I first started using Instagram in November 2010, and it’s one of my favorite photo apps. The fact that it’s on my iPhone home screen is a testament to it’s draw. The clever filters designed to make photos look old-timey draw the ire of many photographers, but people love’em.

One of the overlooked qualities that set Instagram apart from other photo sharing sites like Flickr was that it was a mobile-only site. You could only upload photos from the app on your iPhone or Android smart phone, and you could only view and browse photos from others through that same app. There was no web-based interface at all.

That changed over time, and third-party developers like Statigram and Webstagram filled the gap, building web sites that used the Instagram API to let you browse photos and even like or comment on them.

Instagram has finally relented, introducing the Instagram Web Profile. This gives you an official web interface to Instagram photos, letting you browse, sign-in, like and comment on photos all from your web browser.

You can get to the web profile for any Instagram user by browsing to http://instagram.com/[username]. For example, http://instagram.com/jeffhester will bring up my profile.

When you click on an individual image, it opens the full-size image in a light box. If you’ve signed in, you’ll see options to like or comment on the photo.

You may notice that these new Instagram Web Profiles bear a striking similarity in layout to your Facebook profile. Not surprising, considering that Instagram is now owned by Facebook.

Is Facebook slowly killing Instagram? Does the new web profile signify the “end of mobile?”

The end of mobile: http://t.co/suSIyV4d

November 5, 2012 2:14 pm via EchofonReplyRetweetFavorite

@gahlord

Gahlord Dewald

Maybe. Or maybe it’s just a new path.

Microsoft purchased Skype in October of 2011 for $8.5 billion, and the consolidation has been anticipated by many. Both Skype and Windows Live Messenger share many of the same features, including instant messaging, and voice- and video-calling. The advantage Skype offers is a clear path to monetization, particularly for expanded features like a dedicated phone number to accept incoming calls, voice mail, and international calling plans.

But what really tilted the scale in favor of Skype is the broad device support. Skype is available on just about anything you can connect to the Internet — Windows, for sure, but Macs, iPhones, iPads, iPod Touch, Android, and other devices.

What’s the impact to you?

If you use Windows Live Messenger (or Microsoft Messenger on a Mac), prepare to transition to Skype. Sometime during the first quarter of 2013, your WLM program will no longer connect.

Download and install the latest version of Skype and you’ll see an option to login using your Microsoft account. Use this, not your Skype account.

Next, you’ll be prompted to sign in to your Microsoft account. Use your Windows Live Messenger login information.

Now you have a choice. If you’re already using Skype, you can sync your contacts with an existing Skype account. If you haven’t used Skype yet, first crawl out from under that rock you’ve been hiding under, then select New to Skype. You could also use the “New…” link if you simply don’t want to merge your WLM and your existing Skype accounts.

In my case, I had two Skype accounts, and had to choose one of them to merge my WLM contacts into.

Once you’ve logged into your Skype account, you’re given one last chance to either confirm or cancel the merge. Note that once you’ve merged the accounts, you cannot “unmerge” them. 

Once the merge is complete, you’ll see a new Messenger contacts group. Curiously, mine is empty. Hmmm…

Once your accounts are merged, you now sign into Skype using your Microsoft account information (username and password) and not your old Skype account info.

This is where it gets a little screwy. For me, I was unable to sign in to Skype on my iPhone or iPad using my Microsoft account, but my old Skype account info was still working.

On top of that, while my Skype and Facebook contacts were still showing up, my Windows Live Messenger contacts (and the new group) have gone AWOL. Just for kicks, I signed into Microsoft Messenger on my MacBook Pro and it signed me out of Skype. But in Messenger, it shows zero contacts.

Now it’s entirely possible that I didn’t have any contacts in WLM under that account. I haven’t used WLM in ages, and it’s not critical either way. Are there any brave WLM & Skype users out there who want to test this merge process and let me know if it works correctly for them?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Is it true for you? Leave a comment!

via xkcd

Those of you are (or were, or had) teenagers who could sit for hours in front of their Xbox or Playstation playing the same game over and over. That was game mechanics at work. You do well, you get rewarded. You gain skill. The game gets progressively more difficult, but not at a rate that discourages you enough to give up entirely. And you keep at it until you’ve mastered it.

