A few weeks ago, I drafted a scathing post about how obnoxious Instagram is for encouraging people to use tacky filters instead of helping them take better pictures. I had also just gotten a set of Photojojo’s cameraphone filters, and was more than a little smug for experimenting with glass. Well, I’ve been using Instagram since Christmas, and I’ve realized my anti-Instagram argument is just as short sighted as someone criticizing twitter because the only posts they see are what their friends had for lunch.

Tools are as creative as the minds using them, and the best tools get out of the way to help us live better (inspired, connected) lives. And for all it’s pixel destroying flaws, Instagram is great at that.

Since I couldn’t actually use the app without an iPhone (which I later bought just so I could continue this experiment), I was racking my brain trying to figure out why everyone found it so compelling. I got in a discussion with Patrick about it during my last trip to San Diego, and he thinks it’s because constraining everyone to the same set of tools essentially gives us all the same camera, and constraints fuel creativity. I feared it was an anti-web conspiracy, something about how Instagram was making itself to be a first class sharing mechanism rather than the web (which is a Thing these days, aka Path). I think both of these hypotheses play a part in Instagram’s success, but what it really boils down to is the simple fact that this is the only app that nails the mobile photography workflow.

Before really letting myself get sucked in to Instagram, I tried all the other iOS photography apps I’d heard of — many, many more than I mention here. Hipstamatic is great if you’re in a fiddly mood, but it’s also slow and you risk losing the moment you wanted to capture in the first place. Camera+ is powerful, but I find the editing step unnecessarily complicated for mobile, I think because it offers a plethora of options but none of the ones I want. I realize this is an ironic criticism for a pro-Instagram post, but most of the time I just want to bump the sharpness and contrast instead of plastering my photos with a “look.”

On Instagram, the workflow is to either take or select an image, choose one of a few filters that are way more heavy handed than I’d care for (but are defining the photographic zeitgeist of 2011), then one more screen to enter optional location, description, and toggle sharing services. Shoot, edit, share…done. I capture a moments without taking myself out of them, which leads to much more introspective results and therefore better photos.

That’s what I love about cameras on Android. I can add a little punch within the camera app itself and immediately see how the settings are affecting my scene before I take the photo — 99% of the time I just leave it on +1 sharpness, contrast, and saturation. Auto white balance with the Evo is spot on. Getting basic settings out of the way allows me to focus on composition, which is the ideal way to start taking better photos instead of knowing I can rely on a vignette or leaky filter to cover up the boring spots. I don’t really need sharing settings, because I email my photos to flickr and have flickr configured to post them to twitter.

webOS doesn’t have a lot of play in this area yet since the camera APIs are still in private beta, but so far developers have come up with creative solutions like doing the image processing on a remote server. MOLO‘s filter set really stands out, and I hope that by evaluating other experiences my guys burst out of the gate with some of the best mobile photo apps on the market. PS: Even without editing apps, Palm’s exposure and white balance algorithms are smarter than the average bear. Now if we could just get rid of all these fixed focus lenses…

I’m still gonna hold Instagram’s feet to the fire about building a stronger web presence (and an api), but at least now I understand why they made the tradeoff to first perfect their core functionality and build an audience. In the meantime, you can check my flickr stream to see all the moments I otherwise wouldn’t have captured.

9:30 pm – “On the ground in San Francisco. Nights here really are quite cool and windy. This excites me for some reason.”

I wrote those words in my journal (yes, on paper) on July 19, 2007, when I decided to fly up for Wordcamp on a bit of a whim. Although my journal entry was brief, it marks a pivotal moment in my life. I remember I was in the airport and going up an escalator to get to the BART station. As I reached the top and looked out over the city for the first time, it was like I’d taken my first breath full of energy and life and possibilities, and I immediately knew that something in this city was waiting for me. The moment was so intense, the memory of it can bring tears to my eyes.

Dear friends, I am pleased to announce that I have found the opportunity I sensed that day. In just a few short weeks, I will be leaving San Diego to join Palm’s Developer Relations team. PreDevCamp was the most humbling and exciting project I’ve ever undertaken, and I’m honored to be in an even better position to serve this new community of developers. As an application reviewer, my priorities are now to help you guys develop the highest quality apps possible, and ensure the review process treats all developers with the respect they deserve.

I’ll be joining Chuq, the community manager that we already know and love, new directors Dion Almaer and Ben Galbraith, and a host of other crazy talented folks. What I’m looking forward to the most about working for Dion and Ben is that they’re so passionate about driving the future of the Open Web in a mobile environment. I’ve merely dabbled with the idea before (and listened to many of @hober’s infamous drunken rants), and I’m excited to have a chance to become a participating member of this community.

