IPAD APP: SNAP MAGAZINE

Hipstamatic head honcho's new tablet magazine combines retro photography with crowdsourcing

Borne out of the flared lenses and faded film of the hipster's iPhone photography app of choice Hipstamatic, Snap Magazine is an unsurprisingly stylish affair. Optimised for iPad, its clean layout sports a look that's part Vice, part Shepherd Fairey Russian Revolution montage, focusing all of your attention on those retro-vintage images.

In the inaugural "Make Beautiful" issue, there's also a healthy dose of relevant lifestyle interviews and reviews filling the occasional gaps between the hyper-coloured pictures, from tattooist profiles to tie-pin best-buys, and they're surprisingly engaging. The finishing touch? Each feature is headlined with full instructions on how to create the same visual effect in Hipstamatic yourself.

CEO Lucas Buick sees Snap as a way to "highlight users in a more curated and thoughtful way than social media". As he explains, "100 per cent of Hipstamatic users are content creators. Snap is an opportunity for us to showcase beautiful photos and tell the story of the creative class."

So there you have it: free, beautiful and if the in crowd likes your shots, you can be in it.
FREE ON IPAD (10S 5.0+), SNAPM.AG, OUT NOW

Microsoft Windows Phone 8 released

Completing the upcoming Windows assault starting line-up alongside Surface, the eighth iteration of MS's phone OS bring integrated Skype calls, more dynamic homescreen tiles and the NFC-enabled Wallet Hub to challenge iOS and Android.

Expect a fleet of new, higher-specced devices to coincide with the launch, too, not least because Windows Phone 7 handsets will not be upgradable to the system.

MICROSOFT.COM