Silicon Valley-based Design to Matter (D2M) is aiming to provide the legions of Instagram users with an alternative to viewing their shots on a phone, tablet or PC. The company's Instacube is an Android-powered digital photo frame to which users can wirelessly push their Instagram stream over Wi-Fi.
The device features a 6.5-inch touchscreen LCD display with a 600 x 600 pixel resolution to match the maximum resolution of Instagram images. Getting the unit to display your snaps is as easy as plugging it in, connecting to a wireless network and signing into your Instagram account using the onscreen keyboard.
Multiple users can push their streams to a single Instacube with switching between these accomplished by pushing one of the three tactile buttons on the top of the device. Another button turns the device on, while a love heart-shaped button lets users "Like" the photo being displayed.
Built around Android, the Instacube's creators hope to add additional features and applications to the device in the future and say there's the possibility of opening it up to third party developers at some point.
The unit is truly portable – at least within the range of a Wi-Fi network – with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery providing the power and wireless connectivity over Wi-Fi b/g/n. It falls short of being a cube by one dimension, measuring 7.66 in (19.5 cm) high and wide and 2.5 in (6.4 cm) deep – although D2M says the dimensions may change when the unit goes into production.
The Instagram isn't a reality yet, but with over US$200,000 of the $250,000 Kickstarter campaign goal pledged with 28 days still to go, it's manufacture seems a foregone conclusion.
The $99 pledge level for a "Classic" Instacube has already been filled, leaving $149 as the cheapest pledge remaining to secure a unit.
Source: D2M via Kickstarter
Update (July 17, 2018): There are numerous messages on the Kickstarter campaign's comments page complaining of units not being delivered, refunds not being given and attempts to contact the company getting nowhere, so we'd urge extreme caution when dealing with this company.
