Hipstamatic's Snap is a beautiful magazine worth having on the iPad
One of the best places to show off sumptuous design and photography is the iPad, and Hipstamatic is taking advantage of that with its new Snap magazine, a digital publication that combines Hipstamatic user pictures with print and other art that's completely free.
AllThingsD billed Snap as a photography magazine, but I agree with TechCrunch's assessment that it's more of a culture and lifestyle publication. While Hisptamatic images are the driving force behind the magazine, there is a lot to be said for the content.
The first few pages cover some of Hipstamatic's original developers, as well as artists who describe how they utilize the app to create stellar images. Then you learn how to create the perfect mixtape, get those ruby red lips you've always wanted, use Guinness to create the perfect mussels dish and more. The articles are short and smartly written, and the design is just beautiful. There are minimal ads throughout, mostly for Hipstamatic partnerships and the #makebeautiful campaign that Hipstamatic is promoting.
There are a couple drawbacks to the app itself. You can bring up a menu at the bottom to swipe to a page later in the magazine, but it doesn't give you the page number until it actually loads. There's no quick way to leap to a certain page. If you exit the issue, you'll be kicked back to the beginning once you re-enter it. You do keep your position, however, if you keep the issue up in the background. Pages are a bit slow to load.
These are minor drawbacks and most likely will be resolved in future issues. Snap is a free subscription, and if you're a fan of Hipstamatic, photography or design, it's worth checking out.