As eager as I am to join Palm, departure is bittersweet. San Diego is where I discovered myself, and with the help of some really awesome friends I’ve learned that my truest source of happiness is to be active and genuine in my communities, and never be afraid to follow my passions. As Barcamp San Diego and twitter empowered San Diego with a thriving new community, I was empowered myself and decided what I wanted to do with my life. For that reason, San Diego — and the people here — will always have a special place in my heart.

The next two weeks will be a whirlwind of activity to wrap up my last obligations, see as many friends as possible, and ship me and my cat up to Sunnyvale ASAP. The realization that I’m really doing this comes in waves, so I’m doing everything I can to cherish my remaining time here. You will be greatly missed, San Diego, but be proud that it is your legacy that will carry me through this next adventure.

Cross-posted from the official PDC SD blog:

Crack your knuckles and grab your caffeinated beverage of choice, because PreDevCamp is only a week away!

When: August 8, 2009 at 10:30 am

Where: theHIVE, 777 11^th Avenue [map]

Cost: Free, but please bring $5 to chip in for lunch

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

I’m pleased to announce that preDevCamp San Diego will be hosted at theHIVE, downtown’s most fashionable co-working space. Jason and the team have made a huge contribution to the SD tech scene by graciously hosting events such as SD Ruby, Django SD, SD Tech Founders, and the upcoming Ignite event. Check their website to learn about the space and the creative professionals who work there, or stop by for the next free Jelly co-working day and say hi.
 

Survey
What do YOU want to learn at preDevCamp? We’ve created a survey to get a feel for your background and what you’d rather focus on. It’s also a dang good way to get an idea of what the event will be like. Click here to take the survey!

Schedule
As always, keep in mind that this schedule can and probably will change.

• 10:00 – Doors open
• 10:30 – Introductions: Who you are, what you do, and what you’d like to build
• 10:45 to 12:30 – Intro to Pre development, SDK installfest, hello world, HTML5, services api, frameworks
• 12:30 to 1:30 – Lunch
• 1:30 to 5:30 – Open hacking and group discussion: website optimization, mobile UX, webOS internals hacking (running servers, homebrew apps, etc), whatever else comes up
• 6:00 to 6:30 – Demo your app, prizes
• 6:30 – Closing remarks
• 7:00 – Cleanup
• 8:00 – Afterparty at one of downtown’s fine drinking establishments

What you can do
The conference might be a week away, but here’s what you should start doing now.

• Brainstorm for app ideas. PreDevCamp San Diego will be very hands on, so start thinking about what app you’d like to build. I’ll be announcing at least two contests in the next week, so make it good.

• Install the SDK, which is conveniently available for Windows, OS X, and Linux. We can help you get this set up if you need it, but it’ll save a lot of time if everyone can get this done before the event. And remember to update to the latest version if you have the beta SDK installed!
• Play with the emulator. If you don’t have a Pre, spend a few minutes with the emulator to get a feel for how webOS handles multi-tasking and notifications. Be warned that the gestures are rather addictive!
• Connect with other attendees. There are over 1000 people registered for preDevCamp around the world, and they’re all as awesome as you are. Get to know them on Facebook or our irc backchannel at #predevcamp on irc.freenode.net.
• Help get the word out. Post about preDevCamp on your blog or send a message to your favorite mailing list. There’s also a Facebook event you can use to invite your friends.

That’s it for now! If you have any questions, please catch me or Dave on twitter or shoot me an email. Happy hacking!

In response to being asked how the Pre compares to the iPhone:

In all fairness…I’ve been a Palm fan for years, but I’m not too brainwashed to say that there’s a place in the market for both. Pre and the iPhone each have pros and cons, and the Pre meets my needs the best. For me, having a physical keyboard, carrier availability, and choice of development platform are high priorities. YMMV.

Now with that said, WebOS and Synergy are amazing new technologies that are full of possibilities, but I fairly and lovingly admit that certain aspects of the Pre reinforce the fact that it’s a v1.02 device. Things you’ll love: everything about the hardware, how easily it integrates with online services, beautiful multitasking, gps navigation, and push email. Things you might not like: unoptimized calendar experience, short battery life, and limited application selection. The people currently best suited for the Pre are early adopters, users without advanced requirements, and linux hackers (I’m trying to find a way to SSH into my phone as I write this). Since there are so many people excited about this device, I hope to see Palm engaging the community to incorporate our feedback into future updates (which I expect within a month or two).

…that got a bit too involved, didn’t it? The Pre’s a great phone. Buy it, bitches.