn’t use it.

2. BT Openzone-H

This post was a follow on to my BT FON rant, it was apparent that BT were aware of the problem I discussed and are in the process of changing the settings on the BT Homehubs so that instead of broadcasting the BT Openzone SSID they have renamed it to BT Openzone-H. I should say that though I posted this in July, here nearly six months later my neighbour’s BT HomeHub is still broadcasting BT Openzone and not the new Openzone-H.

1. Live BBC TV on the iPad

My most popular post was not really a post more of an addendum to another post reviewing the BBC iPlayer app for the iPad.

The addendum mentioned that the main advantage of the app over the web interface was that you could access live TV through the app.

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Instagram – “iPhone App of the Year 2011”

Apple have said their iPhone App of the year for 2011 is Instagram.

I do like Instagram, I was less sure when I first looked at the app in October 2010, however since then I have used the app regularly and I like the ease of use, the filters and the social aspect.

Richmond Castle

I said back then

The social network can only be accessed from the phone and that limits it in my opinion. As a photo app it’s great, as a social networking tool, less so.

With any social app the key is the community, now that many more people I know are using Instagram, the social aspect, even though it can only be accessed from the phone is much better and more social.

I do like the multi-posting ability, so usually not only will I post to Instagram, I also post a link to Twitter and upload the image to Flickr.

I have also been using it more and more now for creating images for use with my blogs, especially my food blog.

Squid

Uploading to Flickr allows me to embed the image without needing to download and then upload the image.

I know some people think that the filters that come with Instagram are cheesy and in some respects they are, but this is not a serious photography app, this is a fun app for sharing photographs with friends.

If you haven’t downloaded Instagram, download it now (it’s also coming soon for Android) and if you do have it, why not start using it?