In one of the clearest examples of how everyday users of technology sometimes don’t understand it – and the developers of that technology haven't fixed it – the Meta AI app is allowing deeply personal, private, and altogether embarrassing content to be shared to its “Discover” tab. And those personal questions can spread to Facebook and Instagram.

This is precisely the worst place for questions like “Tips for asking an Asian girl about dating older men” and “Can my wife see [the questions I ask]?"

Let’s briefly back up: The Meta AI app launched in April. It uses Meta’s own large language model, Llama, which acts as a chatbot for users. In that way, it’s like ChatGPT or the Google Gemini app. You ask it a question, and it provides answers.

But the truly cursed part of this app is that those questions can somehow become public to other users, and clearly, not enough users realize it.

Why the Meta AI app is confusing users so much that they put their private questions into a public feed

The Meta AI app looks a lot like the Instagram app. There’s a Home tab, a Notifications tab, a History tab, and a Discover tab. The Discover tab is a lot like the Explore tab on Instagram – it’s a stream of content produced by other users of the Meta AI app. A lot of it is "AI slop" -- low-quality, AI-generated images of like, Cookie Monster in handcuffs or Pennywise the evil clown as a baby. And between the slop are questions the users very likely didn't intend for anyone else to see.

Why does this happen? There’s a confusing button in the top right of your chats with the Meta AI app called “Share.” Do not press if you are asking a private question.

That “Share” button essentially turns your question into a piece of content -- a "public prompt" -- posted to the Discover feed. The instructions are vague, and you might think hitting “post” wouldn’t result in your content appearing in the Discover feed. There's a one-time warning, but that's it.

You might also have just made a mistake. After being notified that hitting the “post” button would put your content in the Discover feed one time, you are no longer met with the warning on subsequent shares.

Even worse, these public prompts could show up on Facebook and Instagram as "suggested" prompts for other users.

How to stop the Meta AI app from posting your questions to the Discover feed or on Instagram or Facebook

Thankfully, you can delete public prompts in the Meta AI app. You click on your user icon in the upper right corner, click “view profile,” and you’ll see those prompts. You can long-press on each and be met with the option to delete it.

You can also adjust the settings to avoid this sort of thing, which we can't stress enough, shouldn't have happened in the first place, given the history of digital design innovation and research in the last few decades.

We digress: Go to "Data and privacy," click "Manage your Information," and then select "Make all public prompts visible to only you." Click "Apply to all."

Next, go back to the "Data and privacy" menu, click on "Suggesting your prompts on other apps," and uncheck Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook has more than 3 billion users, and the Meta AI app is available in 22 countries. When designing content for oceans of people, especially when your app clearly states that any questions you ask are private, why add a “social” element?

The answer is obvious if you’re Meta, a publicly traded company that relies on engagement and growth numbers to continually move up.

The Meta AI app: Bad design or bad thinking?

A thriving Discover section of the app – and which pieces of content a user clicks on in that app – is another data source about user interests, which Facebook can bundle and sell to advertisers. It’s just like Instagram’s Explore tab.

Is Meta AI's obtuse UI to blame, or is the vagueness intentional to get more content in the Discover feed? It could be both. It feels like a situation where Hanlon's razor could be applied: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”

More from Laptop Mag

• "Buckle up": Meta's Mark Zuckerberg warns of "intense" year filled with A
• In OpenAI, Google, and Meta's AI arms race, the real loser in 2024 was privacy
• Meta looks to bring a much-desired ChatGPT feature to Meta AI

In February, Facebook parent company Meta made headlines by announcing plans to create a standalone Meta AI app to compete with ChatGPT.

Previously, Meta AI had only been available through the company's web portal and apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, and the suggestion of it becoming an app of its own fell in line with CEO Mark Zuckerberg's goal to put the AI assistant in the hands of over 1 billion people by the end of 2025.

While the news drew mild interest, Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT creators OpenAI, responded with sarcasm — and a smirk.

"Ok fine maybe we'll do a social app," he posted in reply to the news on X. A snarky, digital equivalent of a retina-snapping eye-roll. Following up on his comment, Altman continued, "lol if Facebook tries to come at us and we just Uno reverse them it would be so funny."

At the time, this was chalked up to nothing more than CEO reply-guy banter. However, recent news suggests it was anything but. Reportedly, OpenAI is working on its own social network, turning what was once an off-handed joke into potentially serious competition for both Elon Musk's xAI and Meta.

OpenAI's social media ambitions: From snark to prototype

According to The Verge, OpenAI has quietly been working on a social platform of its own, similar to Elon Musk's xAI-owned X.

While OpenAI has yet to officially announce any such plans, sources tell The Verge that an internal prototype pairing ChatGPT's image generation tools with a social feed currently exists — and that CEO Sam Altman has been "privately asking outsiders for feedback" about the project.

It's not yet known whether this tool will stand on its own or eventually be integrated into ChatGPT, or if it'll ever reach the light of day.

However, the mere suggestion that the company has a prototype in play could set alarm bells ringing for other platforms, especially now that ChatGPT has overtaken both Instagram and TikTok as the world's most downloaded non-gaming app.

The news is sure to put further strain on an already frayed relationship between CEOs Altman and Musk, with the two already engaged in a lawsuit and countersuit over OpenAI's claimed breach of contract for straying from its founding mission as a non-profit and Musk's supposed "bad-faith tactics" towards OpenAI, respectively.

Harkening back to another tongue-in-cheek post from Altman on X, OpenAI's interest in entering the social media game may have been further revealed in February.

Following Musk's apparent offer to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion, Altman replied, "No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want."

Perhaps we should be taking Altman's social media posts more literally in the future.

What's next

Does OpenAI really want to become the next Facebook?

It sounds absurd. But then again, so does a talking robot assistant that takes over all forms of human thought, creativity, and planning while taking the form of a personal dietitian, psychologist, event planner, graphic designer, and guidance counselor.

Yet here we are.

Until now, OpenAI has largely played the role of infrastructure provider. It presents tools like ChatGPT and Sora for others to use. The most social element of each is the human-like responses made possible by its advanced LLMs (large language models).

A shift like the one reported changes that landscape considerably and potentially in a way that people may not respond positively to. Part of ChatGPT's appeal may be that it isn't tied into wider, more distracting social experiences like Grok and Meta AI.

Whether or not this prototype makes it to release has yet to be seen. Altman's prior tweets may have aged suspiciously well concerning today's news, but that doesn't guarantee them true prophetic status. Not yet, anyway.

More from Laptop Mag

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Meta ran into some major issues on Wednesday.

Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Threads all went down on Wednesday afternoon with tens of thousands of users reporting that they were unable to use the service or log in.

While service has since been mostly restored as of about 2:30 p.m. Eastern, some issues with direct messaging persist. People have naturally flooded platforms like X to vent their frustrations. Here's a recap of Meta's outage.

A widespread problem

It's a bad day to be addicted social media. Instagram and Meta's entire suite of social apps, including Facebook, Messenger, and Threads, are all down on Tuesday in a major outage affecting all of Meta's major services.

Instagram released an official statement on X following the outage, attributing the outage to a "technical issue."

Reports are flooding in

There's no official cause for the outage yet, but reports peaked at about 1:30 p.m. Eastern on DownDetector, reaching about 75,000 for Instagram and 100,000 for Facebook.

Meta's loss is X's gain

Naturally, people flooded to the nearest social platform to vent their frustrations.

It may be a bad day for Meta, but X is reaping all the benefits.

Here's what the uploading experience looked like during Instagram's outage at 2:10 p.m. Eastern.

Service returning to normal

Luckily for anyone in desperate need of a doomscroll, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Threads are being restored quickly, though some issues with messages have persisted.

At 2:25 p.m. Eastern, DownDetector reports have gone down steadily and, anecdotally, Laptop Mag staff were able to refresh feeds like normal.

Refreshing direct messages, however, brings up an error message that reads "We're sorry, but something went wrong. Please try that again."

Update (March 5, 2024 @ 12:25 a.m.): Reports of service disruption on DownDetector are dipping as Meta addresses the issues on its platforms. Andy Stone of Meta Communications is now reporting that service should now resume as normal.

Update (March 5, 2024 @ 11:52 a.m.): Meta's service tracker is now showing "Recovering from disruptions" against a number of affected services, indicating that the issue is in the process of being resolved.

Update (March 5. 2024 @ 11:45 a.m.): Meta's service tracker is now reporting "Major Disruptions" across more services linked with Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. As a result, users will have trouble logging into services and sending messages on Meta platforms.

Is Facebook down? Yes it is! Along with several other Meta-owned social platforms such as Instagram and even WhatsApp. If you're unable to access Facebook or Instagram, the problem (thankfully) isn't on your end! Early reports are indicating that the Meta-owned social media platforms are both down globally amid a potential service outage.

Website outage tracker DownDetector is currently reporting issues with Facebook, Instagram, Facebook messenger, and riding reports of issues with WhatsApp as parent company Meta are seemingly being struck by some form of issue.

Facebook lacks its own outage tracker, but Meta for Business does not, and it's currently reporting "Major Disruptions" across the Meta Admin Center, Facebook Login, WhatsApp Business API, and Marketing API.

It's not all doom and gloom, however. Amid the outage Elon Musk has taken to Twitter/X to add a slight bit of levity to Meta's ongoing problems:

Meta website outage: Has my account been hacked?

There is no reason to believe that the current outages are any form of cyber attack or hacking incident. Outages like this are common for many websites online and there is likely no need to panic or assume the worst.

If you want to be doubly sure, once you can log into Facebook once more, be sure to follow our guide on how to log all of your devices out of your Facebook account, to be certain that only the devices you've authorized are able to access your profiles.

Meta website outage: How do I log back in to Facebook or Instagram?

If you've been logged out of your social media accounts due to the outage and are struggling to log back in, don't panic!

There's nothing wrong with your account, but the websites themselves are currently experiencing issues. This appears to stretch to Facebook and WhatsApp messenger also, so don't be alarmed if messages aren't currently sending.

The current issue appears to lie with Meta (the owner of Facebook and Instagram), which will no doubt be aware of the issue and working to resume normal service as soon as possible. Until then, there's not a great deal you can do but wait.

Thankfully, service disruptions for Facebook or Instagram are relatively short-lived and we expect normal service to resume shortly.

This story is currently breaking and we will update this article as the story develops.

More from Laptop Mag

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• Facebook making strange noises? It's not just you! How to fix Meta's chirping bug
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Your Instagram Stories are about to get a lot more interesting. Yesterday, Instagram released a new AI media editing tool in the US that lets you remove your existing background and replace it with an AI-generated background based on your unique text prompt.

In the example posted by Meta employee Ahmad Al-Dahle on Threads (via TechCrunch), it's possible to surround yourself with puppies, put yourself under the Aurora Borealis, or get chased by dinosaurs in your Instagram Story—all with just a few taps. Here's how to use Instagram's new GenAI-powered editing tool to generate cool backgrounds for your Stories.

How to create an AI-generated background on Instagram Stories

Instagram's new GenAI-powered background editor works by first removing your photo's background, and then using a text prompt from you to generate a new AI background for your Story. Here's the step-by-step process to follow.

1. Snap a new photo for your story, or upload a picture from your camera roll. 

2. Once you're in the Story editing screen, tap the backdrop button to the left of the text button (Aa icon).

3. Tapping this button will automatically remove your background and pull up a text box for you to type your image prompt. Suggestions from Ahmad Al-Dahle's post on Threads include "surrounded by puppies," "being chased by dinosaurs," and "in a sea of green slime."

In Al-Dahle's Threads post, it looks like you might be given two different AI-generated backgrounds to choose from before posting it to your Instagram Story. If you come across an AI backdrop Story shared by someone else, you'll see a "Try it" sticker with the prompt they used so you can test it out for yourself.

Although this feature officially rolled out yesterday in the US, it could take some time for updates to fully reach everyone's Instagram app. If you don't see the new backdrop button in your Story editing screen, you don't have access to the new GenAI-powered feature just yet.

