Today's the day that many Windows Phone fans have long been waiting for. Instagram just announced that its official Windows Phone app will be released today, allowing fans of Microsoft's mobile platform to cross another name off of the list of major apps that they don't have.
Instagram says that it focused on getting the app's "core features" together so that it could get Instagram to Windows Phone users "as quickly as possible." While the company doesn't go into any further detail about what that means, Engadget reports that the app will be missing a few features at launch, including video capture and upload, photo tagging and the ability to capture photos from within the app.
So what Windows Phone users will be able to do with their official Instagram app? Support for Live Tiles will be included along with fast-resume. Instagram says that it plans to continue to improve on its Windows Phone app and add more features in the future.
The Windows Phone crowd has been using Instagram for quite a while now through various third-party apps. Still, the arrival of an official Instagram client is a big win for both Windows Phone users and for Microsoft because it gives the platform some more ammo against its opponents in the battle for third place mobile ecosystem, even if the app will be slightly limited at launch. Instagram for Windows Phone can be downloaded from the Windows Phone Store right here.
Instagram isn't the only major app that's making its Windows Phone debut today, as the folks at WPCentral note that an official Waze app will also be hitting the Windows Phone store on this fine Wednesday. The app has been undergoing beta testing since June and is apparently finally ready for public consumption. The app will give Windows Phone users access to Waze's crowd-sourced maps and traffic information. While it's not yet available in the Windows Phone Store as of this writing, the Waze app is expected to go live shortly. Stay tuned and I'll update you once it hits the store's virtual shelves.
UPDATE: Looks like the Instagram app for Windows Phone isn't quite as limited as initially thought. There is indeed in-app photo capture support, contrary to what previous reports claims. In order to snap a photo, users simply need to tap on the camera icon at the bottom of their display, then tap on it again while viewing their list of photos.
UPDATE 2: The official Waze app for Windows Phone is now available, complete with features like live routing, automatic re-routing, road alerts like accidents and police traps and maps that are live and updated by the Waze community map editors. You can snag the official Waze app for Windows Phone right here.
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