I’m all for any shortcuts when it comes to updating a variety of social networks and services at once. So when I was asked to check out the free Pixelpipe HD iPhone app, a service that uploads content to whatever sites you want, simultaneously, I was intrigued. Although the idea behind Pixelpipe is a good one, the way the service is actually implemented is a disappointment.
For a service specifically designed to work on mobile phones, Pixelpipe’s interface, at least when it comes to registration and setup, is horrible. To use the service, an account with Pixelpipe is necessary, as well as linking the site to some of the more than 100 services, including Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Blogger, that are listed. The app seems to pull in Pixelpipe’s web interface, which doesn’t work smoothly on iPhone. Using my laptop and the regular website, I was able to completed the required steps and created a few “pipes” (the upload links between Pixelpipe and other networking sites) with much less of a headache.
I was able to successfully upload content to Twitter and Facebook at the same time, but getting to that point took some work, as you have to set network tags for posts if you don’t want everything to auto-upload to that site. I didn’t like that the app defaulted to the choice of “upload all,” a button that is equally easy and dangerous to push accidentally. After you’ve selected an image the option does change, but I can see a lot of photos ending up on the Internet by mistake.
Pixelpipe does support true HD video uploading and allows users to reduce photo resolution before sending. Uploading was slow, displaying times of as long as 83 minutes for a photo (it never took this long, but I do wonder where this info is coming from), and I didn’t see any difference in speed between 3G and Wi-Fi. If the service could improve its interface and upload times, I could see it becoming an invaluable app; at this point, though, the app is simply an option.
