Review: Postagram an intuitive simple way to send iPhone photos as postcards

by David Silverberg

Say you got some great photos on your smartphone. You enjoy posting them on Twitter, Facebook, sending them as email attachments. But what if you want to go retro and send a pic as a postcard. Sounds ludicrous and difficult, right?

Nope. Now there’s a new iPhone app called Postagram, which lets you send photos straight from your phone to any address in North America. You can send the photos as greeting cards complete with a custom message. Each photo you send to an address will cost you $1.

Here’s the catch: you need an Instagram account because Postagram only recognizes pics you posted on that app. Instagram is a Flickr-type iPhone app allowing you to share pics with friends, adding filters and captions quite easily. Available free, Instagram has become a viral hit, attracting more than 3 million members.

It’s a pain for some users to have to be part of Instagram to use Postagram, so I can see that being a major roadblock to winning over skeptics and iPhone newbies.

I tried out the app, since I’m an Instagram user. I chose a photo of my father and aunt, and with Postagram easily inputted the address and name details. A custom message let my dad know the postcard was offering a personal touch. I added my credit card info, clicked SEND and within seconds I got an email confirming the postcard of my pic was being sent to the address.

It’s important to note the photo you use should be cropped to fit the 3 inch by 3 inch pop-out form used in Postagram postcards. You can crop it on Instagram before using the pic for Postagram. In around 8 days, my parents received the postcard and they gushed over the quality (and surprise) of the photo. All for $1. And I could do the same with a postcard being sent to the US. Doesn’t it even cost more than that to mail something to the States from Canada?

I can picture myself getting addicted to this app. For only $1, I can send my poetry friends pics of themselves rockin’ the mic, or I can send my work a pic of us at our Future of Media event. But I know I’ll soon be asking myself, “Why does the world need postcards, in the age of Flickr and Facebook?” There’s something powerful about holding a real photo and perhaps framing it above the mantle; online pics might be more convenient, but they don’t carry that same value, that tactile feel.

Have you tried Postagram or similar apps? What do you think?

This article was previously posted on DigitalJournal.com

Photo courtesy Rochelle Silverberg