Games don’t attract all personalities, but for whatever reason, I love’em. And gamifying my personal health and fitness? I’m all in.

Earlier this month, I made a commitment to train for the LA Marathon in March 2013. And as part of my preparation I need to shed some excess pounds. So here are a few of the iPhone apps that I’ve been using.

Nike+ Fuelband

This is a free app, but only useful if you’ve sprung for one of Nike’s $150 FuelBands. I got mine when they first came out in February, and have been wearing it every day since. I love it, and it really has helped motivate me. What’s so great about the FuelBand? First, it’s dead simple. The inconspicuous wrist bracelet is comfortable and holds a charge for an entire week. It tracks steps, calories, and Nike’s “secret sauce” — Fuel Points. You can upload the data to your personal Nike Fuel website via your computer or iPhone, and it tracks your activity throughout that day, minute-by-minute. Over time, you get a clear picture of how active you really are (or not).

As an added bonus, it can automatically post my activity to another of my favorite apps, Path.

RunKeeper

So what is it? Runkeeper is essentially a GPS-powered route-tracker. Most of the time, I simply use the GPS-tracking, select my activity (hiking, running, walking, etc.) and press Start. Runkeeper keeps track of where I go, how far I go, and my pace at every point along the way. If I want, it will even help pace me, telling me to speed up or slow down to stay within my target pace. And when I’m done, I’ve got a complete breakdown of the workout and a map to boot.First, I should note that you can use RunKeeper even if you’re not a runner. I’ve used it for walking, hiking, biking and yes, even running. RunKeeper helped coach me through my training for the La Jolla Half Marathon this spring. And I use it to record my hikes, many of which end up posted on my hiking blog.

Runkeeper has way too many features to cover in a short period of time, but it’s a pleasure to use and my go-to app for tracking runs, walks and hikes.

GymPact

GymPact is interesting only in how it uses the “carrot and stick” approach to workout motivation. You create a “pact” defining how many times you commit to working out each week, and (here’s the kicker) back that up with cold, hard cash. I’ve committed to working out 4 days a week, and if I miss a workout, I am automatically charged $5 for each missed workout (the minimum stake, and an effective “stick”).

You may be questioning my sanity at this point, but there is a “carrot,” too. If I successfully complete my pact, I actually earn money. No, it’s not as much as I could lose, but it’s better than a poke in the eye with a stick. There are some curious rules to how it works. You have to check-in at a recognized gym (it uses your phone’s GPS) and workout for a minimum of 30 minutes for it to count. And they recently enhanced this to also allow you to use GPS runs tracked via RunKeeper (again, they have to be over 30 minutes long).

The combination of the threat of loss with the promise of gain is actually helping me stick to my goals.

Lift

This little app is not just for health and fitness. Lift can be used to track and motivate you to perform any activities that you want to “bake” into your life. Tim Ferriss used Lift to get him to floss more regularly. Plenty of folks use it to get them to read more. I’m using it this month to help me with the 4-Hour Body Challenge. You define the daily habits you want to repeat. For now, I’ve got five that all support 4-Hour Body (FHB) concepts: measure weight and body fat; eat 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking; following a strict, slow-carb diet; exercise; and cold showers (lowers body temperature and increases metabolism).

Lift is simple to use and gives you an easy way to track your progress in the activities you care about. It’s free, and there’s no betting or money to win or lose. Just good ol’ data to use as you see fit. Oh, and the opportunity to give and get props from other Lift users.

DietBet

Lastly, comes DietBet. This app is specifically for losing weight. Like many other weight-loss challenges, you are pooling your entry fee with other competitors. But with DietBet, the kitty isn’t rewarded to the person with the single greatest loss, but shared among everyone who meets the stated goal of the game. My game is tied into Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Body Challenge, and the goal is to lose 4% of our starting weight over four weeks.

