When Vine burst onto the scene, we wondered if 6 seconds could ever really be enough time to do anything worthwhile on video. While the answer is a matter of opinion, there's no doubt that a great many people think it's plenty of time. Now in its second iteration on iPhone, Vine (free) has new editing tools and a more-polished presence on Apple's mobile platform. It's more capable than ever, provided you can cram your creation into just 6 seconds.
To recap: Vine lets you create 6-second videos that loop endlessly. The videos, called Vines, can be embedded into other websites or shared via Twitter, so you've probably seen a few already. The app lets you create your own Vines, and its strong social networking features let you find, follow, and view the Vines of others using the service.
Signup and Setup
The app store entry for Vine says you must be over 17 to install it, and that it contains "Frequent/Intense Sexual Content or Nudity" (among other warnings). That actually was a problem at the app's original launch, when a porn Vine made it to the app's old Editor's Picks section, but earlier this year the company changed its license terms to disallow adult content. The app now requires an iOS 6.0 or later. It's optimized for iPhone 5, but not for iPad, where you'll either have to view it in a small window or zoomed in. During our testing, the app ran fine on both an iPhone 5c and a much older iPhone 4s.
As you'd expect with an app acquired by Twitter, you can sign in with your Twitter account; alternatively, you can create a new Vine account using an email address. The typical social app would also let you sign up via Facebook, but that's not an option for obvious reasons. You can also create a private account, which only users you specifically approve can see.
Interface
The well-designed and simple interface has just two buttons in the top corners above the feed—on the left is the Home button, and on the right a movie camera. Pressing the Home button reveals sections titled Explore, Activity, Profile, and Messages. It's very straightforward, though the Windows Phone version neatly eschews drop-down menus for an even cleaner experience. Competing social video app Viddy also keeps all the main buttons handy in its interface.
A banner across the top of the home screen encourages you to find your Vine-makers to follow. You can find these by scanning the phone's local address book or Twitter. You can also simply search for Vine user names or invite friends to the service using email or SMS.
The Home and Explore sections are inspiring and packed with curated content, reminiscent of the addictive and similar pages of Flickr. In the redesigned Explore, you get Popular Now and On the Rise, which makes discovering great Vines even easier. Colorful Windows 8-like tiles now offer YouTube-like sections such as Animals, Art, Comedy, and so forth.
As in every self-respecting social network, each user gets a profile page, and Vine's resembles Twitter's, except that Vine's offers separate tabs for Posts and Likes. On top is the user's photo, a text area for an inspirational self-description, and a big Follow button. If something or someone offends you, you can report or block a profile for inappropriate posting.
Once you do discover a video you love, you can Like (thanks to a smiley face button), comment, and "Revine" it. The last is just like retweeting in Twitter. As with the Like button, the Revine button turns dark green, and you can tap it again to undo your action.
If someone shares a Vine link, you can watch it on a bare-bones Vine-hosted Web page. Recent improvements now mean you can view all your own and your contacts' Vines as well as like, comment, share, and revine.
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