If you're itching to try out more AI-powered image tools, check out how to create generative AI images from Google Search.

The price many of us pay in exchange for using social media apps and most websites  is a lack of privacy for our data. Sure, there are some websites and apps that let you browse in private. But for most free apps and websites, selling our data to third-party companies is how the app or website remains profitable enough to stay free for the public.

Meta is certainly no exception, but a recent announcement (via Lifehacker) advertises a few extra controls in the Accounts Center section of Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger that could give you more privacy. Some features aren't privacy-related, like downloading photos you've uploaded to Facebook and Instagram or transferring your Instagram photos and videos to other services.

One new setting, however, allows you to "manage how information other businesses send to us is connected to your Facebook and Instagram accounts." You can see which businesses are currently sharing data with Meta, clear all previous data, and even prevent future activity tracking from taking place. Here's how to access this new privacy feature to prevent Instagram from tracking your web activity.

How to disable web tracking in your Instagram app

Most people are aware that Instagram is tracking our web activity in some way. Until now, all we could do is roll our eyes when we see an Instagram ad for a product or service we were just looking at in our phone's web browser, or stop using the app—but then where would we share our photo collections with friends and family? 

This new setting from Meta allows us a tiny bit of extra control over our browsing data. The feature is still rolling out to everyone, but here's how to access the setting once it reaches your app.

1. Open your Instagram app and tap on your profile picture in the bottom right corner.

2. From your Instagram profile, tap on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner and select Settings and privacy at the top of the pop-up menu.

3. Select Accounts Center, which should be the first menu option on the screen.

4. Select Your information and permissions, and then Your activity off Meta technologies.

5. Once you're here, you have a few options. You can tap Recent activity to see which apps have been sending information to Meta, Disconnect specific activity to stop certain apps from sending data, Clear previous activity to wipe all previously sent data to Instagram, and Manage future activity to stop businesses from sending data in the future.

If you select Manage future activity, and then choose Disconnect future activity, the app will clear your previous activity as well. The blurb under this option reads "We'll disconnect information that businesses and organizations send us about your interactions with them."

When you use other apps, including your phone's browser app, Lifehacker explains that "the companies that manage those platforms collect your data." That data can be, and often is, sold to Meta and linked to your Instagram profile so you'll see personalized ads that you're more likely to click on.

Some people like this personalized experience, but it's a smart idea to take back your browsing privacy whenever you have the chance to.

Gaining followers on Instagram can be a difficult task, so when you’ve finally amassed a large following, you don’t want to lose it. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t have a native feature that lets you see who unfollowed you or easily track how many people have unfollowed you. You can receive notifications when someone follows you, but not when someone unfollows you.

It’s easy to manually check your followers if you want to see if a specific person unfollowed you, but for large numbers of followers, manually checking is way too tedious. A third-party app, like FollowMeter, is a more convenient, time-saving option. FollowMeter keeps track of your followers and tells you exactly who unfollowed your account whenever you need an update.

How to use FollowMeter to see who unfollowed you on Instagram

There are plenty of other third-party apps out there, but FollowMeter is currently the best. Instagram has tried to change its rules to stop some of these third-party apps from functioning properly, so FollowMeter may not always be an option to see who unfollowed you on Instagram — but for now, it is. Here’s how to connect FollowMeter to your Instagram account and see who’s unfollowing you.

1. Download the FollowMeter app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

2. Launch the FollowMeter app and log in with your Instagram username and password.

3. After successfully logging in, the app takes a few seconds to analyze your Instagram account and provide detailed metrics.

4. Once you’ve paired your account with FollowMeter, you can select the Unfollowers tab to view which accounts have unfollowed you. 

It’s important to note that you’ll only see new unfollowers after pairing your Instagram account with FollowMeter. If you want to see who unfollowed you prior to you downloading FollowMeter, your only option is the tedious manual method.

As with any third-party app that gains your login credentials to another account, you’ll want to be careful. If your Instagram login is the same as your login everywhere else — which it really shouldn’t be — then maybe change your password to something unique before pairing your Instagram account with FollowMeter as a preventative security measure in case of data breaches. If you’re worried you won’t remember your new password, look into using a password manager.

The Backbone One is easily my favorite smartphone game controller, but the launch of iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro has raised some questions about the future of it.

Namely, there are two: will the USB-C version for Android be compatible? And what’s happening to the pre-existing Lightning option? 

To answer these real quick, thanks to a universal technology (patent-pending), the Android version will work with new iPhones, and if you already have an old model, you’re going to have to pony up for a new one.

USB-Cya soon, Lightning controller!

With the likes of Resident Evil Village and Assassin's Creed Mirage debuting on iPhone 15 Pro over the next few months, a controller will be needed. Backbone has answered the call with Universal Compatibility for its USB-C model across both iOS and Android.

If you are making the jump to the iPhone 15 series, and you already have a Backbone for your pre-existing model, it’s time to trade up. Every new Backbone sold from the launch of the new iPhone onwards will have this tech built-in with no additional firmware needed.

Meanwhile, if you already have a USB-C version of the Backbone, it will automatically receive a firmware update through the Backbone app to be made compatible with USB-C iPhones. 

This does mean that if you have a Lightning version of the controller, you are left high and dry with the need to buy another controller, though.

Outlook

Let's be honest — this was the only scenario for iPhone users with a Backbone One. There was never going to be a lightning to USB-C adapter sold separately because the rigidity of the device’s controller would be compromised, and the ergonomics would be thrown way off.

It’s going to mean another purchase for those who have loved Backbone in the past, which is a little annoying. However, with the likes of the above games and Death Stranding (as Hideo Kojima announced on his Instagram) coming to the iPhone, a controller is going to be essential, and this is one of the best.

The iPhone 15 lineup will arrive shortly, but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning. According to a report in TechRadar, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could come with up to 2TB of storage, which should outpace the iPhone 15 Pro Max. 

However, storage is expensive, and the S24's rumored 2TB's could see the Ultra surpass the Galaxy Z Fold 5 with 1Tb ($2,159.99) of storage in price. If 1TB costs over $2,000, would 2TB cost $2,500? Also, that is just a massive expense for anyone to swallow, but some can argue for such an expense. 

Who needs 2TB of Storage? 

The average smartphone user can get by with 256GB of storage, especially when using cloud storage options like Google Drive and iCloud. However, some are extreme users, like content creators who film many videos and take tons of photos to share on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram. 

That specific use case will have you devouring precious storage rapidly, especially with today's high-end phone cameras that are capable of filming in 4 and 8K, which create larger files. Filming videos in 4 and 8K while taking high-resolution photos, eats storage faster than I can devour a plate of my favorite pasta.

When you add that many influencers also edit and save on their devices, you're constantly going through storage. I have had to periodically offload media from my devices onto a hard drive or cloud drive because I get that annoying running out of storage warning every few months. I even pay Apple and Google for extra cloud storage, which I must go through once every six months to offload media to my 32 TB OWC ThunderBay 4 drive. 

Some handy storage suggestions

Having 2TB of storage will be a huge help, but it will cost consumers a lot of money. I suggest trying to understand what your storage consumption is before hauling off and buying what could be a $2,500 phone. If you're sharing photos with friends and family, you don't need 1 or 2TB of storage and can get by with 256GB or even 128GB of storage while backing up your media onto a cloud drive or your computer. 

I would make it a habit of going through your photos and videos periodically. Nobody needs 47 pictures of their ex passed out on the couch or 4,000 cat and cute puppy memes. 

Lastly, other phones are coming that may meet the exact storage requirements and cost much less. The upcoming OnePlus 12 tends to bring Flagship specs at bargain price points. I would wait until at least the end of February 2024 to shop for a new phone unless you're absolutely devoted to one brand. Which is fine, but your loyalty may cost you a ton more. 

“Haha! Android users weep!” one TikTok comment said. “Android users have left the chat!” another said.” Comments flooded the short-form video platform as one creator demonstrated an Instagram story hack that requires one to use a new-ish iOS 16-born iPhone feature.

iPhone owners were foaming at the mouth at the opportunity to poke fun at Android for supposedly lacking this cool new perk, but little did they know that my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra could do the same (I’ll reveal which feature this is as the first entry in this list).

Consequently, the idea for this piece came to me. I wondered, “Are there any other Android features that people wrongly assume are iPhone exclusive?” I thought back to my own personal conversations with iPhone fans among my professional network and friendships, and came up with a short list of iPhone features people think are exclusive to IPhone, but aren't.

1. Lifting a subject from a photo

I’m sorry to burst your bubble iPhone devotees, but the iOS 16 Lift a subject from the photo background feature is not an iPhone-exclusive feature. My Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (yes an Android) can do the same. Just like you can press and hold a subject and iOS will isolate it from the background, you can perform the same gesture on a Galaxy S series phone and get the same results.

The name of this tool is called “Image Clipper” and it launched via an April One UI 5.1 update, according to our sister site AndroidCentral. This feature can be found on the following phone lines: Galaxy S23, S22, S21, S20, and Galaxy Fold.

What’s different about iPhone’s version of the tool, however, is that, thanks to iOS 17 (which is expected to roll out to the general public later this year), you’ll have the opportunity to do more with the “Lift a subject from the photo background perk.” For example, you can use this tool to transform your photos into Stickers that you can save and share with your friends.

 2. Android users can join FaceTime calls, too

Android users can, indeed, join FaceTime calls, but keep in mind that they cannot launch FaceTime calls. Only iPhone users can initiate FaceTime calls. iPhone users, you can thank Apple for rolling out this new feature with iOS 15.

iPhone users can open the FaceTime app on their phone, create a join link, and share it with their Android-owning friends and family. After clicking the link, Android users can join the FaceTime call, which will launch in their browser (e.g., Chrome or Edge.). 

Android users stopped being left out of the FaceTime party when Apple announced this feature at WWDC 2021. 

3.  Android has an AirDrop equivalent

I asked YouTuber MrMorbile, a tech, phone-focused creator with over one million subscribers, for help coming up with this third one. AirDrop is one of the most trumpeted, beloved and heralded features in the Apple ecosystem, allowing users to seamlessly share files from one iDevice to another. However, I hate to break it to you iPhone stans, but Android has a pretty good AirDrop equivalent called “Nearby Share.”

No, Android users aren’t emailing themselves to transfer photos and documents from their phones to their PCs. Instead, they can download a Google desktop app called Nearby Share, which lets them zip off files from their phones, and vice versa, in seconds.

Bottom line

If you’re an iPhone user, perhaps these surprised you. If so, I’m glad I taught you something new today. I’d also imagine that even some Android users had no earthly idea they had access to some of these features (please stop emailing yourselves). 

On the other hand, if you already knew that these perks were not iPhone exclusive, good for you! While I have you here, be sure to check out our “We asked 5 phone experts” series that dives into features Android has that iPhone doesn’t and features iPhone has that Android doesn’t.

As a solo traveler, people look at me like I have five heads when I carry around a selfie stick and a tripod. It's easy to ignore the "Pfft, what a loser" stares, but as someone who enjoys blending in, the clunky gear often attracts curious strangers. I prefer to take in the beautiful sites alone, hence the words solo traveler, but selfie sticks and tripod are people magnets.

Cue the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the new-and-improved foldable flip phone Samsung unveiled at Unpacked 2023.

Admittedly, its updates are mainly iterative, but the enlarged cover display and enhanced camera software make it the best phone for travelers, particularly those who prefer to trot the globe by themselves.

Flex Mode is elite for solo travel

I reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, and the one thing I gushed about the most is Flex Mode. This posture lets you transform the phone into a chair-like position, allowing you to place it on any surface to take hands-free photos. 

Take a look at this picture I took during a trip to San Francisco. With the Galaxy Z Flip 4's Flex Mode. I just placed that bad boy on a surface and I could capture a good chunk of my body without bugging strangers with "Can you take a picture of me?"

