Redesigned Flickr for the iPhone Takes Aim at Instagram

摘要

Despite its status as one of the early popular photo-sharing sites, Flickr has seen its domain increasingly threatened by Facebook on the Web and Instagram in the mobile realm. In a bid to keep the service relevant, Flickr's parent company, Yahoo, recently launched a heavily overhauled iPhone app. The program had more or less languished since its introduction in 2009, but the new update includes many of the features users expect from their photo-sharing apps these days. Chief among those are filters. Flickr now includes 16 filters-assorted monochrome and color effects that you can apply before uploading your photo to the service. Also in the mix are editing tools that let you crop and straighten, adjust brightness and contrast, remove red eye, tweak blemishes, whiten, and even add text. Despite this renewed focus on mobile photo-posting, Flickr has maintained its traditional features. When uploading pictures, you can add photos to groups and sets, tag them, identify people, and so on. Integration with social networking services also lets you simultaneously share pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or by email. Browsing remains a key part of the Flickr experience as well, giving you the ability to look at photos taken near your current location and those uploaded by your contacts. You can also post comments as well as pictures that strike your fancy. Additionally, you can search for pictures and people, or view your own photostream or activity.