Instagram’s camera function is extremely limiting; instead, opt to use your handsets regular camera app. This will allow you to zoom, add a grid to ensure your photos are straight, and crop your pictures how you like.
2) Use other apps
Instagram’s filters are great, but sometimes they don’t quite provide enough control. That great effect that just slightly over exposed part of the photo can often be irritating; the answer: use a different app. Snapseed is a favourite of ours at Social Gadget. The app offers a great choice of filters that can be completely customised by simply sliding your finger from left to right. The ‘strength’ of the effect varies from 0%-100% depending upon how far you slide, it’s that simple. In addition, you can add multiple filters to your photos making for some outstanding combinations.
Aside from filters, other apps can provide more interest to your pictures. Colorsplash for example, allows your to add drama to a photo by converting it to black and white, leaving only your chosen details in colour. InFrame Cut [iTunes download link] allows you to create split screen, multi-photo images with customisable frames, and Pic Collage allows you to create great looking collages, using photos on your device or from Facebook and the web.
InFrame Cut can really help your pictures describe your surroundings
3) Shoot with good light
In the UK this isn’t always the easiest I know, but it’s worth trying your best to take your shots in good, natural light if you really want them to look killer on Instagram. Smartphone cameras, by comparison to regular cameras, have pretty small sensors which only allow in so much light. Do you best to help them out by using natural light where possible. Also, using the HDR function (if you’re an iPhone user) will really help your pictures pop when applying filters later.
4) Look at what other people are doing via Hashtags
There are some truly incredible photographers on Instagram; take inspiration from them by looking at what they’re up to. Hashtags are keywords on instagram; if you’re about to take a shot of something such as a ‘tree’, search for photos hashtagged #tree to see how others compose their pictures; you might just find a neat new perspective that makes your photo stand out.
5) Cheat, and use a high end DSLR and Photoshop
Ditch your phone altogether and take some great shots using Canon or Nikon’s latest offering; tweak it until perfection in Photoshop, then quickly upload it to Instagram like nothing ever happened…
Any other tips? Let us know in the comments below, and feel free to share your photos with us on Facebook and Twitter
According to “trusted sources”, the new mapping application will be similar in look and feel to the current application, but with “a much cleaner, faster, and more reliable experience”.
Before I started Social Gadget, I remember hearing news of Apple acquiring C3 Technologies; a 3D map rendering company with mind-blowing demonstration videos. It seems Apple have been putting the C3 team to work, as the application is said to offer full 3D rendering at the touch of a button.
Prior to buying C3 Technologies, Apple purchased two other mapping companies: Placebase and Poly9. These acquisitions date as far back as October 2009, making it clear that a entirely Apple owned mapping application has been on the company’s agenda for a while.
Let’s hope they see fit to improve on the turn by turn navigation service while they’re at it!
Hot Not so hot, Pictionary inspired game, Draw Something is to add brand sponsored words to pull in some more revenue.
Last month the game had amassed a mind-blowing 50 million downloads, with 14 million daily active users. By the end of the same month, that number had fallen by 4 million. Since Zynga‘s acquisition of the game’s developer OMGPop, the Farmville creator has seen a massive 38% drop in it’s stock.
To make sure the purported $180m spent on acquiring OMGPop sees some return; Zynga are looking to partner with brands to insert their paid terms into the game. The NHL has been the among the first to sign up reports AdAge, sponsoring such words as puck, slapshot and Zamboni.
Whether many more companies will pay to be included in Draw Something (with it’s dwindling popularity) remains to be seen. Regardless, it is probably fair to expect an update over the next few weeks as the new brand-sponosored words are added.
Welcome to Industry Interviews, the newest feature on Social Gadget where we delve into the world behind the apps. Starting things off we turn our attention to Conjure, racking the brains of it’s founder and managing director, Sam Clark.
Hi Sam, tell us a little bit about Conjure.
We’re a digital agency specialising in mobile and facebook applications. We create branded and product based applications for a diverse range of clients including Cadbury, Beko and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. We’re three years young and have eight staff spread between offices in London and Reading.
How did you find yourself in the business?