Compared to my Galaxy S22 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Plus, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 appeared to capture so much more of myself in selfies. With the Galaxy Z Flip 5's debut, Samsung highlighted some of its best new Flex Mode features:

• Thanks to auto framing, you can set the phone down in Flex Mode and the camera can shift from wide to ultrawide to capture more subjects in the shot.
• You can use your Galaxy Watch to control the Galaxy Z Flip 5's camera remotely while placing it down in Flex Mode. In other words, you can snap photos, record videos, and zoom in — all from your wrist. 

Even when I'm traveling with a friend, asking for strangers to take photos of us can be a nuisance. As such, the new autoframing feature appears to be a lifesaver because it can detect when another subject is in the shot. And as a result, it will switch to the ultrawide shooter.

On top of that, controlling my Galaxy Z Flip 5's camera with my Galaxy Watch (without needing to walk up to it, press a button, and step back again) is another feature that will benefit solo travelers.

The cover display gives you easy access to your plane tickets (and more)

The Galaxy Z Flip 5's cover display jumped from a measly 1.9-inch panel to a 3.4-inch display that adds more convenience for solo travelers. Here are some of the cool things you can do on the new-and-improved, 720 x 748-pixel Super AMOLED panel:

• You can select the aspect ratio you want for your pictures directly on the cover display. For example, if you want to take a 1:1 photo for your Instagram feed, but a 9:16 video for TikTok, you can make that happen.
• The enlarged cover display lets you zoom in or out for portraits.
• The cover display features an adaptive brightness feature, so while you're outdoors, the panel should be brighter, but when you're indoors, it'll be dimmer.
• You can use it to quickly access your boarding pass.

I dig that Samsung lets users access camera settings via the new cover display. No need to unfold the phone and waste time — it's all right there in front of you. On top of that, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 appears to let you have all of your documents within reach on the cover display, whether it's a boarding pass, excursion ticket, coupon, ID, or a QR code.

The camera software is a showstopper

Samsung only made minor upgrades to the Galaxy Z Flip 5's triple-camera array (e.g.,  the selfie camera has a wider aperture for better nightography), but it's the enhanced camera software that caught my eye for solo travel. Thanks to a boost from AI for the rear cameras, Samsung claims that Galaxy Z Flip 5 photos are now less noisier, crisper, and sharper compared to its predecessor.

Bokeh effects are better than ever, too, thanks to the AI Stereo Depth Map feature. Your social media followers will surely gush over your solo travel pictures if you take the Galaxy Z Flip 5 with you as your companion.

Bottom line

I'm not convinced the Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be of great use for homebodies and travel-averse users, but if you're a solo globetrotter, I can't think of a better phone to get than the fifth-generation Galaxy Z Flip phone.

You can ditch the tripods and selfie sticks and use Flex Mode. I prefer to travel light, and unfortunately, all that gear can add unnecessary weight to my shoulders, which is why I appreciate the Galaxy Z Flip 5 in all of its travel-friendly glory. Plus, it's super pocketable and can fit comfortably into your jeans' pocket (something I bet you can't do with whatever phone you currently own).

The Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C tablet is reminiscent of the Kindle, which I’ve owned for more than five years, but the Amazon tablet has always felt limited to me. Leaving notes is cumbersome, its software is exclusively designed for Amazon customers, and reading visuals (e.g., maps and comics) isn’t as thrilling as it’s on paper. At the same time, I crave its calming, strain-free, e-ink display after hours of looking at screens every day. I often wished I could use it to browse the web or sift through Twitter. A new e-reader tablet from China-based Onyx ticks all those boxes and might just be what I’ve been looking for.  

Onyx’s latest Boox Ultra Tab C is equipped with a 10.3-inch, e-Ink screen — just like a Kindle. There are two key differences, though: its E-Ink panel supports color, so that it’s not restricted to mostly text. Plus, it runs Android, which lets you use it as any traditional tablet, giving you access to all your apps, including Google Docs, Instagram, and Twitter (or Meta’s new Threads) —  all on a paper-like screen. It even has a 16-megapixel camera on the back to take selfies or scan documents; it’s got a pair of speakers as well as mics for calls, too. 

Calling the Boox Ultra Tab C an e-reader would be an understatement. The bundled stylus replicates the pen-and-paper experience and lets you scribble on it. And if you’re not especially keen on writing longhand, you can snap an optional keyboard case to the pogo pins on the tablet’s bottom. These perks come at a price, though. At $600, the Boox Ultra Tab C costs more than double Amazon’s nicest Kindle options. I’ve spent weeks with it — is it worth it? 

Where to buy? You can get the BOOX Tab Ultra C ePaper Tablet @ Amazon for $599

The Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C tablet design and build

Boox Ultra Tab C isn’t built like an e-reader. Its slate design is encased in a cold metallic frame with flat, chamfered edges. Though the stealthy look doesn’t stand out, it’s luxurious to hold and offers the understated elegance you’d expect from a premium tablet. It’s also sturdy and feels like it won’t come apart if you accidentally drop it, which I did a couple of times. That’s not always an upside, however. 

The Tab C weighs 1.05 pounds — more than the 11-inch iPad Pro — and holding it with one hand to read for prolonged periods isn’t the most comfortable. It can start to feel like an arm workout after half an hour or so, and I often end up just gripping with both hands. Unlike say, the Kindle Oasis, it’s not thicker on one end to ensure the center of gravity rests in whatever hand you’re holding it with, and therefore, it feels, unfortunately, less like a magazine or book folded back, and more like a screen. The large 10.3-inch screen and sharp corners don’t help its case here. 

That’s likely because the Tab C is meant for more, and an uneven back doesn’t fare well when you’re scribbling on it. Although I got used to it over time, I’d still prefer my plastic 7-inch Kindle to read. So if you plan to mostly consume text, you may want to consider Onyx’s smaller, 7-inch alternative. 

The Tab C does borrow one, handy design trait from the Kindle for better ergonomics. Its screen is off-centered and has an extended bezel on the left side that you can clutch without worrying about inadvertently flipping the book you’re reading. 

There are a couple of more nice touches. The power button at the top houses a fingerprint sensor that’s quick and easy to set up. The speakers, though they won’t replace your headphones, are plenty loud and clear for calls and music. 

The Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C tablet display

The Boox Ultra Tab C’s 10.3-inch panel is made up of two screens to accomplish a color e-Ink experience. One is a high-res (2480 x 1860) monochrome screen, and on top of it lies a typical LCD module (1240 x 930) that springs into action to render color and motion pictures like when you want to stream videos or play a games. 

The result is a smooth and versatile E-Ink tablet. Text appears razor sharp, thanks to the 300-ppi-capable monochrome screen, and the LCD panel produces subtle and pastel-esque colors, which while not as vibrant as an iPad, feel right at home alongside the rest of the black-and-white E-Ink experience. 

Like any E-Ink tech, you’ll notice a ghosting effect on the Ultra Tab C when you turn pages and navigate between various Android apps, but the tablet wipes out the shadows fairly quickly, and I was hardly bothered by it. The transitions, similarly, will look a bit glitchy as if the device’s flicking its light switches, but these are normal on such screens, and they won’t thwart your experience. 

What’s impressive about the Ultra Tab C is that you can customize its screen’s refresh rate, and how often it wipes off the ghosting crumbs. The “Fast” mode, for instance, eliminates interaction delays at the cost of poorer text quality and is ideal for standard tablet activities like scrolling social media. When I’m about to dive into a book before bed, I switch back to the “HD” mode that offers the crispest screen quality and minimizes ghosting effects — albeit with more lag between my touches and its responses. In the “Ultrafast” setting, you can even get by watching videos with passable details, though it won’t be nearly as smooth as you’re used to. 

Because the Ultra Tab C’s monochrome screen is laminated with an LCD one, its brightness level does take a hit compared to a Kindle. That still doesn’t mean the Ultra Tab C is difficult to view outdoors, however. Even under direct sunlight, the included backlight does a decent job to keep its content readable. My only pet peeve with it is the omission of an auto-brightness sensor. 

The bottom line is the Boox Ultra Tab C’s screen is a joy to use. Over the last few weeks, I’ve consumed books, comics, lengthy Twitter threads, and more, and I have practically no complaints. Despite the LCD panel, shifting more of my online activities to an E-Ink screen has done wonders for my eye strain, and feels far less draining than a traditional tablet or a smartphone. 

The Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C tablet accessories

One of the highlights of the Boox Ultra Tab C, for me, has been the bundled stylus pen. I’ve never found writing on a screen natural and have stuck to typing, but the Ultra Tab C was a different story. Jotting down notes on its distraction-free E-Ink display feels much closer to the pen-and-paper experience. The stylus’ matte surface is pleasant to hold, and whether I’m doodling over a document or sketching, its tip is precise enough to let me comfortably reproduce my handwriting. There’s little delay in the tablet’s response too, and the pen can magnetically latch onto one of its sides. 

There is room for improvement, though. The stylus works best on Onyx’s built-in note-taking and markup apps. Fire it up on Evernote and Google Notes, and you’ll face more input lags. I also wish there was a faster way to launch a new note, perhaps from the always-on lockscreen itself. 

The optional $110 keyboard folio case is another worthy companion for the Ultra Tab C and allows you to unlock new gear. The Tab C’s minor input lag adds up on the virtual keyboard, so if you plan to do any typing on it, the keyboard accessory is a must-have. Not only does its faux leather cover’s magnets protect both the tablet and the pen (especially when they’re in a backpack), Onyx’s keyboard shortcuts also let me navigate the software much faster. The 64 keys themselves are surprisingly tactile and spaced out, and I could reach my usual typing pace in no time. Part of me wishes it also had a trackpad. 

The Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C tablet software

The Onyx Ultra Tab C runs on an Android 11-based custom software and comes preloaded with the Google Play Store, unlike its predecessors. Like a typical Android tablet, you can install any app like Amazon Kindle, multitask between them in a split-screen view, and add widgets to the homescreen. You don’t have to, though: Onyx won’t ask you to log into your Google account when you set it up. 

Plus, Onyx preloads a bunch of handy apps for writing and reading. An app called “BooxDrop” was my favorite. It lets you send a link or a document from any computer or phone via a simple online link. The “Notes” app works well, too. There’s a variety of templates you can choose from, including spreadsheets, and staves for musical notes. The document scanner, on the other hand, is hit-or-miss. While it’s fine for capturing documents and annotating them, its OCR function was rarely accurate. 

Another highlight of the Ultra Tab C’s software was the pair of edge gestures. You can swipe up or down on the left and right edges to instantly tweak options like the brightness and screen color temperature. For example, it’s convenient when you are reading a book, and want a brighter screen as opposed to fiddling with the quick toggles you would on a Kindle. 

The Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C tablet battery life and performance

The Onyx Boox Ultra Tab C is powered by a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 octa-core chip, which has proven more than capable of handling the tasks it’s expected to handle. Even when I multitask between numerous apps like Microsoft Office and Google Chrome (as I would on an iPad), the Ultra Tab C hardly skipped a beat. It can run entry-level games, but struggles to smoothly render resource-intensive titles like Asphalt 8. But I doubt anyone would game on this device. 

Apart from that, there’s 4GB of RAM and 128GB onboard storage with microSD card support. Its 6,300 mAh battery, though, can’t go toe-to-toe with the Kindle’s month-long endurance. On a single charge, it lasts at least two weeks if I keep the brightness to the minimum, and use it for about two hours daily. It’s not compatible with fast charging and takes nearly three hours to go from zero to 100. 

Bottom line

The Onyx Boox Ultra Tab C delivers on its promises. Its color E-Ink screen is a game-changer for the e-reading experience, and the stylus turns into a dependable digital notebook. But at $600 ($666 for the keyboard bundle), it’s not affordable, and certainly can’t replace a traditional tablet as you would still need that for watching movies or playing games. So you need to have a clear idea of what you’re buying it for and for people who are just looking for a versatile reading companion and have no use for the keyboard, the $450 Boox Tab Mini C is a better deal.  

