Flickr for Android goes live with Instagram cues

Yahoo devoted a rare amount of attention to Android first by launching Flickr for Android (free, Android Market) with new features the iPhone app doesn't have. The new app takes most of its direction from apps like Instagram or Picplz and lets users take shots directly from the app with post-shot filters. Users can cross-post to multiple social services at the same time, and recent uploads are organized in a stream that includes both the shots and comments side by side.

The app needs Android 2.1 or later.

Flickr's additions all come before the iOS version, which is still based mostly around viewing photos rather than uploads. The company is promising feature parity in the future but can't say when the original app will be updated to match. Its move is surprising as Yahoo has usually targeted its mobile efforts either at iOS first or at cross-platform efforts like Yahoo Newsstand. Yahoo has stressed a much bigger push into mobile but hasn't said whether it had a platform preference.

iOS users will get an early edge through Photo Session, an upcoming app intended to improve control of slideshows. It lets users remotely guide family or friends through an already uploaded Flickr photo set and chat to them in mid-session. The app will be available on the general desktop but will be available on iPads and iPhones.

By Electronista Staff