My background was in web design and I’d always wanted to build an agency that focused on design and technical innovation over run-of-the-mill “me too” websites. Luckily right before the launch of the first iPhone I was designing prototype apps for the then cutting edge Nokia N95 (How times change!) The iPhone launched and blew everything else out of the water, I saw my chance to create a new type of agency and so back in 2009, I took the plunge and founded Conjure.
How did you go about building up a client list?
I get asked this lot, and in truth there’s no one answer. A combination of industry press coverage, speaking at events, networking and social media activity all play their part, but word of mouth referral is probably still the number one way of winning new business.
credit: Conjure
How do you ensure a solid user experience when building an app?
You’ve got to build the application from the user needs up, not the clients wants down. It’s all too easy to add a plethora of features thinking you’re increasing the value of the application, when actually a handful of focused, well executed features is often all the user really wants.
From a process perspective we make sure we do extensive usability (UX ) planning before we begin actual development, which involves creating detailed wireframes of each screen, mapping the user journey and ensuring information and features are intuitive and easy to find. Once the application is built we move to usability testing where we trial the app with a cross section of users and include feedback in subsequent app builds.
Do you encounter any difficulties developing for cross platform? Do you ever find a build is perhaps better on one platform over the other due to limitations in software or hardware power?
Cross platform application projects can pose all kinds of challenges. The first step with any new project is to decide which platforms the content is best targeted at. As a lose rule if you have large volumes of image and word based content and don’t require advanced handset features such as accelerometers or cameras then a cross platform application is often the most cost effective way of reaching the largest number of users. If on the other hand the client is looking for an advanced application that requires the full power of a handset then a natively built app (an app written specifically for a targeted device) is often the better option. Hardware wise the experience is pretty universal these days, with Nokia and Android offering devices that compete in quality terms with Apple. Its only Blackberry that are still lagging behind and the jury’s still out as to whether they’ll challenge the other smart phone heavy weights.
How far after the release of an app do you continue to support it? How important is user feedback to this process?
We always allow at least 30 days post launch to ensure the users are having a positive experience and there is no unforeseen issues or problems with the app. A classic is surprise software or hardware changes from the manufactures. Back when Apple released the iPhone 4 we knew it was coming but didn’t anticipate the doubling in screen resolution. That meant after the launch we had to quickly update all our current apps with higher res graphics to take advantage of the new retina displays.
Feedback from the users themselves is always really important as they give you real world insight into how your application functions in the wild. They can often surprise you with great feature suggestions or criticism of functions we predicted would be useful or entertaining.
credit: Conjure
How do you feel the market is developing and what would you like to see?
The mobile space is progressing at tremendous speed which makes it an incredibly exciting place to work. Smart phone penetration is only going up so there is plenty of growth still to be had in the apps market place. I’m really looking forward to eventual rollout of NFC (Near Field Communication: think London Oyster card) enabled handsets, that’s going to open up a world of new opportunities for brand and product owners over the next few years. Internet and application enabled TVs will also be huge over the next five years and Conjure will be poised to take advantage of these emerging technologies as they break into the mainstream.
What apps (in any genre) have stood out to you most?
Word Lens by the guys at Quest Visual is simply amazing: it’s an augmented reality app that translates foreign words on screen in real time. Technology like that has the power to break down language barriers globally. Also the Formula 1 iPad app is another favourite. It shows the power of 2 screen entertainment, watching the race live on TV while tracking race stats, car positions and performance metrics live on your lap. It’s a safe bet that dual screen viewing will become the norm over the coming years.
Proudest achievement to date?
We created an iPad children’s book called The Lost Journal which became a top 10 downloaded book app, up there with the likes of kindle, Toy Story and the Marvel comic app. That was a great feeling!
Anything you wish you had made?
Angry Birds
What’s in conjure’s future, anything exciting?
2012 will see Conjure continue push the boundaries of what we can achieve with applications both on mobile and online. Image Recognition technology is maturing and looks set to replace QR codes as the new way to unlock content from printed graphics. We’re currently working with a big entertainment brand to bring IR to a huge audience. We’re also poised to launch our own location based social app called Mixer, which will connect you to the local communities around you, I’m really looking forward to getting that out there and building a great mobile based community.