Threads, an Instagram app developed by Meta is expected to make its launch this Thursday after countdown timers have sprung up as an easter egg on the Instagram app and on the services’ web portal.

Described as an “Instagram for your thoughts,” Threads, known internally as ‘Barcelona’ of Project 92, is a text-only platform and direct competitor to Twitter. The Instagram sister app employs a similar look and feel to that of Twitter, offering a familiar safe haven to those becoming disillusioned with the digital home of Larry the Bird over the last year. 

Twitter: Hanging by a Thread?

The news of Meta’s latest social media launch couldn’t come at a worse time for Twitter, as the platform currently scrabbles to solve outages relating to “extreme levels of data scraping.” The issues have pressed Twitter into limiting the number of tweets users can access while the problem is resolved, causing many Twitter power users to consider leaving the troubled site behind.

Well, those users will have the chance to do just that, as this Thursday (July 6, 2023)  Zuckerberg’s Threads steps into the App-tagon to battle it out against Musk’s Twitter. Meta is keen to take advantage of Twitter's current issues, with Zuckerberg throwing the first punch long before he and Musk come face-to-face in their potential MMA cage match.

You can currently pre-register for Threads on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Stores, where on the day of release you’ll be able to log in with your current Instagram account and get straight to… Threading? You’ll carry over the same followers from Instagram too, meaning you’ll hit the ground running with an audience already eagerly awaiting your first words on the platform.

Outlook

It seems like every time a Twitter alternative dies, two more spring up to take its place. In spite of what anybody thinks of Elon Musk, the Twitter platform has shown impressive resilience in the face of great changes — and it’s even projected to turn an operating loss of hundreds of millions of dollars into operating at a profit for the first time ever at some point in the near future.

However, where Mastodon may have failed, apps like SkyBlue and Threads could see considerable success and Meta’s text-based social platform could be the blade that finally pierces the weakened carapace of Twitter, leaving it more vulnerable than ever.

Instagram, the internet’s largest repository for pictures of well-lit food and ground central for narcissistic personality disorders, has reportedly been hard at work creating a text-based application to rival Twitter. The news comes from Lia Haberman who, in her SubStack newsletter ICYMI, has detailed the project known internally as P92, Project 92, or ‘Barcelona’ after secret calls between Meta and select creators came to light.

Tagged as “Instagram for your thoughts,” the new text-based app will offer seemingly the exact same functionality as Twitter — in fact, it looks almost exactly like Twitter. Except it won’t be owned by a billionaire of dubious popularity. Oh, wait. Yes, it will be.

It's a shame the name Telegram is already taken

According to Haberman, the new text-based platform will have its own benefits, one of which being a 500-character post limit. Which, while bigger than Twitter’s 280-character limit base offering, pales in size next to Twitter Blue’s current 10,000-character limitations — and even when compared to Instagram’s own 2,200-character limit on picture captions.

The character cap is likely related to the new app’s claimed compatibility with Mastodon, another Twitter competitor that sprang to prominence during Elon Musk’s colonization of the bird-fronted social media site. This would allow users on other decentralized Mastodon-based apps to find and interact with both your new profile and content without requiring an Instagram account.

Hitting the ground running

Your profile, including handle, bio, and verification, will carry over from Instagram allowing you to maintain the same followers within the new app. This would let users instantly network with familiar faces in the new format, retaining any audience and popularity they may have previously gained without all of that “looking like an egg and shouting into the black heart of the digital abyss until somebody stumbles upon you by happenchance and follows you out of pity” hassle that most new social network users tend to suffer from. Or maybe that’s just me. 

Same old, same old?

Other features you’re likely to see on Instagram’s new app include the ability to attach links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes in length. Beyond this, the functionality of the app will seemingly be business as usual, feeds will showcase followers and recommended content, and you can like, reply and report content you wish to engage with.

When it comes to creator controls and safety the new app will also feature 2FA, and the ability to control replies to posts, mentions and block or report spam. Instagram familiars will also be able to carry over their block list and any hidden words they’ve selected, and all accounts will be subject to the same Instagram community guidelines currently in place.

Outlook

Twitter, a once unflappable landmark on the internet, appears to be in choppy waters as of late. And by choppy waters, I mean we haven’t seen waves of this magnitude in the digital space since Google pointed the finger at Ask Jeeves and proclaimed “The butler did it” before he was toted off in cuffs never to be seen from again.

Musk’s social media takeover has seen the platform suffer less of a revolutionary-styled beheading and more of a slow and steady bleed in terms of popularity. The blood in the water is causing the competition to circle like hungry sharks.

However, while a minority of users are kicking up a big stink about the platform’s current standing, the good ship Twitter remains afloat — and has turned an operating loss of hundreds of millions towards operating at a profit at some point in 2023.

This could be as much of a way for Meta to keep Instagram users within its own network of apps just as much as it would be to poach users from a rival. The expected great exodus of users to Mastodon or Bluesky wasn’t quite as impactful as many suspected, especially when these apps can’t seem to offer a definitive hook to lure people away from what they’ve become familiar and accustomed to over the last 16 years that Twitter has been freely available.

While nothing is set in stone, Haberman believes that parent company Meta is looking to push the new app towards a release in late June — meaning we won’t have long to see if Instagram’s text-based platform direction leads to something new and worthwhile, or treads the same old ground that leads to the stagnant swamp of failed clones we’ve seen in recent times.

Sometimes, words aren't enough to truly encapsulate our thoughts and feelings — you need GIFs. Fortunately, Instagram is finally allowing us to do just that.

On Wednesday, Meta announced Instagram users can now use GIFs to engage with Instagram posts and Reels. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to use the popular Homer-Simpson-backs-into-a-bush GIF every time someone posts an embarrassing picture or video of me. Curious about how you use this new GIF feature? Check out our easy-to-follow guide.

How to use GIFs on Instagram

That's it, enjoy expressing yourself on Insta in GIF form.

"How to see who blocked you on Instagram" is a popular query among users of the ultra-popular photo-and-video sharing app. However, after doing some research of my own, I have some bad news and some good news.

The bad news is, as far as I know, there isn't a way to get an organized list of every single person who's blocked you on Instagram. I did stumble upon this TikTok video that claimed the XProfile app lets you see who blocked you for a price, but while experimenting with it myself, it failed to reveal that my co-worker Jason England blocked me (for the purpose of this how-to). The moral of the story? Don't fall for third-party apps' deceptive claims.

On the plus side, the good news is that if you have suspicions that someone is has blocked you, there are signs that can help confirm your theory. 

How to tell someone blocked you on Instagram

As mentioned, for the purpose of this how-to, I asked my co-worker Jason England (@mrjasonengland) to block me on Instagram. 

Before he blocked me, I had the privilege of seeing everything on his profile, including his photos, videos and stories. 

However, after he blocked me, the following strange occurrences happened (which you can use to determine whether or not your person of interest blocked you, too).

• Jason's timeline of photos, videos and highlights were completely emptied.

• Whenever I tried to tap on the Follow button, the button appeared to "bug out" and refused to change to "Following."

• After logging out and logging back in, I searched for "mrjasonengland," but his username would not populate in search.

• Plugging in his Instagram URL into a browser showed me an error page that says, "Sorry, this page isn't available."

Keep in mind, however, that some of the "tells" highlighted here isn't a 100% goofproof. Perhaps the user deactivated or deleted their account. To know for sure, ask a friend if they can see your person of interest's account. If they can see it, sorry to say, but you've been blocked.

“How do you share a note on Instagram?” It’s a question a lot of people are asking since Meta dropped this new feature. Allow us to help!

Notes are, essentially, a smaller version of Twitter with a more personal touch — Instagram stories with text that allow you to share short messages of up to 60 characters to the top of the inboxes of your friends and closest followers.

Any replies to these notes are then served to you as DMs in your inbox. Here is a helpful quick guide to getting started with this new feature, which is only available in the U.S. at the moment.

How to share a note on Instagram

1. Head over to your messages inbox by tapping the messaging icon in the top right.

2. From here, just above your normal list of direct messages, you’ll see profile picture bubbles. Tap on your profile picture. You’ll also see it has the words Leave a note beneath it.

3. Type out your note and tap share. From here, you can choose who to share this with: Followers you follow back or your Close friends.

4. Make a selection and tap share in the top right to finish it off.

"How do I delete my Instagram account?" is a popular question among social media users who are ready to ditch the photo-sharing app once and for all. Of course, Facebook (the parent company of Instagram) doesn't make it easy for you to get rid of your Instagram account, so the deletion option isn't exactly easy to track down on your own.

You can't delete your Instagram within the app itself, so don't bother looking in Settings. But we've got you covered, once you know the steps for deleting an Instagram account, you'll see it's a quick and painless process, you just have to know where to look.

Keep in mind that deleting your Instagram is a permanent action. After a small window of time, you won't be able to retrieve your Instagram account, and you'll lose everything: your followers, likes and content.

How do I delete my Instagram account?

To delete your Instagram account, you have to visit the following URL: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent/

This will lead you a page that will inform you that if you need a break from Instagram, you can temporarily disable your account instead of deleting it. However, if you're still determined to get rid of your account for good, here are the steps you must take.

1. Ensure that you're logged into the right account that you'd like to delete.

2. You'll find a drop-down menu next to a question that asks, "Why do you want to delete [username]?" Select a reason.

3. Re-enter your password. 

4. Click on "Delete [username]."

Instagram will grant you a 30-day grace period to reverse the deletion. For example, if you decide to delete your account on Aug 1, you'll have until August 31 to retrieve your account if you change your mind. However, your profile and account details won't be visible from the day you delete it to the retrieval expiry date.

After 30 days, your account will be permanently deleted. However, Instagram may keep your information due to legal issues, term violations, harm-prevention efforts and more. You can read more about this on Instagram's data policy page.

What does it take to have the world's most liked Instagram snapshot? A smartphone camera, the chance to take a photo with Will Smith and oh, legions of fans. Justin Bieber beat other famous Instagram users such as Joe Jonas, Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Richie and Taylor Swift to take the top spot with some 1.5 million likes for his picture with "uncle Will". Instagram announced this news today along with other end-of-year roundups, including the most Instagrammed locations and hashtags. 

Posted in August, the image features a casually-dressed Bieber and Smith posing outside a house, with Smith making a sideways peace sign. Bieber has some 12 million followers on the photo-sharing network and 1,168 posts to date.

MORE: How To Use the New Instagram Direct

According to Instagram, about 55 million photos are uploaded to the network each day from around the world. The photo-sharing giant also released an update yesterday that lets users send snapshots to specific friends and followers, giving the app Twitter-like messaging capability.

Where are people taking the most Instagram pictures? According to the company's findings, it's Siam Paragon Mall in Bangkok, Thailand. New York City tops the Most-Instagrammed Cities list, while people were busiest Instagramming on Thanksgiving (also the first day of Hannukah). Thanks to events such as Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and the passing of Nelson Mandela, #love was 2013's most popular hashtag. 

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You've seen "selfies" all over Instagram. You've probably taken a few yourself. And now, the trendy self-portrait term has been declared 2013's Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries, beating out "bitcoin," "binge-watch" and the ever-topical "twerk."

Oxford Dictionaries immortalized the selfie movement in its blog, calling this year's choice a unanimous decision. The term was a part of Oxford's Words on the Radar feature in 2012, and officially became part of the English language earlier this year. While "selfie" has just recently become standard slang among smartphone addicts, Oxford notes that the term's usage can be traced all the way back to an Australian message board post in 2002 in which the writer stated "Sorry about the focus, it was a selfie."

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The rise of the selfie has given way to many variations on the term. According to Oxford, "helfie" is a hair-focused selfie, while a "belfie" sometimes references a user's rear end. An infographic on Oxford's website shows a steady rise of "selfie" usage over the past few years, and it's no surprise why. With photo filtering apps and front-facing smartphone cameras that are sharper than ever, it's never been this easy to snag a quick shot of yourself. And thanks to video sharing apps such as Vine, users can set their selfies into motion.

