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Instagram logs 2K signups a minute

With release of app for Android, photo-sharing community sees a huge influx of new users.

Steven Musil Night Editor / News
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. He's been hooked on tech since learning BASIC in the late '70s. When not cleaning up after his daughter and son, Steven can be found pedaling around the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining CNET in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers.
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Steven Musil

Instagram is an instant hit with Android users.

The photo-sharing app, which was made available to Android phone users today, was signing up new users at a rate of 2,000 people a minute, Kevin Systrom, Instagram's chief executive officer, told The New York Times.

The free app has been around since 2010, but only for iOS devices. However, with more than 430,000 Android users on the app's waiting list, it's no surprise that there would be an immediate influx of sign-ups.

The Android version's release was teased just last month at South by Southwest Interactive, but the exact release date wasn't revealed. Today's new users will join a community of 30 million registered users who upload more than 5 million photos a day.

The Android version sports a similar interface to the iOS version and most of the same features (except tilt-shift/blur). The app allows users to browse friends' photos, view popular photos, and upload their own pictures.

Instagram for Android is compatible with smartphones running Android 2.2 and up. Tablets aren't supported at this time. Get Instagram for Android at CNET's Download.