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"Android users, the time has almost come. Instagram, the popular photo-filtering and sharing app, is on its way to Google's mobile operating system. \nCo-founder Kevin Systrom announced at SXSW Sunday that the long-awaited Android version of Instagram is nearly here. He teased the version on stage, but didn't provide a demo. The Android version is currently being tested in private beta and will be released \"very soon.\"\n\u201CIn some ways, it\u2019s better than our iOS app. It\u2019s crazy,\u201D Systrom said. In a Q&amp;A following his presentation, Systrom said the app is fast, works great on large screens and can share photos to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and other networks.\nWhat took the startup so long to bring what's clearly an extremely popular app to Android? \u201CI don\u2019t think it took us so long. We just had priorities. Had we tried to be both on Android and iPhone at the same time, it would\u2019ve been tough to innovate in the way that we have,\u201D he said.\nSystrom announced, in December of last year at LeWeb, that the Android app was in development. Knowing that it's in testing now means Instagram for Android is at least that much closer to release \u2014 but nothing more specific.\nSystrom also announced Sunday that the iOS version of Instagram \u2014 which was named Apple's iOS app of the year last year \u2014 has seen some 27 million downloads. \nBONUS: The Best Instagram Photos Ever Taken\n\n\n12 Incredible Instagram Images \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Maura Grace (@folkfibers)\n\nJosh Riedel: \"I love the way you can travel through photos. Maura (@folkfibers) travels the USA in her VW van, and her photos take you along for the ride. I like to imagine Maura pulling to the side of the road and leaning out her window to snap this shot as she's leaving the park.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Simon (@stmng)\n\nJessica Zollman: \"The composition of this image is just fantastic. The use of the blur tool to create depth of field, and the warm tones over the black &amp; white processing sets such a beautiful mood.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Tyson Wheatley (@twheat)\n\nJosh Riedel: \"Sometimes it's best to focus on the parts rather than the whole. I love all the shades of grey in this photo, the splotches of white, the wrinkles and creases around the eye.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Benjamin Heath (@benjaminheath)\n\nJessica Zollman: \"Iconic photos of San Francisco landmarks are commonplace in my feed, but this photo brought a fresh perspective. I love the soft light, the haze from the fog and that there is so much sky.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Athipan Wongsuebyut (@awnoom)\n\nJosh Riedel: \"This photo was taken in Thailand during the flooding last year, yet there's something hopeful about the photo: the forward motion of the boat gives the sense that this too will pass.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. Matt Rubin (@mattrubin)\n\nJessica Zollman: \"I'm a sucker for cars, architecture and typography, so this was a no brainer favorite. I think the best part about this image is that, if you look carefully, you can see that the photographer managed to capture himself taking this photo in the shop window.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. Philip Park (@komeda)\n\nJosh Riedel: \"Millions of people live in Seoul, but this photo makes you believe there is only this one man and his bicycle.\" \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. Robert Josiah (@robertjosiah)\n\nJessica Zollman: \"The marriage of blinding white with bright colors and a blue hue creates a sterile feeling to this image, and often appears to be iridescent as a result of the depth of field. This is a great example of how subtly editing with iPhone applications can create a beautiful image.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. Adam Senatori (@adamsenatori)\n\nJosh Riedel: \"I love seeing the world the way others see it, especially when they live most of their life in the sky. Adam Senatori is a pilot who snaps photos on his iPhone while thousands of feet up in the air. There's something calming about this aerial view of a farm in western Wisconsin.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10. Allan Hinton (@chaiwalla)\n\nJessica Zollman: \"I love when people share portraits of their friends or family on Instagram, providing a window to their lives, and this is one of those portraits that just demands you stop in your feed and look! The autumn leaves, her red lipstick and the orange hat all filtered through Valencia - such a beautiful blend of colors.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n11. Shah Kashani (@shahkashani)\n\nJosh Riedel: \"This was taken during the Giants Superbowl parade in NYC. I saw a bunch of parade photos in my feed that day, but this one stood out. It made me feel like I was there watching, too.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n12. Lindsey Garrett (@modchik)\n\nJessica Zollman: \"We couldn't leave out a cat photo! Weebee is one of many photogenic Instapets, and she looks pretty great in Rise. This is also a beautifully composed shot, broken up into three sections and perfectly focused on the subject.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/03/11/instagram-for-android/>