Windows Phone 8 is definitely picking up pace as a worthy alternative mobile operating system for those who have grown tired of iOS and Android, or who want to stay away from the mainstream offering. The firmware’s cause is definitely helped by the growing number of quality apps that are appearing on the Windows Phone Store, some from large development houses and some from third-party indie developers. The platform may not have an official Instagram presence yet, but the innovative Instagram Lockscreen app that is now available could at least give Windows Phone 8 users a taste of what they are missing out on.
Although our smartphones are full of powerful features and are capable of performing amazingly complex tasks without so much as a processor hiccup, it is often the lock screen that we pay a lot of attention to. Nothing really happens on a device without first interacting with the first display to dismiss and get into the phone itself to launch apps or check messages and incoming emails. The Instagram Lockscreen app brings a taste of the now Facebook owned Instagram service to what is potentially the most used and viewed screen on the device.
It’s definitely worth noting from the offset that this particular app isn’t a fully functional Instagram client. The Instagram API for developers doesn’t allow posting of images to the network through third-party creations, so that wouldn’t be possible anyway. The app provides Windows Phone 8 users with a way of setting the image on their lock screen to a picture pulled directly from Instagram. Users can opt to use images from their own Instagram account, from the account of any non-private Instagram account, or alternatively, by using the last image uploaded that has been tagged with a particular hashtag.
The image on the lock screen will change periodically, depending on when a new image is uploaded to the chosen account, or when the network receives a new image tagged with the given hashtag. Owners of a Windows Phone 8 device who are looking to use this app can grab it now from the Windows Phone Store for $1.29. Be wary that Instagram Lockscreen cannot be used to create an Instagram account and is essentially just a creative way of setting a nice, unique and varied wallpaper on the lock screen of the device.
(Source: Instagram Lockscreen for Windows Phone 8 on the Windows Phone Store)
Be sure to check out our Windows Phone 7 apps gallery to explore more apps for your Windows Phone 7 smartphone.
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