Given its ubiquity, selfie is a fitting choice for word of the year. As Oxford points out, "If it is good enough for the Obamas or The Pope, then it is good enough for Word of the Year."

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Nokia has reached a critical milestone in trying to close the app gap between Windows Phone and Android and iOS. During its Nokia World event, the company announced that Instagram and Vine will be among several apps to land on its Windows Phone 8 devices in the near future, including the new Lumia 1520 phablet.

Nokia didn’t specify a time frame, but simply said that Instagram would arrive on the platform within the “coming weeks.”

“Our ultimate goal is to bring Instagram to everyone who wants to use it,” Kevin Systrom, CEO and co-founder of Instagram said in a statement.

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Other apps that will be available for Windows Phone soon include Vine, WhatsApp, Flipboard, Papyrus and InNote. Dreamworks’ Dragon Adventure game will be heading to the Windows RT-based Lumia 2520 slate as well.

At the same time, Nokia unveiled some new first-party apps that will focus on enhancing capturing and sharing images. The new Nokia Storyteller, Nokia Video Director and Nokia Beamer apps will integrate with its HERE Maps platform to enable easier image sharing, the company said in a statement.

The Finnish smartphone maker is touting these media-centric apps as complements to its new 6-inch Lumia 1520-- the first phablet to join Nokia’s lineup of Windows Phone 8 devices. Not only is this the largest Windows Phone 8 handset yet, but it’s also the first to sport a 1080p display and run a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

Combine that with the 1520's 20-megapixel Carl Zeiss camera and a better app selection, and Windows Phone may stand a fighting chance against its iOS and Android competition this holiday season. Google and Apple’s mobile operating system currently dominate the U.S. smartphone market, but Microsoft appears to be making progress, recently seizing nearly 10 percent share in Europe.

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Have you Seene yourself in 3D lately? Released this week, Seene is a free Vine-like app that brings the third dimension to your iOS device, letting you take "3D pictures" of anything and share them with your friends. Of course, the images don't pop out from your screen like a holograph. What you actually get is a rotating image that reveals more angles of the photo in the style of iOS 7's parallax effect. We can think of plenty of fun, absurd uses for this and dug into the app that could be the 3D version of Vine.  

Interface

Seene looks very similar to other photo or video-sharing apps like Instagram and Vine. The home screen features a feed of all seenes that have been shared to the public gallery with  menu and camera buttons at the bottom. It took awhile to load the public seenes, since they are larger in size, and each one fills up the display horizontally. 

When you first open the app, the top half of the home screen is taken up by a welcome notice that prompts you to set up an account. 

The menu button at the bottom brings up options for Feed, My Profile, Discover and Help -  reminiscent of the four available on Vine. 

Taking a Seene

We skipped the setup and jumped straight into taking a seene. Tapping the camera icon for the first time launches a minute-long video tutorial on how to capture a 3D seene, with helpful tips like "Find a subject with lots of green dots". You can skip this tutorial by tapping done on the screen, and the camera is loaded on a clean, easy-to-use interface. 

A help icon at the top right corner, a back function at the bottom left and record at the center are the only three buttons on the screen, which fills up with dots that detect detail in your subject. The more dots the better is the theory, and we found that things with more edges and contrast populated the screen with more dots. If your subject has too little dots, the app prompts you to find a better angle

Our coworker's face lost edges under a fluorescent light, but when we got him to move away from the light, green dots popped up like zits on the edges of his face.

We tapped the record button to start creating our 3D seene, and were told to hold our phone steady, before a guiding grid appeared. We moved our phone like a joystick to capture different angles of our subject, telling him to stay extremely still while we hovered over his face.

It was almost like playing a game, trying to get the app to capture each angle while keeping our hands steady. A few seconds of awkward scanning later, our subject's face was covered by green polygons, indicating we had snapped all necessary angles.

The app took a few seconds to generate the seene, and we were presented with our masterpiece so we could preview the face of our suave, mesmerizing coworker in all its 3-dimensional glory.  Tilting our phone in all directions, we could see all the sharp angles of our subject's face, but the background appeared warped. Planes that appeared clear were those that had been demarcated by green dots earlier. 

Saving and Sharing

We tapped the check icon to move on and save or share the seene.  The app supports sharing via Facebook, Twitter, its own public gallery and an embedded web link. You need to create an account to share and save your seene, which is exported in a proprietary file format. Because of the format, seenes can only viewed on the app's website or within the program. Sharing via Facebook brings your friends to the embedded file on Seene's website. 

Unfortunately, there isn't an option to use your newly-created seene as the background on your device. It would be nice to have your life-like face grace the screen of a parallax-enabled device. We posted our creation to Seene's public gallery and copied a URL of it to share. 

Final Thoughts

We also scrolled through the 15 or so seenes currently available in the app's public gallery, and while most of them were of people, food and toys, some predictably naughtier seenes give us a taste of what Seene could probably be used for in the future. All we can say is, we hope Anthony Weiner never discovers this, but otherwise Seene is definitely a fun new app to try.

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Mobile video applications such as Vine and Instagram Video are creating an art form all their own, allowing users to capture life's special moments a few seconds at a time. It's only natural that YouTube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen have provided their own take on the medium with MixBit, a Vine-style app that allows for long, customizable videos and social collaboration. Mastering MixBit involves a slight learning curve, so here are some tips for creating clips that will wow all of your online pals. 

1. Install MixBit. MixBit is currently available on iPhone, with an Android version slated for September. To get it, simply search "Mix Bit" in the App Store and install the free program.

2. Select "Account" from the main menu at the top-left of the screen and hit "Register." You don't need a MixBit account to create and share videos, but completing the simple signup process allows you to easily manage all of your published projects. All MixBit needs is an e-mail address and password, and users have the option of syncing their accounts with Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.

3. Enter video mode by hitting the "plus" button at the top-right of the screen.

4. Capture your video by holding down the "record" button. When recording in landscape mode, all you need to do is hold down on the screen to begin recording your clip. Each segment of your video will be saved as an individual clip that can be edited later.

5. Edit your video. Each portion of your project can be re-ordered, trimmed, or thrown in the trash. To change the order of your clips, simply drag and drop. To trim a clip, duplicate it, or delete it, highlight the content and touch the corresponding button on the editing screen. 

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6. Tap the "import" button on the right to add extra content. If you've got a photo or video in your camera roll that you'd like to bring in, MixBit can access your camera roll for you. This feature especially comes in handy if you're using MixBit to create a fun short film and want to include stills and flashbacks. 

7. Press the arrow at the bottom right of the screen to share your video. Once you feel your masterpiece is ready for the world, MixBit provides a familiar sharing interface for getting it out there. While MixBit will post your video anonymously to reinforce the app's collaborative purpose, you can still share the clip on Facebook and Twitter complete with any hashtags of your choosing. 

MixBit is more than just a fun way to capture and share video. If you like something you see on the app's "Featured" page, you can save it for yourself by simply holding your finger on a clip until you see a green check-mark appear. The clip will then be saved in your library and can be combined with your own videos to make a mash-up. Now that you know how to use this exciting new platform, get out there and make your mark!

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Even if you’re not an active Instagram user, your Facebook feed is surely flooded with images from the photo-sharing and editing service. The free app, which debuted on iOS before launching for Android last April, lets you shoot or upload images with the ability to edit and add filters as well. Whether you’re a photo aficionado or are simply seeking a social network with more photos and less chatter, here’s a step by step guide on how to get started with Instagram.

 Create an Account

After downloading the free Instagram app from the iOS or Android app store, you’ll be prompted to create an account. Instagram accounts are public by default, but you can change this to private to restrict your photo stream to users that you approve.

1. Click the “Register” button at the bottom of the screen.

2. Create a username and password and fill in personal information from your profile. You can choose to port your personal details from Facebook  or manually enter your email address and full name. The app asks for a phone number as well, but that field is optional.

Find Your Friends

1. Select the “Find Facebook Friends” option to tell the app to automatically search for people you know. You can choose to follow individual friends by pressing the “Follow” button next to their name or tap the button on the bottom of the screen to follow all of them at once. If you’d rather get started with uploading images, you can hit the “Next” button at the top to skip this step altogether.

2. Hit the "Find Friends from Contacts" button to jump start the same process for your phone book. After this step, Instagram provides its own suggestions of accounts to follow, but if you’re not a fan of these you can just hit the “Done” button in the upper right corner to return to your profile.

 Capture and Upload Images

1. Press the camera button in the center of the toolbar on the bottom of the screen to launch Instagram's camera. Just like the standard camera app on your phone, simply tap the camera icon under the viewfinder to snap a photo.

2. Tap the icon to the left of the camera to upload images from your phone's camera roll. This is a thumbnail preview of the images in your photo library, and tapping the icon will launch your gallery. 

3. Drag the image from your camera roll around the viewfinder to scale and crop to your liking. Hit the Crop button when you're satisfied with your selection.

Add Filters and Borders

1. Choose a filter from Instagram's scrollable menu of options. If you want to leave the photo as is, select the Normal filter at the beginning of the menu. 

2. Browse the selection of icons just above the filter menu to choose a border or effect. The first symbol, which looks like a diamond with a circle around it, rotates your photo while the second icon resembling a postage stamp adds a border to your image. 

3. Select the the third teardrop-shaped  icon to drag a focus point anywhere on the image to make that section appear sharper than the rest. You can also pinch-to-zoom to make this area larger or smaller.

4. Press the last button that looks like a half-colored circle to even out the shadows in your image. 

Captions and Sharing

1. Add a caption to your image by typing text in the box next to the photo. You can tag specific friends in this description by typing the “@” symbol followed by his or her username. Similar to Twitter and Facebook, you can also add hashtags to posts by typing the # symbol before a word or phrase, which enables the post to appear in search results pertaining to that phrase.

2. Tap the "Add People" button to tag your friends in the image, just like you would on Facebook. This pulls up a full-screen view of your image with the option to tap areas of the photo and add your friends' names. 

3. Switch the “Add to Photo Map” feature on to tag images on a map based on your location, similar to the way Facebook displays tagged status updates and images from your timeline on a map.

4. Tap the buttons on the bottom of the screen corresponding to your preferred social networks to link your Instagram profile with those accounts. Options include Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and foursquare. Hit the Share button when you're finished.

Newsfeed

1. Browse through your newsfeed by scrolling up and down, and hit the Refresh button at the top of the screen to load the newest images.If you see a photo that grabs your attention, you can Like it by tapping the button underneath the image. Similarly, you can add a comment by pressing the Comment link next to the Like button.

2. Hit the button with three dots on the far right of the screen to report an image as inappropriate, share the photo on Twitter or copy its URL to share on the Web.

Search and Notifications

1. Tap the Explore button in between the Home and Camera icon to perform searches based on usernames and hashtags. Under this search bar, Instagram also compiles images it thinks you would be interested in based on their popularity.

2. Press the button in between the camera icon and profile symbol to launch your Notifications page, which simply lists your interactions and updates. For example, this includes anytime a user Likes or Comments on any of your photos, whenever a new user begins following you, or when your Facebook friends join Instagram.

Edit and Manage Your Profile

1. Tap the last tab in the toolbar on the far right to view and edit your Instagram profile. This displays your entire photo stream and Photo Map and lets you make changes to your personal information. The top of the screen shows your follower count, including how many accounts you’re following and how many images you’ve posted.

2. Tap the “Edit Your Profile” button to change your username, add your website or a short bio about yourself, and edit personal information such as your password, email address or gender. At the bottom of this menu, you can also switch your photos to private if you don’t want them to be publicly available. 

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Since the launch of Video on Instagram yesterday, Instagrammers have shared more than a year’s worth of footage on the social media giant. And that's just eight hours worth of use, according to Instagram’s blog. We're talking more than 8,760 hours worth of 15-second video clips shared by Instagram’s 130-million large community.

