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[h=3]CNET Editors' Rating[/h] 3.0 stars Good
Review Date: 6/03/13
[h=3]Average User Rating[/h] 0.0 stars No reviews. Write a review
The good:
Vine for Android is great for sharing short video clips on Twitter. The Home feed is smooth and the recording tool works just as well as it does on the iOS version. Also, exclusive to Android users is a zoom feature.
The bad: This newborn app is missing a lot of major features that iOS users enjoy, like Search, Facebook integration, and front-facing camera support. Also, it is noticeably buggy.
The bottom line: If you need to jump on the Vine bandwagon ASAP, then this is a must-download, but be ready for a buggy app that's short on features.
After spending the last several months wondering what all the fuss was about, Android users finally get to try out Twitter's younger and increasingly popular video-sharing sibling Vine. While this first iteration of the highly anticipated release certainly works, it is buggy and has a number of missing features, which to me, make it a letdown. That said, the app's handlers at Twitter are fully aware of its shortcomings and are already hard at work with improvements.
To get started with Vine, you can sign up with an e-mail address or use your existing Twitter credentials for quick access. Similar to Twitter, the app opens up to your Home feed where you can scroll through the latest posts from other users you follow. In addition, the app automatically shows featured posts as chosen by Vine staff.
Watching Vine videos
Once you're ready to start following people, I suggest going to the Profile tab, which includes a tool to scrub your Twitter account for friends who are also on Vine. Also, there are tools for inviting friends to the service via text message or e-mail and for sifting through your mobile device's address book. What's missing, though, is a Search tool (in the Android version, anyway). This is a huge negative, considering the first thing I wanted to do upon downloading the app was search for some of my favorite comedians and Web celebs to follow. I'm staying tuned, though, as I fully expect Search to be among the first features added in a future update.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jaymar Cabebe/CNET)
Most of your Vine time will probably be spent checking out your Home feed. As you scroll through, each video starts to play automatically while you have it on screen, which makes the experience smooth and enjoyable. Since all you have to do is scroll through and watch (and listen), you don't have to fiddle with any Stop or Play buttons. If you want to pause a video, just tap it as its playing, and you can Like videos and add comments easily.
The Activity tab lets you track how others have interacted with (Liked or Commented on) your Vine videos. Next to that is the Explore tab, which is a great place to see how others are using the service. On this page, you can see links to Editor's Picks, videos that are currently popular on the network, and trending hash tags.
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[h=2]Member Comments[/h]
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[h=2]Quick Specifications[/h]
- Category Social networking Video and screencasting
- Platform Android
By Jaymar Cabebe Jaymar Cabebe covers mobile apps and Windows software for CNET. While he may be a former host of the Android Atlas Weekly podcast, he doesn't hate iOS or Mac. Jaymar has worked in online media since 2007. Full Bio
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