Summary
Pinterest, the social network that let you share your interests and opinions, using pictures, has finally got an Android app. And it is well worth a download for all those who believe in letting pictures say a thousand words.
There are many (including some in the corridors of power) who equate social networks with the Twitter-Facebook duo. How little do they know. For, while there is no doubt that the likes of Twitter and Facebook have been hogging the headlines, there are actually a whole host of social networks out there with formidable and dedicated followings, that spend more time being social, and less time making noise. And one of these is Pinterest.
A service designed to let people “discover, share and collect inspiration” (their words, not ours, we hasten to add),Pinterest is basically designed to let you ‘pin’ items that interest you to a vast digital pinboard in the form of pictures. As this is a social network, you can now just share your boards and ‘pins’ with others, but also gawk at those set up those you are following. It is a bit like Instagram, only with pictures telling stories rather than looking good, if you know what we mean.
The landing page of Pinterest borrows the website's looks and design, which is not a bad thing at all.
Pinterest has been making waves for a while but it has taken its time coming to the Android platform in app form, although its website was very user friendly, especially for Android tab wielders. Which is perhaps why the app too seems largely based on the website - it has the same large pictures-with-plenty-of-white-spaces look, which is very easy on the eye and looks good, particularly on large displays.
If you do not have an account, you can either sign up (it’s free, relax) or log in using your Facebook ID. That done, settle in and pin a few items, putting them on ‘boards’ (the term for categories of the pins in your profile) - you can either take a new picture of the item you want to pin or choose an existing one on your Android device.
You can "pin" pictures, add descriptions, slot them onto boards...the full Pinterest Monty!
That done, figure out a few people to follow (you can also use the Find Friends option, if you want) and then sit back and let the app collect information from different boards. That done, your landing page becomes a collection of the pins put up by those you are following - a very pictorial time line if you will. You can tap each one to see it in detail and like or comment on it, pin it again (“repin”) and further share it on other social networks.
If the picture has been taken from a website, tapping on it takes you to the site. A swipe from the landing page to the left will take you to the search and categories page. The categories can let you look at all the content on Pinterest or the most popular pins, or alternatively, the pins placed under different categories. A swipe to the right takes you to your own page with access to your pins and boards.
You can also share images from the Web, add comments, et al, although the app is a bit erratic in this area.
And it is here that perhaps the first flaw of the app shows up, albeit hardly a deal breaker - there is just no way in which you can alter your profile information. Now that might break the hearts of those who like nothing better than changing their profile pictures every other day. Another problem, which is a tad more serious, is that the app was decidedly eccentric when it came to sharing Web links and Web images.
In some cases, we would not get image options even after entering the URL or choosing the Create Pin option on the browser. As the problem occurred both with our Xperia S and Motorola Xoom, we do thing that some sort of bug might be at play. Also as Pinterest is a picture-driven app, it works best over brisk networks - those using it on GPRS/EDGE networks are advised to be patient.
Create and manage your boards, depending on the kind of images you wish to share.
But those minor quibbles apart, we found ourselves in love with Pinterest on our Android devices. It works a treat on both tablets and phones, and looks just like its website. Just make sure you have a decent Internet connection when you decide to use it. And yes, we do recommend using it.
Get it from: Google Play
Price: Free
Price: Free
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