In that flood of videos from all over the world, what does it take to create a video that stands out? Some of the bigger brands on Instagram are leading the way. Instead of typical videos that show you around, or feature interviews, they have mastered the new video feature and given it their own quirky takes. Here are the five best videos on Instagram right now.

1. Burberry 
Burberry’s video of their Menswear Spring/Summer 2014 show feels like a professionally taken promotional video and probably is. It is a series of shots of sets, models, close-ups and London’s Big Ben. Incredibly stylistic, this video is indicative of how brands can use Instagram’s new feature to market their products and events.

2. Ebay
In keeping with the artsy feel of Instagram, Ebay’s video is a refreshingly simple yet artistic clip of “#ebay” written in the sand, followed by waves coming in to wash it away before the camera turns to look out at the ocean. Beautiful.

3. ESPN  
Before the final NBA game of the season, ESPN released a pseudo stop-motion video on Instagram that mimics a type-writer effect spelling out the message, “Killing Time Before Game 7.”

4. Lululemon
Yoga gear maker Lululemon’s video has us wondering if they were standing in front of a green screen while shooting their Instagram video. It features a woman performing a short yoga routine while the background changes behind her (and sometimes in front of her). The smoothness of this video is astounding.

5. Visit Copenhagen  
This might not be one of the most creative videos out there, but it certainly offers an interesting and satisfyingly short (not all Instagram videos have to be 15-seconds long, people!) look into what a metro ride in Copenhagen looks like. 

While these may be some of the best videos on Instagram right now, we expect more videos with better and perhaps even new techniques to emerge as the service becomes more mature.

This weekend, Instagram is encouraging its users to share videos of scenes that they would normally photograph, creating “moving photos” in a style reminiscent of animated paintings in the Harry Potter universe. If you think your weekend moving photos should be shared on Instagram's blog, use the hashtag #WHPmovingphotos in your Instagram videos for consideration. 

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Facebook and Instagram today took the wraps on its Vine-killer, called Video on Instagram. It allows users on iOS and Android to shoot, edit, filter and share 15-second videos in their social networking feed. While the Instagram app still maintains its easy-to-use format, newbies will appreciate a few pointers. 

1. Install or Update your app

Open the App store and go to Updates. Look for Instagram and select it. Tap the Update button to get the latest version (4.0) of Instagram. We've noticed that not all Android devices have this ability just yet, despite the company's claim. 

If you don't have Instagram yet, join 130 million active users in chronicling your life one filtered picture or video at a time. Search the App store for "Instagram" and install the free app. The open the app. 

2. On your home feed, tap the Camera button at the bottom of the screen.

3. Tap the Video camera icon to the right of the Camera button.

4. Once you've framed your shot (hint, it's nice to start videos with a wide-angle shot that gives a big overview of where you are), tap the round Video Camera button in the middle and hold it to record. A blue bar will start loading to show how long you've recorded.

5. Let go when you're done with a particular clip to stop recording. Change your angle and tap and hold again to add another clip. To delete an unsatisfying portion of a clip, tap the arrow to the left of the Video Camera button.

It turns red and the previous clip is highlighted. Tap the arrow again to delete the clip.'

6. Stabilize moving shots

According to Instagram's help page, the Stabilizer function is on by default, and an icon is supposed to appear on the page where you apply your filter to your video, as shown in their screenshot above. We were unable to test this feature, but Instagram says that the missing button is supposed to serve as a toggle to turn the feature on or off. 

7. Click Next at the top right after you've filled up 15 seconds of video. Now you can add other features to your video.

8. Select a filter from Instagram's 13 brand new filters custom designed for video. You can swipe across the screen from right to left to see them all and try them out on top of your video. 

The clip will play in a live preview of what your filter will look like. Since you're not applying a filter to a still image anymore, it is a good idea to watch how the filter affects your entire clip - some shots will be darker, and applying a dark filter like Clarendon may make it hard to watch. When you're happy with your filter, tap Next.

9. Select the most eye-catching frame in your video to designate it as your Cover image. To do this, drag the small oblong frame along the timeline below the preview screen. 

This will be the image people first see when your video scrolls along their feeds. Once you're happy with your cover frame, tap Next again.

10. Type a caption so people know what they are seeing. 

11. Add hashtags to make the video easily searchable.

12. Tag any Instagram friends that appear in your video. Then hit Share. 

And voila! You're done! It takes awhile longer for videos to be posted on Instagram, so give it some time to upload the file.

13. View other people's videos. 

Videos auto-play on your feed by default. As you scroll, videos start playing once you take your finger off the screen. Videos are indicated by a video camera badge on the top right of the image. The process takes awhile since videos do take some time to load.

14. Turn off Auto-Play to speed up load times.

You can turn off auto-play by going into your Profile (tap the right most button at the bottom of the screen) and tapping the gear icon for Settings.

Scroll down to Preferences and tap the toggle for Auto-Play Videos to Off.

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Your Android or iOS feed just got set in motion with Video on Instagram. Facebook, with the help of Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom, announced the massive photo sharing network would add the ability to create and share videos, starting today.

Instagram's videos have a time limit of 15 seconds, more than double the length of the Twitter video service called Vine. Instagram's moving pictures will not loop back to the start after they finish playing, a major distinguishing factor of the Vine user experience. Instead, once a video on Instagram finishes playing, it will return to the "cover", a single frame users can choose to represent their video. A key new feature of of Facebook's service allows the filmmaker to remove shakiness from videos with a new feature called "Cinema".

Systrom framed the debut of Video on Instagram as a feature that was intended since the company's inception. But the decision to release the feature now was likely a reaction to the success of Vine, a 6-second video sharing app that has rocketed to prominence in the five months since it's debut. Instagram's developers seem to have taken a close look at Vine, considering how much they have in common. 

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A major part of Instagram's appeal is in it's filter gallery, which give users the ability to quickly manipulate the images they share online, a sort of handstamp of coolness. The developers have brought a number of video editing tools to Instagram, including a filter gallery with 13 new filters, christened with new but familiarly pretentious sounding names such as Stinson, Vesper, Claredon and Moon.

Instagram's video recording interface will work in a manner similar to Vine, where in order to record video you simply hold your finger down on the screen and let go when you want to cut, and a progress bar fills up as your footage approaches the time limit. However, unlike Vine, Instagram gives you a visual representation of where you've made cuts in your video, signified by tiny breaks in the footage progress bar. You can edit footage by selecting individual cuts on the progress bar and deleting them. That leaves you room for other shots to be taken or to retake a shot you may have botched. This is a huge difference in usability from Vine, and will potentially make Instagram videos much more tightly produced (if less spontaneous) pieces of content.

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Systrom announced that the new video service will be available today for both iOS and Android users, and emphasized how entrentched Instagram is in the contemporary culture with more than 13 million users. That's ten times as many as Vine, though Vine is considerably younger at only 5 months to Instagram's 2.5 years.  Today's announcement made it clear that Instagram's video experience will differ significantly from Vine's, and it remains to be seen if the micro-video trend will integrate well in to the calm waters of an Instagram feed, and if Vine's single-purpose model will prove to be a strength or a weakness.

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There’s no denying that Facebook is popular among the teenage crowd, but a recent study shows that Twitter and Instagram aren’t too far behind. According to statistics from Pew Internet, Twitter usage among teens has grown to 24 percent up from 16 percent in 2011.

Most importantly, the study outlined the primary difference in how teens use these two social networks. Friendships on Facebook largely mirror a teen’s offline network, with 98 percent of Facebook-using teens admitting that they are friends with people they know from school. According to Pew, 94 percent of teenagers use Facebook and seven in 10 have said that they are friends with their parents on the network.

While the majority of online teens are on Facebook, research has shown that those who also use other mediums prefer their alternative choice.  Twitter and Instagram users in particular said that feel “like they could better express themselves on these platforms, where they felt freed from the social expectations and constraints of Facebook.”

Pew’s data suggests that teens feel their social life is more burdensome on Facebook than on other social media websites. 

“While some focus group participants enjoyed using [Facebook], far more associated it with constraints through an increasing adult presence, high-pressure or otherwise negative social interactions (‘drama’), or feeling overwhelmed by others who share too much.”

Nearly half of respondents said they had deleted their own posts, others’ comments, or un-tagged themselves from photos. Three quarters of those polled had deleted people from their network, and 58 percent blocked someone from contacting them.

Regardless of how people use Facebook, it’s still the largest social network on the Internet. Earlier this year the company reported that its network has 1.1 billion users, while Twitter has 500 million.

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If sharing pictures and animated GIFs on your website or blog just isn't enough, it may be time to start embedding your own Vine videos. These six-second video clips, created from the new iOS app Vine, can support both video and audio content and bring a new level of personality to your website. Even though you'll need an iOS device to create these very social videos, anyone can view the clips, regardless of their device or platform.

1. Create a new Vine video and post it to your feed.

2. Tap the ellipses icon below the Vine video you want to embed.

3. Click Share This Post from the popup menu.

4. Click Embed. If there is no embed option, you'll need to share to Twitter first.

5. Type your email address in the To: field of the automatically generated email.

6. Open the email and click the enclosed link to get instructions to embed your Vine video.

7. Choose the style and size settings for the video you're embedding.

8. Copy the automatically generated HTML code and paste it on your website or blog.

Note: Embedded Vine videos require iFrame support to display properly.

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Food shots are everywhere -- hipsters, grandma's, foodies can't stop sharing every appetizer, dessert and cocktail they ingest. Photos fly to Instagram before taking the first bite. It's annoying to many, particularly when the flash of their smartphone's camera in a restaurant distracts you from enjoying your own meal, but wouldn't it be less infuriating if you knew they were posting a photo to help a good cause? That's the aim of FoodShareFilter.

The Instagram picture-filter was created by DDB Spain to raise money for an El Salvadoran charity. The cost of the $0.99 download from the App store and $1.16 on Google Play gets donated to an agricultural program in El Salvador run by Manos Unidas. Plus, every time a user takes a photo of their food through the app and applies the hashtag "#FoodShareFilter," it adds the message "This picture helps millions of people not to suffer hunger" and shares it on Instagram. That way, you raise awareness while posting photos you would normally.

Manos Unidas promotes development in third-world countries. Although FoodShareFilter is in Spanish, an English version is available. We wonder if this doesn't change the mind of restaurateurs such as David Chang, who recently banned food photography at his New York City joint Momofuku Ko. 

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Ever stumble upon a hilarious tweet and wish you could reward its author with something more than just a favorite for getting you to bust a gut laughing? Swedish start-up Flattr makes that a reality. The online tip jar service lets you give physical money to people you follow on such social sites as Twitter, Instagram and Vimeo based on what content you like, star or favorite.

At the beginning of the month users have a self-created budget, and they can like, star or favorite as much content as they want. At the end of the month that budget is divided by the number of liked, starred or favorited pieces, and that cash is split equally among all of the content creators. But you as a content creator, you can't earn that money without being a member of Flattr yourself. Note: Flattr pockets 10 percent of your monthly budget.

We could see Flattr working for comedians or writers trying to get exposure and earn money for their work. For example, if a comedian tweeted a really good joke, users could pay them for the laugh, instead of going to their comedy show and paying that way. Or a freelance writer could tweet a link to their latest article, and people could donate to them via favoriting the tweet if they liked the piece. Even photographers could prosper from Flattr: If they posted a gorgeous photo on Instagram, those who enjoyed it could pay them by liking their photo.

Before you get started using Flattr, though, follow these four steps to plan how you can get the most out of the service.

Step 1: Choose what you'd like to use Flattr for. If you want to receive money for your tweets or Instagram pics, you can use the service as a creator. However, if you want to donate to the creators, you can sign up as a supporter. Creating an account is simply; just enter your username, password and email address then verify your email address.

