First Day of School on The Oval, University of Montana -- Instagram by R. Sanchez

All right, I’m getting jealous of the iPhone now.

And no, not for its many apps, its smooth interface, its lovely graphics, or its powerhouse operating system – no, I’m jealous because one app in particular: Instagram.

Instagram is a photo-taking app that allows users to immediately apply filters to the photos and makes them look almost professional every time. Even folks who don’t know the first thing about photography can look like Ansel Adams right off the bat.

I showed off Ricky’s moody Instagram of the band and football players bursting out of the tunnel during the first football game here (and he hates taking photos, but this one was amazing). And my favorite blogger The Pioneer Woman even did a cute “Instagram Life in Rhymes” on her blog one day. The filters add a smoky, gritty, rich-colored layer to photos that give them an extra layer of feeling. Gah. I … just … want. …

In addition to the uber-cool filters, Instagram allows users to share their photos on a social network of Instagrams (where others can follow you, and you can follow other great Instaphotographers). Plus you can share your Instagram to established social networks like Facebook with one easy click.

The bad news? It’s only available for the iPhone right now, which I, uh … don’t have.

The good news? Supposedly the Instagram company (made up of 6 people! – Can you imagine?) is working on an app for the Android, so I just have to wait.

How about you? Have you seen or used Instagrams?