Like GymPact, DietBet uses a similar “carrot-and-stick” approach but with a social competition element (and of course, the focus on diet, not workouts). Since 90% of weight loss is controlled by diet, this has been a huge motivator for me to stick with the slow-carb diet.

Conclusion

I’ve tried dozens of iPhone apps and these are all pretty good. I’d recommend them, but suggest that you think about what makes you tick and whether gamification and quantification is really something that will help you achieve your goals. If so, check these apps out.

Have you got an app that you think kicks the ass of one of these? Leave me a comment and tell me what makes it so great.

March 14th is annual Pi Day, commemorated the three most significant digits of pi — 3.14. Although I’m not currently eating pie (or pi, for that matter), I wanted to share what has to be the ultimate pie chart.  And if you are in the mood for something a little headier, consider this pie chart which diagrams what you don’t know that you don’t know (among other things).

How are you celebrating Pi Day? I’ll be hiking with a group of friends on our first of many planned Wednesday night hikes up Roller Coaster Ridge in south Orange County. Maybe we should have pie afterwards…

Words to live by, from a wise man.

Like it? Share it!

The Kogeto Dot is a clip-on attachment that let’s you easily create 360-degree interactive videos with your iPhone 4/4s. When you want to shoot a video, clip the Dot onto your iPhone, launch the free Dot app and start recording. When you stop, the video can be uploaded and shared on the Kogeto website as a dotspot, or emailed, tweeted or posted on Facebook.

The Kogeto Dot uses a special convex mirror that allows the iPhone camera to “see” in 360 degrees. The resulting video uses a special player that lets the viewer swipe from side to side to change the direction they are viewing while the video is playing. You can probably imagine a number of fun and creative ways to use this. Here’s a couple examples:

The Apple Store on Fifth Avenue

On the Chair Lift at Bear Mountain

Want to Win a Kogeto Dot?

Kogeto Dot started as a Kickstarter project, and now they are available in the Apple Stores (among other retail locations). I was one of the backers of the project, and I’ve got an extra Kogeto Dot that I’ll be giving away here on BigBlueBall in February.  Watch the announcement, and check back to learn how you can start creating your own 360-degree videos.

I’ve been using my Kogeto Dot to record the view from various peaks on my hiking site – SoCalHiker.net. You could use it for real estate, action sports, group videos (i.e. Happy Birthday from the gang) and so much more.

Want it now? You can order the Kogeto Dot today from Amazon (an affiliate link that helps support BigBlueBall).

The net result? You should see page load times drop in half. That doesn’t suck. 

And thanks to all of you who participated in our iPod Nano and TikTok watchband contest. Your comments, likes, tweets and pluses all helped spread the word about BigBlueBall. Although the contest is officially over, we’re already preparing our next giveaway! Stay tuned…

BigBlueBall is giving away an 8 GB iPod Nano with a super-cool, black TikTok watch band that turns the Nano into a wearable watch. I’ve been wearing one of these for a few months and love it. The TikTok watchband allows you to quickly snap the iPod Nano in or out depending on how you want to use it. I can’t tell you how many comments I get on mine. It’s the ultimate geek watch!

The odds of winning are awesome, and it’s easy, too! All you have to do is join the conversation here at BigBlueBall. And you can increase your odds with additional entries for Tweeting about our contest, liking us on Facebook, and following @BigBlueBall on Twitter.

Steve Jobs, the visionary leader of Apple has died at the age of 56, just a few months after announcing his retirement as CEO. Jobs had been battling pancreatic cancer for eight years.

The Apple website has been replaced with an memorial for the man who not only co-founded the company, but helped turn it around when he returned in 1998, revolutionizing the tech world in the process. The statement reads:

Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Thos of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.

If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com

Personally, the original Mac was one of the first PCs I used, back in 1984. I learned the Basic programming language on an Apple II computer. Fast forward a decade to the introduction of the iPod. Most of have owned not one, but several generations of iPods. Apple redefined how we listen to music. Then Apple did the same with computing, mobile phones, tablets, and so much more. Much of this can be attributed to the leadership and vision of Steve Jobs.

Rest in peace, Mr. Jobs. You will be missed.