Instagram and Facebook.

Whichever way you say it, they are now a duo. Facebook app users have already started to see some of Instagram moved into their Facebook timelines. Also Instagram went down for a considerable period of time causing people to flock to other networking sites to blame Facebook, as this never happened before.  Meanwhile Apple are going to offer photo sharing with photo stream with the iCloud.

Photo sharing is big business. Facebook has always had that over sites like twitter and with Instagram’s filters it could be quite a coop.

How your facebook timeline has changed;

Just take a look through the top apps in Apple store and you’ll see a heavy sway to more photo apps. This is good for everybody and with Instagram users on the up it’s only going to get better it seems. Obviously there are still some areas that need to be ironed out once Facebook have officially closed their deal on Instagram. My main areas are;

- Will photos from Instagram automatically be fed into Facebook, will their be an option to disable if so.

- Will Instagram need a Facebook account to log in. Just like google, Facebook can claim more account holders possibly.

- Will Instagram’s filters be imported to Facebook photos automatically?

- Periods of downtime never happened before. Yes there are millions more users now but downtime is never going to get those who haven’t yet got an account sign up. Stop downtime!

Ultimately the question still remains – could Facebook ruin Instagram?

What you need to know is this: all Twitter users, over the next few weeks, will start receiving weekly email updates with content that Twitter thinks you’ll enjoy most. These emails might consist of tweets from users you follow, but ones that you might’ve missed while at work or sleeping, as well as links and videos and images. Also, though, these emails may contain content from users you don’t follow, but are from users who Twitter thinks you might like, based on your interests and the people you do currently follow and interact with.

It’s a simple thing Twitter is doing, but I’m really curious if it’ll be effective. For me personally, I nearly always delete emails I get, without reading more than the subject line, unless they’re personal or relate to a job I may be applying for. I won’t rule out this new feature immediately, however, because Twitter is my favorite social media, and I do feel like I miss out on great content while I’m working. Who knows, I may even come to embrace these weekly updates.

As for everyone else, though, I’m not sure. We’re bombarded by emails, everywhere where we go, both online and off, and it’s so easy to avoid reading them with our smartphones’ capabilities. Not only that, but I can imagine why some Twitter users will think this idea isn’t worthwhile. Twitter has always been the media of the concise, the place for only 140 characters, where tweets come and go, and are really only effective for a spur of a moment.

So any way I look at it, it’s certainly a toss up.

One thing is certain, though: both new media and old are highly capable of embracing each other. It’s happened before, numerous times, actually, but certainly isn’t slowing down. I’m finding that there’s really nothing that will not mash up with older media platforms the further we dive into Web 2.0. Something which I find as crazy as I do magical.

Finally, after listening to me struggle for about half an hour, my husband came up with a gem of an idea: list a number of other super cool things shaped like a cube, and link them all together.  Excellent!  Well, first, and quite obviously, there’s the Rubix Cube.  Everyone loves the Rubix Cube.  Secondly, we have ice.  Who doesn’t love a lovely refreshing ice-cube in their beverage of choice?  Third, there’s…well, there’s…ummm…oh!  Stock cubes!  Making soup and gravy is so much more convenient since the invention of stock cubes, after all.  Fourth?  Ah.  OK, Nintendo, I’m going to have to ask the obvious question here: what exactly was it about the cube shape that made you think you were onto a winner?

Obviously, I’m just messing about here…and actually, I do love the shape of the GameCube.  It’s unique and fun, and when you compare it to the likes of the XBox 360, it does look a lot more appealing.  It is true, however, that the design of the GameCube did turn out to be a big problem for Nintendo.  For one thing, the size meant that (unlike its competitors) the console wasn’t DVD-compatible, automatically putting it at a disadvantage in the market.  The main issue, though, was something a little more surprising when considered from a modern point of view.  The GameCube, with its funny shape and purple colouring, looked like a toy.  In design terms, it was miles away from its dark, chunky, powerful-looking counterparts; in fact, it was actually quite cute.  2002, however, was a time when gamers did not want ‘cute’.

The thought process behind the design of the GameCube is probably best explained in this quote from Nintendo: “GameCube will appeal to anyone who enjoys being entertained by interactive gaming. We believe gaming is an attitude – not an age. With family friendly, sports, racing, adventure, extreme sports, and action games available from day one, GameCube is dedicated to good gameplay… all players, all ages, all genres.”.  Nintendo clearly had an aim: they wanted to make gaming an all-encompassing experience, one which the whole family could enjoy together.  Ten years on, and the successes of the more innovative Wii and DS have proven that the idea was not a crazy one.  Nintendo had the right concept; it just wasn’t the right time.  In 2002, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City took the world by storm.  The Halo franchise was just beginning to take off, the Resident Evil games were huge, and Manhunt was just around the corner.  Violence, horror, and really big guns were the order of the day, and Nintendo’s family friendly toy just wasn’t compatible.

What didn’t help the GameCube was the fact that it was apparently lumbered with some of the worse titles in Nintendo’s main franchises.  Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker were seen in many corners as disappointing, while the somewhat over-the-top cartoonish elements of all these games (in keeping with Nintendo’s drive for family games) did not help the console’s cause when stood next to the more adult titles named above.  I’m going to be totally honest, and admit that the general consensus is correct: these games are weaker when held up next to the likes of Ocarina of Time and Super Mario World.  Cartoon Link IS a bit annoying, and Mario Sunshine DOES feel a little gimmicky.  Come on, though; the worst Mario and Zelda games are still better than 95% of the games out there, and they are still necessary additions to any serious gamer’s collection.  Later on in the console’s life, meanwhile, Nintendo reached out to a wider audience with Resident Evil 4, and the infinitely-more-adult-than-its-predecessor Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.  Then there’s Metroid Prime, Smash Bros Melee, Animal Crossing (which would really come into its own on the DS), and the all-round fun of Super Monkey Ball and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (complete with bongos)…brilliant games, one and all.  The GameCube back catalogue is immense, and sits proudly alongside what any other console has to offer.

I realise I’m biased.  I mean, if it were up to me, Shigeru Miyamoto (Nintendo’s chief games designer) would be ruler of the planet, and we’d all live in a colourful world, travelling on our own little Yoshi every day, with toadstools for houses.  I really do love that little purple box though, and I’m certainly not alone.  The GameCube was too much, too soon, for a gaming world intent on more grown-up adventures, but it still deserves recognition, not only for its brilliant games, but for daring to be a little bit different.

Three cheers for the GameCube!