Burstn- Finally a Photo Sharing App that Has it All- Almost
By: Hillel Fuld
I like Instagram. No, scratch that, I love Instagram. I use it regularly and while most of my iPhone apps are in folders, one more step away from my finger, Instagram is one of very few apps that are on my home screen. Having said that, there are some serious down sides to the wildly popular photo sharing app, and the first one is exactly that, it’s an app, and no more. Where is the Web interface? I understand that it is in the works, but I mean c’mon, how long does it take to build a site where I can browse Instagram photos, find people to follow, and like/comment on photos? Burstn, a photo sharing app I found via a friend’s tweet, is exactly what I am looking for in a photo sharing app.
Putting aside the lack of a Web interface for the Instagram community, even on the iPhone the photos are not full screen or high reolution. Again, not really sure what Instagram (the company, not the app) was thinking on that front. OK, enough bashing Instagram since as I said, I love it and will continue to use it. Burstn has a beautiful UI both on the iPhone and the Web, full screen high resolution photos and a very very responsive app.
If we are on the topic of photo sharing apps, another complaint people have about Instagram is that it ruins your pictures. You cannot save an original copy of your photo once you apply a filter, which as MG Siegler puts it, is kind of like a tattoo you are going to want to remove when you are older. (Update: there is an option to save the original in the Settings app) PicPlz, Instagram’s biggest competitor just launched a new and very interesting feature.
You can now save your PicPlz photos, in their original format, to Dropbox. That is a huge deal for photographers who like to add cute filters but do not want to damage their pictures’ resolution.
So, we have Instagram, PicPlz, and Burstn, how do you choose? To put it simply, Instagram has the most users, which means the most action when browsing photos, PicPlz has a nice Web interface, all the features of Instagram, and the ability to save to Dropbox. It is also available on Android, unlike Instagram. Burstn has the nicest Web interface, the fastest app, and the best overall experience. It is however missing filters, and a developed community, which is crucial if you want some life in your photo sharing app. To read a more in depth comparison of the three apps, check out this ReadWriteWeb post.
What is your photo sharing app of choice? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