Our thanks go to Sam and his team at Conjure, be sure to check out their work at Conjure.co.uk
Following on from last weeks look at Flipboard, this week we’re turning our attention to Path; the personal social network.
Credit: Path.com
Path is an iPhone/Android based social network with a difference; it’s about sharing your information only with those nearest and dearest. Resultantly, the cap on the number of friends a user may share with is a rather modest 50. While ultimately how privately you reveal your life on the more major social networks is up to you, on the whole users tend to share with more people than they would perhaps like – this is the root of Path’s appeal.
Path is presented as a series of “moments” where you can share photos, movies, thoughts, location, what song you’re listening to, and more. Each of these moments builds your life’s “Path”. If this all sounds very familiar that’s because it is. This is no bad thing however as Path isn’t about doing something new, it’s about doing what you would normally do, but not telling the whole world about it. What’s more, the presentation is truly beautiful.
A stunning interface based around what is dubbed the ‘Chooser’ makes navigating Path a joy. See the video to get a real feel for how the app works.
As well as looking gorgeous, Path has some ace features. If you move town, Path will automatically update your new location (if you allow it) and it also boasts some great photo filters similar to those found on instagram.
Should you choose, you can share your updates to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Foursquare. Personally, I feel this defies the point behind Path, and whilst ultimately you could theoretically use it as a client for updating, it’s far too limited to become a replacement.
Path is a great app – the ethos behind it, it’s slick implementation and gorgeous looks are all definite perks, however I cannot help but feel that it would benefit strongly from having an online aspect also. If each user could have a unique URL which lead to an HTML version of their Path, it would allow it to be shared with those close who are unlikely to have a smart phone (Grandparents and such)
Is adopting a new personal social network something that appeals to you or would you rather just vet your currently existing sites? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page
Ok, so for the tech savvy out there, or those just willing enough to slug their way through screens of menu options, not much of this will come as a surprise. For the average iPhone user however, here are some neat little tricks you probably didn’t know your iPhone could do.
1) Custom Vibrate Alerts
Phone on silent? Personalise vibration alerts for particular friends, family members etc. to know who is calling without checking your phone. Alternatively, set the vibrate to match the beat/rhythm of your ringtone. Here’s how:
Settings > General > Accessibility > Enable Custom Vibrations (fig.1) > Back to Settings > Sounds > Vibration Patterns > Create New Vibration (fig. 2)
fig. 2
fig. 1
2) Screen Zoom
Need an icon, text or picture to be that little bit bigger when viewing? By enabling screen zoom, tapping with three fingers on your iPhone’s screen will enlarge the image, whether the app supports pinch zoom or not.
Settings > General > Accessibility > Zoom (fig. 3)
fig. 3
3) Screen Orientation Lock
Lying in bed browsing the web or checking your twitter feed only to be enraged when the screen keeps flipping around? Just like the iPad, iPhone too has orientation lock to prevent this from happening.
Double tap home button > Slide tool bar from left to right > Press the lock icon
4) Emoji Keyboard
Want to include Emoji symbols in your text, but don’t fancy downloading an app to enable it? The iPhone come with a native Emoji keyboard hidden away deep in the settings.
Settings > General > International > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard > Emoji (fig. 4)
fig. 4
Then when using a keyboard, press the newly appeared globe icon to access Emoji.
5) Twitter Integration
Ok, so you knew about this… but seriously with there being countless twitter client apps, does anyone use it!?
Did you know these hints? Would you actually use any of them? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.
Welcome to the latest component of Social Gadget – App Focus, where we take a weekly look at the most interesting, useful, fun, quirky and generally just great social apps available. This week, we’re looking at Flipboard.
Image via CrunchBase
Flipboard creates a digital magazine tailored for you from the information you wish to view. This includes full integration from your twitter, Facebook and Tumblr feeds along with a number of image based sharing sites/apps including instagram. In addition, Flipboard has cleverly set up deals with a great many publishers to share their content as well, allowing you to select your interests from a wide range of sources. Niche journals such as National Geographic, Rolling Stone and Glamour magazine, right up to your run off the mill newspapers such as The Guardian all have content to be viewed should you so chose.