Step 2: Sync with your social accounts. The service supports Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, GlitHub, Vimeo and Instagram. Users can connect with all (if they have accounts on all of these social sites) or just one.

Step 3: Find other people using Flattr. The service only works if you use it with other Flattr users. For example, if your favorite a tweet from your friend who uses Flattr but you also favorite a tweet from a non-Flattr user, only the Flattr user will receive funds at the end of the month. 

Once you've created your account, click on the Social tab on the top nav bar, then click the green Invite Facebook Friends button. That way, you can send invitations to any of your Facebook friends to join Flattr.

Step 4: Add money to your monthly budget. You can't use Flattr until you've put money in your virtual monthly budget using a credit card. Users can select one out of four budget options; all are in Euros (but Flattr gives a rough estimate of what each amount would be in U.S. dollars). Plus, you can change your budget at any time. Although we think users would appreciate more budget options or the choice to input their own dollar amount, we appreciate that the budget amounts are relatively low. We could see users shying away from using the service if they had to spend a large budget to use it.

Users can also adjust how many months they want to prepay for (the options were 3 to 8 months), however, there's no option to just pay month-by-month.

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In an age when many parents worry about their teens spending time on social networks, Peggy Hernandez said she trusts her 16-year-old daughter.

“When my daughter was 14, she started becoming more independent with social media,” the at-risk youth counselor from Sheridan, Colo., said. “It’s my privilege to look at her phone, but I’ve given her more privacy. That’s part of their identity nowadays. That’s how they express themselves and how they learn. I’m not saying I totally want to embrace it, but I have to understand and expect it.”

Hernandez does check her 16-year-old’s phone and Internet use periodically, but doesn’t friend her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. She said she’s seen enough of her daughter’s tweets and writing to step back. “I trust her in the sense that she’s very well-grounded,” she said.

Hernandez’s daughter Madelyn is one of the 80 percent of teens online using social networking sites. Just more than half of that number also have accounts on more than one site, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Facebook, with 1 billion users, is still the most popular social network. However, with parents also on Facebook, many teens are looking for other places to build their identities and communicate with friends.

Alice Marwick, an assistant professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University, said that Facebook is challenging for teens because they want to share with a smaller group of friends. “Basically it’s called contact collapse,” she said. “This is especially difficult for teenagers, to also mix in with their day-to-day friends with parents, coaches and teachers.”

Madelyn Hernandez agreed. “I do have family that requests to be friends with me on Facebook and I don’t say yes,” she said. “It’s not that I have things to hide on Facebook, but I don’t want my family all up in my business…They have something to say about everything.”

Pew also tells us that 61 percent of online teens reported that their parents have checked their profiles. Another 39 percent of parents have friended their children, which is “associated with an increased likelihood of parent-child conflict over social media.” Perhaps this is the reason that 36 percent of teens surveyed by Common Sense Media said they wished they could go back to a time before Facebook.

“Facebook is kind of the Walmart of sites,” Marwick said. “You can get all of your stuff from there, but teenagers want to buy from the Gap or Hot Topic. There’s an appeal to using different sites.”

“Teen communication is often misinterpreted by adults,” Marwick said. “That’s why they’re on such sites as Twitter where they have private accounts. Their parents don’t have accounts on Instagram. If they’re on Twitter or Tumblr, parents don’t even know they exist.” 

Where Teens Are Migrating

Habbo Hotel

This social networking site from Finland is basically a huge game aimed at kids and teens to create a world in a hotel. Users start off with a small room and an avatar, and must socialize and play games to earn points and level up. The site has 250 million users and recently came under fire for sexually explicit chat, according to the “Telegraph” (U.K.). Another negative is that teens have to pay real money to get virtual furniture and other goodies for their rooms.

Instagram

This photo-sharing app is very popular with teens because of its wide selection of hip filters. According to a Piper Jaffray survey of 7,700 of teens across the country, Instagram was a solid second choice behind behemoth Facebook (although Instagram is now owned by the social network). There have been worrisome “sexting” stories about the app with 50 million users, but statistics show that both sending and receiving sexually explicit photos has been on the decline for teens.

LittleMonsters

If Tumblr is a specialty boutique in the mall, LittleMonsters is the little store across town with the quirky owner. It’s all about Lady Gaga, so if your teens don’t love her, they will be unlikely to use it. But if they do — it’s Lady Gaga 24/7, with its thousands of Little Monsters commenting on every new Gaga photo, news item or tweet. No membership numbers have been released since the network opened to the public in July. But with Gaga’s 26.8 million Twitter followers and 52.5 million Facebook friends, it’s a fair bet this site is poised to grow quickly.

Tumblr

This blogging site, half of whose traffic is composed of users under age 25, can be used to post Justin Bieber death fiction, notes on this week’s “Glee” episode or anything else. It doesn’t have to be long or emotional, because many Tumblr sites are images only. There are 78 million of these blogs, with new ones starting every day based on memes or viral sound bytes. However, fan Tumblr pages seem to be the most passionate and frequently updated.

Twitter

For teens, Twitter use doubled from 8 to 16 percent from 2010 to 2011. With its irreverent use of hashtags and 140-character limits, it can be a rush of information, but its 500 million users find it fun with friends and social-media savvy singers, comedians and actors. Users are more likely to be female (78 percent) but Twitter also has the highest rate of users streaming live video to the Internet (25 percent).

Video Chat Apps

Thirty-seven percent of teens use a video chat client, according to Pew. For teens ages 16 to 17, the number jumps to 39 percent. While Facebook, Google Hangouts and Skype are common places to use video chat, teens also go to other video chat sites such as OoVoo, a social video site with 54 million users, or Tango, which has 65 million users. “These sites give teens a way to video chat away from Google+ or other sites that require real names,” Marwick said. “It gives teens a place to experiment with different identities and political opinions.”

YouTube

As anyone watching MTV knows, it’s hard to actually catch any music videos. So it’s not surprising that many teens use YouTube to see them and listen to music. As many as 64 percent of teens in a Nielsen survey said YouTube was their favorite place to listen to the latest song. While Pew reports that only 9 percent of teen boys and 3 percent of teen girls online have an account, you don’t need an account to watch, share or like videos. 

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It looks as though Instagram's backpedaling wasn't enough to quell user outrage at the controversial new terms of service that were released—and rapidly repealed—a couple of weeks back. New data from the AppData analytics firm shows a massive 25 percent drop in Instagram's active daily users since the momentous announcement.

The service had 16.4 million active users when it introduced the new TOS, AppData told the New York Post. That number dropped to 12.4 million users as of December 26th.

(Update: Instragram has reportedly reached out to The Verge telling the site that AppData's number's are off and that the social media site is still seeing steady user growth.)

Even though Instagram quickly rolled its TOS back to the previous version, the damage was already done. Hordes of Instagram users had already vowed to dump the photo-sharing service and, for once, the threats to leave may have actually been acted upon.

All the grumbling that springs up whenever Facebook changes its TOS doesn't change the fact that no other social network has Facebook's ubiquitous reach. There are myriad Instagram clones, on the other hand, including a beautiful new Flickr app that still integrates with Twitter. (Shortly before the TOS spat, Instagram yanked the ability to view Instagram photos directly in your Twitter feed.)

Not all of the numbers look bad for Instagram. As The Verge points out, weekly users are up to 2.3 million over the last seven days, and Instagram welcomed 1.7 million more monthly users according to the same report. Hopefully Instagram will set the record straight on how much of an exodus it has on its hands.

via AppData, New York Post, The Verge

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Hold onto your hats privacy lovers; Instagram just rolled out a new version of its Terms of Use and there's a lot you should know. The changes will go into effect on January 16th and won't apply to photos shared before that date, but it's got plenty of people in a tizzy. Think this doesn't concern you because you're not an Instagram user? Wrong. Read on to learn more.

While Instagram claims on its blog that these changes were made to "fight spam more effectively" and "detect system and reliability problems more quickly", the new Terms of Use include some other changes that have substantial privacy implications.  

For starters, Instagram will be able to share user information with Facebook, its parent company as well as external affiliates and advertisers. This lets the advertisers in Facebook's network use information that users have shared on Instagram (such as favorite places, hobbies and more) in an effort to improve how it targets ads to them. So you're likely to see ads more relevant to your interests, but your personal information will be mined toward that end.

Ready for your closeup? Photos uploaded to Instagram could be used in either an Instagram or Facebook advertisement. Even more troubling; someone who isn't an Instagram user but has a photo of themselves up on the service can be used in an ad if their photo is shared by a friend. So before you snap and share a photo of a friend who isn't an Instagram user, you might want to offer them a quick disclaimer.

Youngsters are also not spared. While Instagram says that people must at least 13 to use the service, if a teenager signs up then they are agreeing that a parent or guardian is aware that their image, username and images can be used in ads. On top of that, ads will not necessarily be always labeled as such.

The only way to opt out of the new Terms of Use is to delete your account. Some will likely do just that, but we suspect that the need to share (and sometimes overshare) will be too strong for many to overcome. Here's hoping that those who continue to use Instagram will be aware of what they're signing up for come mid-January.

via The New York Times

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The war over your pictures is heating up. Late last week, Instagram turned off its support for Twitter’s “card” service, which resulted in images appearing cropped and cut-off in Tweets. That caused an uproar, which led Instagram head Kevin Systrom to say that the move was part of a bigger business decision to drive more users to Instagram’s own website.

He wasn’t kidding. Yesterday, Instagram completely disabled Twitter photo integration. Those retro-tinted images of yours don’t even appear cropped anymore, in other words – Tweeting an Instagram pic now results in a simple link to the Instagram website, with no accompanying visuals.

It will be interesting to see if the move proves successful or if it backfires. Instagram gained a tremendous influx of users after Facebook bought it for a billion at-the-time dollars, and now boasts more than a hundred million users. The drive to move those users onto Instagram proper very likely has to do with monetization. In late November, Business Insider reported that Facebook’s new Terms of Service language opens the door for Facebook ads to appear on Instagram’s website.

Instagram rose through the photo-sharing ranks on the back of its Twitter and Facebook integration, however, and many users are expressing extreme disappointment in the decision to yank in-service picture sharing. Plenty of alternative services still support in-Twitter photos. Is Instagram strong enough to stand on its own two feet, or will people merely switch to one of its myriad contenders?

Meanwhile, Twitter is hard at work developing Instagram-esque filters for its native photo service. AllThingsD reports that the company hopes to release the feature just in time for the holidays, when picture-taking skyrockets.

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On the heels of its $1 billion Instagram acquisition, Facebook rolled out Facebook Camera for iOS, an app with functionality almost identical to the former photo- sharing service. Expanding on the rather spare camera features integrated into the main Facebook app, Facebook Camera lets users add filters, edit, batch upload and search through friends' images. But is there any merit to Facebook creating a completely separate camera app, or did the company just come out with a subpar Instagram replica?

Setup

Click to EnlargeUpon first launching the app, Facebook Camera detects which Facebook account is already logged into and associated with the iPhone; all we had to do was confirm it. We tapped the big button in the center that said, "Continue as [our name]" and activated the app. While there is an Android version of Instagram, currently, only an iOS version of Facebook Camera is available.

Click to EnlargeIt's worth noting that the first time we set up Facebook Camera, the app asked for access to location information in our photos and videos. If we blocked the app's access to these details, we could only browse our Facebook friends' photos and not upload our own.

Interface

Click to EnlargeAt first glance, Facebook Camera appears very Instagram-like in its user interface, showing off a single stream of photos from Facebook friends--pictures that they had posted on their Facebook accounts--which you can quickly browse through by scrolling within the app. Each picture also includes Facebook's usual like and comment features along with the time it was posted, and double-tapping on any photo brought us into a full-screen view where we could add tags.

Facebook Camera is initially configured to show pictures from all your Facebook friends. However, right at the top of the stream, you can switch to the "Me" view, which lets you view the stream of photos that you either posted or those in which you've been tagged.

