At SXSW, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom showed-off the beta version of Instagram for Android.  It was mentioned that the app will be released on Android soon.  Little did we know how soon they meant, seeing as Systrom’s been teasing Fandroids for what seems like an eternity.

Over the weekend, the company opened registration for Android users so they will be the first in line to get the app when it officially launches.  So if you want to be among the first to get the app, be sure to register here.

Instagram: a brief history

Instagram is a photo sharing application that allows users to take a photo, apply a digital filter, then share it on a variety of social networking services, including Instagram’s own.  It’s popular among iOS users, primarily because that’s been Instagram’s only outlet so far.

It was developed in San Francisco by Systrom and Mike Krieger when they chose to focus their multi-featured HTML5 check-in project Burbn on mobile photography.  The Instagram app was launched in iTunes on October 6, 2010.

Since the launch they’ve added features like hashtags, new and live filters, instant tilt shift, high resolution photos, optional borders, one click rotation and an updated icon.  It was named Apple’s “App of the Year” for 2011.

The big plan

During an interview at IGNITION West, Systrom laid out their grand plan for Instagram, citing evolution as the key to success.

“It’s about your ambitions about where you want to be in the future. I think about communication and sharing. Frankly photos are the way to get started,” Systrom said, but Instagram is about communicating and sharing.

“It’s about going through false starts… Brbn was a false start. The best companies in the world have all had predecessors. YouTube was a dating site. You always have to evolve into something else,” he said.

And of course, no business would thrive without generating revenue.  As every other business on the internet these days, Instagram will soon be making money through ads.  They want to create an advertising platform on Instagram that’s easy to use by creating tools that appeal to end users and brands alike.

Felling the walled garden

Instagram and Hipstamatic, a digital photography application for iOS devices, entered into a partnership that would allow photos from the app to be directly ported into Instagram.

“I’m a huge fan of what Hipstamatic is doing and all they’ve accomplished,” Systrom said.  “They were iPhone App of the Year in 2010 and we got 2011. We have a huge amount of respect for that whole team both as fellow photographers and entrepreneurs.”

“Really it comes down to this: People post Hipstamatic photos on Instagram all the time, and we just want to make that experience easier.”

The partnership could open up future partnerships with other apps or businesses in the photography line and beyond.

Pictures paint more than a thousand words

Instagram already has seven million users all over the world and the number is only going to get bigger when the Android app launches.  There are loads of awesome photos available on Instagram today and these photos are inspiring others to follow suit.

To get an idea of how awesome photos are on Instagram, check these out: #Springscape,  Anthony Danielle, and this list of Best Instagram Photos Ever Taken.  If you’re new to Instagram and you have no idea how it works, it’s like Twitter for photos, wherein you get to follow people and see their work.