That was how long our relationship lasted. Eight years of ups and downs. Eight years of going to different places. Eight years of companionship. Eight long years before one accidental mistake from me broke and shattered him.

Is there a worse feeling than seeing your iPod touch smack the ground and hearing the unmistakable crack of glass?  Is there a more heart broken scene than picking it up and realizing that the screen is shattered from top-to-bottom? 

This happened to me a couple of days ago. You see, I always carry my iPod with me wherever I go. So while out on a window shopping spree, I pulled out my wallet from inside my bag without noticing that I also unknowingly pulled out my iPod. As you may have guessed, it succumbed to gravity and left me not knowing how to react for a few seconds there. Now, this isn't the first time this had happened for I had dropped him a couple of times before but this time he didn't survive. Surprisingly, it still works well despite the spider web of cracked glass across its screen. I mean, the touchscreen still work as well as its music player but it's just so painful to see/read the words, images and what not's thus I could not use this as a back-up for my e-reader.

So far, I'm left with two options - repair or replaced. What do you suggest?

I'm one of those people who grabbed their phone first when they woke up and so imagine my surprised when a "new" app showed up on my phone's home screen. I was lying in my bed trying to remember if I downloaded another photography app last night and it was only after a couple of seconds (when my eyes had already fully adjusted) that I began to notice the words written below the new colorful logo - Instagram.

Instagram is my second most favorite social media app (Youtube occupying the first slot) so any updates and such on this would make me freak out - remember that Algorithm news a few months ago? Thus, I tapped into my inner researcher and was up on Instagram's official sites getting everything I need to know about this new update.

Here's what I got so far:

1. New Logo

Say goodbye to that familiar brown retro camera logo and say hello to this rainbow gradient one.

They have also updated the icons for their other products: Layout, Boomerang and Hyperlapse

Quite honestly, I'm not a fan of this new logo. I feel like they didn't put a lot of thought about it. It was just so simple and plain. And it's kinda weird and very contradicting that they put a gradient rainbow on their new logo but when you open it, it doesn't have any bright colors. That brown retro camera logo will be surely missed - I know I would be.

2. App Design

The team opted for a sleeker interface by introducing a black and white look so as to make our photos stand out.


         
I'm currently digging the whole minimalist look nowadays so I like what they had done to its interface. It's clean, less busy and cluttered. It might seem too bright to some but it really does make your photos be the focal point - which is what Instagram is all about.

For more information about this new update, watch their introductory video about this here:

It's so crazy how much Instagram has changed these days. I remember when I first used it at the beginning, I would post anything - from snaps of my newest e-book to shameless selfies and random rubbish but looking back at them now, I realized they are quite lame!HAHA. With all these discussions about "theme" and "feed goals", I become so conscious about my feed. Gone are the days where I would just post random things and pick out a random filter for a single photo.  Now, it's all about adjusting the little things (brightness, saturation, contrasts etc. ) on a single photo to create a cohesive feed for aesthetic/branding purposes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you what you should/shouldn't do nor am I boasting about my feed to get more followers etc. I just love the app so much because this is where I get most of my inspiration. At the end of the day, it is an art form and I just love looking at beautiful photos.

How about you? What's your take on the new Instagram?