A strip of your most recent photos, from your iPhone's Camera Roll, sits across the top of your screen, along with a button that launches the app's integrated camera.

Apart from these highly visible features, we appreciated how Facebook Camera had some pretty novel gesture shortcuts. For instance, pulling down on the top of the app shows you your entire Camera Roll, where you can select multiple pictures to post at a time.

Features

Click to EnlargeLike the standard iPhone camera app, buttons within Facebook Camera let us switch between the front-facing and back-facing camera, and set the flash to on, off or auto. A big button along the side let us take our picture.

After we snapped our photo, we tapped on the tiny thumbnail preview on the bottom right corner of the app to go into edit mode. Here, we could either crop the picture or apply one of 14 filters found within Facebook Camera, ranging from "Boost" to "Neon." (By comparison, Instagram has 17.) If we wanted to edit another photo within our Camera Roll, we simply swiped on the main viewer to browse to the particular picture we wanted to tweak. The ability to add borders was conspicuously missing, though.

When we were ready to post, Facebook Camera gave us full control over which groups of people could view our photos. We filtered out who could see our pictures using the Lists feature within our Facebook account.

Click to EnlargeHowever, we would have liked it better if Facebook Camera let us filter out the photos we could see using these lists too, instead of serving up all our friends' photos in a single stream. We also would have appreciated the option to post to other networks, like most photo apps (Instagram lets you post to Twitter, Facebook, email, Flickr, Tumblr, Posterous and Foursquare, for instance). Then again, it's called Facebook Camera for a reason.

Performance

Click to EnlargeFacebook Camera is still in its embryonic stages, and thus performance was a bit inconsistent. When we tried to apply filters, sometimes there would be a lag, or we would have to tap on the filter more than once to get it to apply to the photo. Navigation was also glitchy at times; in particular, we had trouble exiting the full-screen view. We had to tap our screen multiple times before the app registered our touch and followed what we wanted to do.

However, we do acknowledge that this is version 1.0, and we're optimistic that Facebook will continue to improve upon future releases of Facebook Camera. There is no reason not to expect these minor issues to be resolved in the next iteration of the app.

Verdict

Facebook Camera feels somewhat redundant in light of the social network's purchase of Instagram. Why not integrate Facebook Camera into Facebook's official app? By releasing a standalone program, Facebook inevitably draws comparisons to Instagram, and with less filters, no borders and no ability to integrate with other social networks, Facebook Camera falls short. Even though it's free, we see no compelling reason to download this app and have it take another spot on your home screen.

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Now that you follow a couple of people and looked at some of the trends on Twitter, you might be wondering 'what's next?'

How about uploading some photos using Instagram or linking your Twitter to Facebook? We have some great tips in store for you. 

Upload Photos Using Instagram

You can take photos using your iPhone and upload them directly to your Twitter account. Instagram (did we mention it’s free?) offers 17 cool filters to make your shots look hipper.

• Press the Camera/Share button.
• Take a photo.
• Choose a filter from the menu on the bottom of the screen, then tap Done.
• Cl ick t he “. . .” but ton on the bottom right below your photo.
• Press Share Post, then tap the green Share button next to Twitter.
• Press the blue Check button to upload the Instagram photo.

Tweet More than 140 Characters

Third-party services such as Twit- Longer let you post longer tweets. Go to www.twitlonger.com, click “Sign in with Twitter” and enter your Twitter login info. Write your update, then click Post.

Link Twitter to Facebook

Go into your settings and click Profile, then click “Post your tweets to Facebook” at the bottom of the page and press Save Changes.

Turn Mobile Updates Off

You can turn off all Twitter updates or just receive direct messages on your phone. Text On or Off to your Twitter short code (40404 for the U.S.), or text Off then Set Messages On to just receive DM notifications.

Follow Brands, Save Money

Twitter has allowed a small number of brands to have enhanced profile pages, where users can view photos, videos and messages from advertisers. American Express, for example, replies to individual users’ questions and concerns, and posts helpful videos such as how to use a new program to save money through tweeting at certain locations. Disney Pixar posts quotes from employees, as well as trailers and tips relevant to its movies.

Share Tweets with Friends via Email

Even if your friends don’t follow the same people you do, you can share their tweets through email on your iPhone. Tap the tweet you want to share, then click the arrow button on the right of the menu. Now select Mail Tweet from the pop-up menu and select where you want to email the tweet.

Save Time on Twitter’s Mobile Apps

Using the Android and iPhone Twitter apps, you can use Twitter’s swipe shortcut to reply, favorite and retweet without leaving your timeline. First, select the tweet you want to reply to, favorite or retweet and swipe through the tweet. Then, select which action you’d like to take: Reply, Retweet, Favorite, Tweet, Copy or mail link/tweet or View users’ profile.

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If you aren’t familiar with Instagram, you will be soon. This week it captured the top spot in Apple's App Store, immediately following the announcement that Facebook bought the photo app for a cool $1 billion. Facebook timelines will soon include an Instagram "took a photo" story box that automatically posts new photos.

Instagram is easy to use, but there are great add-ons that can make your photos stand out in news feeds. Here are six ways to hone your Instagram skills.

The first three are more editing tools Instagram offers in addition to its retro-style filters:

1) Zoom

Close in on the most interesting part of your image by using Instagram's scaling feature. Use your thumb and finger to enlarge the image and then move it around the square to "crop."

2) Sharpness and blur

To add emphasis to an object, use the "teardrop" tool on the top bar to select an area for maintaining a sharp focus while blurring the surrounding area.

3) Contrast

After choosing one of Instagram's 18 filters, ranging from super-saturated color with Lo-fi to washed-out with Walden, try "Lux" — that's the sunburst icon — to add extreme contrast.

To add trickier effects, you can use other apps first and then import your photo into Instagram from your iPhone , iPad or Android camera roll. (Instagram launched its Android version  last week.)

4) Double filters

Take a photo with your phone (do not use Instagram) and open in an app such as Filter Mania for iPhones, which offers 12 free filters such as frost, neon and aqua (for a realistic splash of water). Apply a filter, save and send it straight to Instagram. Now you can also add any of the Instagram tweaks described above. For light effects like lens flares and spots known as bokeh lights, try LensFlare and LensLight at $1 each from iTunes.

Android users  can opt for free app Pixlr-o-matic, which offers lots of filters, including light effects. When you're finished, export to your camera roll to use with Instagram.

5) Text

A word or two of text can add a strong message to your photo. Phonto is a free app from iTunes that includes the popular typewriter font, along with others. Android users can try free LabelBox — the old-fashioned Dymo label look is popular on Instagram.

6) Collage

Combine photos into a collage using $1 PicFrame from the App Store. Once you've got a layout you like, send direct to Instagram for special effects. Honeygram is a free collage-maker for Android.

Sure, the 30 million or so Instagram users may see your finished photos, but savvy shooters have turned their Instagram pictures into portfolios. Try a site like CopyGram to post a Web page of your Instagram pics. Unlike with other Instagram Web viewing sites, people don't need to have an Instagram account to see your page.

Article provided by TechNewsDaily, a sister site to Laptopmag.com.

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The news that Facebook bought Instagram for a whopping $1 billion certainly provoked a strong reaction—and it's not so much surprise as displeasure that's echoing throughout Twitter and the blogosphere. After all, Instagram is the grassroots David—with just 13 employees—to Facebook's Goliath (with 2,000+ people on its payroll).

In addition to privacy concerns, some users of the ultra-popular photo app have voiced fears that their beloved Instagram will become a completely different app under Zuckerberg et. al. If you're part of this crowd, you may be in search of another app for all your photo-sharing needs. Luckily, there are plenty of Instagram alternatives to choose from, including some near-identical apps and a number of unique ones as well.

Hipstamatic is Instagram's more complicated, more expensive older brother. The app offers the same vintage-style effects and social network tie-ins for Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and Tumblr (and even Instagram!), but it costs $1.99 and is only available for the iPhone. However, Hipstamatic does offer you more in-depth customization features and add-ons ("Hipstapaks") that include different film, lens, gel and filter options.

Anyone who's used Instagram will have no trouble navigating deja.mi's interface. This free app includes 11 photo filters and sharing via Facebook and Twitter. deja.mi also adds location to the photo-sharing equation, letting you view real-time uploads in a specific city. For each venue with associated photos, the app awards a medal for the best photo taken.

In addition to providing 18 photo filters, Via.me lets you upload video and audio to share with friends on Facebook or Twitter. Like other photo apps in this roundup, it also shows you what photos are popular in your area.

picplz offers the obligatory selection of vintage filters, but it also throws in extensive editing tools such as Crop, Contrast, Draw and Rotate. We especially like the Meme tool, which lets you add text to your photo in that legendary font of LOLCats fame. The best part: You get all this for free.

Most high-end photo apps come to iOS first, so it's nice to see Android photo fans getting some love with Vignette. This iPhone-unfriendly app costs $3.99, but you get a whopping 76 photo effects and 57 frames for your money.

For the Windows Phone fans in the house, there's an option just for you. HTC's Photo Enhancer app is less feature-heavy than competitors, but it includes enough fun filters to make you feel like you're not missing out on all the Instagram fun.

Facebook just announced -- in a post on Mark Zuckerberg's profile -- that it has bought Instagram for $1 billion dollars in cash and shares. This is Facebook's largest acquisition to date, coming just ahead of its highly anticipated IPO.

Kevin Systrom, CEO of Instagram, assured fans in his own post that Instagram will remain running and the service is "not going away." It's been 551 days since the addictive photo app and social network was born, and the company still has only 13 employees.

Instagram investors have just gotten very lucky, too. According to CNN Money, the company had raised $47 million in venture capital funding -- including a recent $40 million round in new funding  -- bringing the total valuation up to $500 million last month. This means that investors have just gotten a 2x ROI in a few short weeks.

Regarding the app's evolving features, Zuckerberg says, "We plan on keeping features like the ability to post to other social networks, the ability to not share your Instagrams on Facebook if you want, and the ability to have followers and follow people separately from your friends on Facebook."

via Facebook and Instagram Blog

Fandroids rejoice: You'll be able to start snapping those retro, stylized squares with your smartphone cameras soon. We've finally got some definitive proof that Instagram is coming to Android.

Yesterday at SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas, the app's co-founder Kevin Systrom briefly flashed the Android version of the massively popular photo-sharing app onstage. Unfortunately, no stolen screens have emerged and Systrom never gave a full demo of the app. He told TechCrunch that the app wasn't ready for a walkthrough yet.

But he did offer an enticing tidbit for Android users, telling a TechCrunch editor in a fireside chat, "In some ways, it's better than our iOS app. It's crazy."

Instagram reportedly started hiring engineers and designers for an Android version as far back as August last year. In December, accounts surfaced that two people were working on the app.

Co-founder Mike Krieger told TechCrunch that the process of porting the app over to Google's mobile OS was protracted because the company had been prioritizing the scaling of its iPhone app. “Had we tried to be both on Android and the iPhone at the same time, it would have been tough to innovate in the way that we have," Krieger said.

Indeed, no one can discount the tremendous success of the company. Yesterday at the conference, Instagram revealed that it had surpassed 27 million registered users. Expect that number to grow exponentially as soon as the app becomes available on Android.

via TechCrunch

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The hugely popular Instagram borrows certain key elements from Facebook and Twitter--such as a stream and the ability to like or "heart" photos--making this app very addictive. And you'll find that most of your friends who own iPhones already have this app.

With Instagram, we could either take a picture with our iPhone or select an image from the camera roll. Afterward, the app let us apply 16 creative filters. Instagram can also simulate tilt-shifting to turn any photo into one of those neat, stylized squares. We could even see how the filters looked like with a live preview before snapping the shutter.

Instagram is all about making sharing your creations a cinch. The app supports Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and other social networks.

There's no reason not to hop on the Instagram bandwagon and start turning random snapshots of your day into little pieces of art. It's fun, easy to use, and free.