I don’t know if you have heard of Instamap, but we have. Of course, we are friends on Facebook with the “creators of the code” that launched the app, and yes, we have liked their Facebook page as well, but great things are always spotted immediately.

Instamap, or NextRoot as you will find them on Twitter and Facebook, is a photography app for iPad that redefines browsing Instagram photos. Unlike other similar apps, Instamap offers users the possibility to add searching filters to photos and to detect locations. What iPad users may find appealing is the possibility to browse through Instagram photos according to a location or a tag. It does not matter the location which a user chooses or the designated tag, they can see the corresponding photos live, just as they get posted. This is what we call “happening as we speak”!

Just last week, Raul Andrisan and Stefan Filip were featured in the New & Noteworthy section of the AppStore. They were even tweeted about it. And because we appreciate their app, and consider it’s a story worth listening to, we have asked them a few questions. Happy reading and photography hunting everyone!

HTW: Fresh on the entrepreneurial market – which are your set expectations?

We are a small company (actually formed by two guys passionate for technology) oriented towards developing mobile and web applications. We want to create fun and easy-to-use applications which have a strong focus on design and that offer great user experiences.

HTW: You developed an app – can you let us know a little bit more about Instamap?

Instamap is a photography app for iPad that redefines browsing Instagram photos. With Instamap, users can follow geographical or tag subscriptions. The photos are displayed in either a tile view or right on a map as soon as they get posted. We are the only app on the AppStore that gives you the ability to see the pictures in real-time.

If you don’t want to define your own subscriptions, you can browse the Popular photos Instagram has to offer. It’s quite incredible what great photos get posted using this photo-sharing app. You can also use Instamap to browse your Instagram stream (the pictures you and your friends have posted).

But Instagram is not just a photo-sharing app; it’s becoming a social network. That’s why Instamap is not just about browsing photos. It also lets you see and add comments for a photo and you can even like photos.

We are going to release an update soon and Instamap will become an Universal App, which means that it is going to be available for iPhone as well. This update will also include a new set of features like sharing options (Facebook, Twitter, mail, open in Safari, open in Instagram), a new stream (My Liked Photos) and others.

HTW: How did you come up with the concept behind Instamap: 90% sweat and 10% inspiration or the other way around?

The idea came after Instagram released their real-time API back in February. We always thought that iPad has a perfect screen for displaying photos and because the apps that are available today didn’t fulfill our needs, we thought to give it a try and create a better app. Working on this project was a real pleasure for us because we love Instagram and use it every day.

HTW: How does your day look – do you also have a full time job apart from coding your way to Silicon Valley?

Yes, both me and Raul have full time jobs so we developed this app in our spare time. It is sometimes hard to motivate yourself after a tiring day at work but the success the first version of Instamap had drives us forward. We are very excited to see the app is used by users all over the world and this is a great feeling!

HTW: More advantageous to work in a start-up or employee based?

I don’t think I have the answer for this question yet, but I think it is very important to pursuit your dreams. So if you have a great idea and entrepreneurial spirit start your own business as it can bring you huge satisfactions.

HTW: Where can you find you online? Give us a few pointers.

We have a website, http://www.nextroot.com/, where people can find more about us and the things we do. We also maintain a small blog there that is currently used for announcing things about Instamap, but we would like to use it as a place where we can share our experiences regarding the fun stuff we do in the future.

Of course, we are also available on social networks. We have a Facebook page and a Twitter account that we use to make announcements about our apps.

HTW: A closing remark for our readers.

First I would like to encourage all iPhone owners (Instagram will soon be available on Android also – so a little more patience ) to start to use Instagram as it is real fun and it can let you discover your ‘artistic’ side. Then, if you like the idea take a look at Instamap.