Facebook has launched a new mobile app that may have made its recent Instagram purchase a tad redundant. Facebook Camera, a free iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch app, allows photo-sharing and functionality similar to the company’s $1 billion purchase.
It seems unlikely that Facebook bought photo-sharing service Instagram simply to avoid legal hassles but Facebook Camera looks to have been in development for some time before the sale was made. Hands-on and user reviews seem to make it clear that Facebook Camera is an inferior copy of Instagram however.
Facebook Camera lets users post several images at once, see friend’s photos, crop and filter pictures and see photos from other apps. We’re guessing that Instagram is the target for that last feature.
The app reportedly takes longer than expected to upload images and shows every image posted by Facebook friends rather than allowing the user to pick and choose what will appear in the stream. A possible bug that would have uploaded images that the user hadn’t selected were also reported.
It is possible that Facebook bought Instagram in order to jump start this app, which contains very similar features, perhaps to capitalise on Instagram’s large user base in the mobile arena.
Source: Business Insider