Sponsor: Byword →

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Thanks to Byword for sponsoring the 512 Pixels feed this week! This the only writing app I use on my Mac. — Stephen

Byword is a Mac and iOS app for modern writers.

Modern writers don’t just sit at a desk and write. Sometimes it’s great to be able to write, edit or proofread when and where inspiration strikes and not be restrained by a single device or location. Byword makes this kind of workflow easy by integrating iCloud and Dropbox synchronization.

The flexibility of Byword: An article idea came to your mind last night on the couch and you began working on it on your iPad. This morning, at the office, you picked up where you left off by opening Byword on you MacBook Air — and finding the article was there just as you left it on the iPad. After lunch, on your way to the coffee shop, you pull out your iPhone to proofread and finish the draft.

Byword is available on the Mac App Store for $9.99, and for iOS on the App Store at the introductory price of $2.99. Check it out.

I have a promo code for the Mac and iOS versions to give away. To enter to win, drop me a note at the @512px Twitter account.

Did Facebook Buy Instagram Out of Fear?

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Om:

Facebook was scared shitless and knew that for first time in its life it arguably had a competitor that could not only eat its lunch, but also destroy its future prospects. Why? Because Facebook is essentially about photos, and Instagram had found and attacked Facebook’s achilles heel — mobile photo sharing.

This makes a lot of sense.

T-Mobile Welcomes Unlocked iPhones

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Rene Ritchie at iMore:

Though T-Mobile remains the only major carrier in the US without an official iPhone in their lineup, now that AT&T is officially unlocking eligible, off-contract iPhones, T-Mobile is welcoming them with open arms — and cheap family plans. T-Mobile already had over 1 million unofficially unlocked iPhones on their network, and now that people can run iPhones without having to worry about jailbreak and software updates, it looks like they expect those numbers to rise.

Facebook Buys Instagram

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Facebook PR:

Facebook announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire Instagram, a fun, popular photo-sharing app for mobile devices.

The total consideration for San Francisco-based Instagram is approximately $1 billion in a combination of cash and shares of Facebook. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close later this quarter.

Drafts: Capture and Share

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Drafts is a new iPhone app that makes capturing and sharing text super easy and super fast.

I like to think of it Launch Center for words. It’s the smartest, most flexible note app I’ve used yet on iOS.

It can send text to Twitter using iOS 5’s built-in account tools. Drafts can also send text directly to Tweetbot, opening the “New Tweet” sheet.

The handy word and character count is great for this usage.

With full Markdown support, I can write in the syntax I’m used to working in. I can preview my Markdown to make sure I didn’t miss an * and then copy it to the clipboard for use in another app or email it, all from within Drafts.

In beta testing, it quickly became my go-to application for just jotting stuff down. Since it saves recent drafts, it’s a great place to stash little notes throughout the day that don’t really belong anywhere else. With so many options to get things out of Drafts, I don’t worry about data lock-in.

Drafts will be available in the iOS App Store on the 9th for just a buck. It’s one of those apps I wonder how I lived without it for so long.