It is the way content is viewed that is spectacular though.
Articles, tweets and photos are displayed magnificently; really bringing the content to life. By ‘flipping’ between pages you view your feeds and can favourite posts to receive similar content in the future. If interested in a particular article or photo simply click it to read it in full. The delivery is flawless and really adds something to each posting. By being connected to your social networks you can post, comment, ‘like’ and ‘retweet’ articles all from within the app at the touch of a button which is a really neat addition.
Providing a new and fresh way to view the material that matters to you most is always welcomed. Flipboard handles this sublimely making it definitely one to check out!
Flipboard is available free for iPhone and iPad on the app store.
Stream giant of the States, Netflix has finally brought its services to the UK this week. While only offering streaming services (direct to home DVD rental is not an option) it still provides a tantalising alternative to what is becoming a now crowded market. With alternatives such as Amazon owned LoveFilm and Sky’s Sky Go services already established, is there room for Netflix to slot into the market? Having lived with it for a few days now, I’m inclined to say yes!
Perhaps what is most striking about using Netflix is it’s gorgeous, clean set up. Having felt that other services are often a little too cluttered when trying to chose what you would like to watch, Netflix does away with this, simply showing the genre and the appropriate cover art for titles. Where this again succeeds is that this implementation is used across the board, regardless of the platform you’re viewing from.
This leads to another strength, Netflix is accessible anywhere. With full support for the 3 major consoles, internet TV, iOS and Android and of course PC and Mac – Viewable on up to 2 devices at a time, Netflix’s library is truly available to you wherever you may be. The library, however is sadly not as strong as it might be.
Sky has exclusivity to the newest films in the UK and this probably won’t change anytime soon. Sadly though, Netflix does seem to suffer beyond this limitation with the majority of it’s titles being from 2006 or prior (at least this is what I have seen over the few days I have been using the service). On the plus side, Netflix have managed to land themselves some great TV show titles which are bound to prove a popular selling point. The film library, whilst not the most up to date, does have some stellar titles among it. A step above the competition is that a healthy chunk of these titles are available in HD. Having tested the service on a fairly modest internet connection I can say that movies do look great, perhaps not Full HD, but certainly a step above SD. Deciding what to watch is handled brilliantly thanks to a well conceived rating system.
quick, simple rating system helps find the best of the library for your needs
When you first sign up to use the service, you’re prompted to take a couple of seconds to suggest a few genres you are interested in viewing. This is worth doing as it allows Netflix to begin instantly tailoring it’s library to you. By taking a few seconds after viewing material to review it on a simple 5 star system, it allows for the library to be further adjusted to your needs; suggesting similar films, films by the same director and so forth. It works brilliantly and what’s more with full Facebook integration you can see what films your friends have been watching also. Don’t worry you don’t have to share this information should you happen to watch material perhaps a little “questionable” to be displayed to your friends *cough*
Right now, Netflix is available on a one month free trial at www.netflix.com/uk after such time the service will come in at £5.99/month on a cancel any time contract for unlimited, ad free viewing. Netflix dominate the US market in this field and you can bet they look set to do the same in the UK. This will undoubtedly mean that they expand upon the library to match if not surpass that of the competition making it a very appeal service indeed. While it’s free with no obligations to continue to use the service at the end of your trial, I thoroughly recommend taking a look for your self.
Location sharing kings Foursquare have added ‘Events’ to the mix of ways you can share what you’re up to and where with your friends. They have managed to team up with 3 media giants to cover their event bases with ESPN handling sporting events, Movietickets.com providing information for all you cinema goers and Songkick covering music concerts.
It seems a logical decision to support events given the number of new ‘venues’ that crop up surrounding big events. ESPN will also be providing fun facts and trivia associated with particular check ins.
Events are now live on iPhone and at Foursquare.com with support for other platforms to follow shortly.
RT @RockstarGames: Who's up for a bit of brutal blood sport? PS2 classic Manhunt is now available to download on the @PlayStation Store: ht… 5 days ago
Royal mile closed from the Radisson down, apparent hostage situation! 6 days ago
