Mr. Viota, Android app genie.

Designing apps is a bit like pleasing two siblings: either you create the iPhone version first and risk pissing off Android users, or vice versa.

Fortunately for Pixable, that is no longer the case. The previously iPhone-only company announced at noon today that their photo-sorting app will be available in Android form, too.

Inaki Berenguer, co-founder of the four-year-old social media company, said that creating an Android app was always on his agenda, but that the company had just never gotten around to it. “The reality is that it was in the road map but we didn’t feel any urgency to build it right now,” Mr. Berenguer told Betabeat.

So, when Juan Carlos Viota, a 33-year-old award-winning Android app developer (in 2009 he won the Global Android Developer Challenger for his Sweet Dreams app), contacted Mr. Berenguer about designing an Android version of Pixable, it was luck, indeed.

“He was like, ‘Might you give me access to your back-end to develop an Android application by myself?’ ” Mr. Berenguer said. “And, well, why not?”

Permission granted, Mr. Viota then went to work on the new app, churning out a finished product in the freakishly short time span of just three weeks, which, apparently, was no big deal for Mr. Viota. “I’ve always been a fan of Pixable,” he wrote in email to Betabeat. “Having created many Android applications in the past...I thought it would be an interesting project for myself.”

Mr. Viota’s initial plan was to sell the app through his company Inizziativa. But once Mr. Berenguer saw the finished product, he simply had to make it an official Pixable application. "He build an amazing Android application," Mr. Berenguer said. "And we liked it so much that we decided to buy his company, the rights to the application, and to bring him in to Pixable."

“I’m joining a great company, with a great team, and a great vision,” Mr. Viota wrote, adding that he is “extremely excited” about his future working at Pixable.

The Android app was released last week, but has since been “fine-tuned,” Mr. Berenguer said, in preparation for its official public release this afternoon. “We feel really comfortable with the way it is,” he said.

And, now that the Android app is in tip-top shape, Pixable is confident that it will be a success. “Our idea is that on the iPhone we have two million [users] and Android should get to there, right?” Mr. Berenguer said. And since it's available at the reasonable price of $0.00, Betabeat sees no reason why this shouldn't happen.

Betabeat: Bringing you the finest in tech and startup news from these fine machines since before we were born. (BuzzFeed)

BLAST FROM THE PAST. Now, thanks to BuzzFeed, you can show all your friends how vintage chic your technology was—before it was cool. Prompted by the fairly recent Facebook timeline, BuzzFeed has introduced a Facebook app that lets users retroactively post images to their timeline. Checkout the "What Was Your First Computer?" question and reminisce about the nineteen eighties like it's the 2020's. The launch of this new app is probably just the beginning of a trend we'll see as Facebook prepares to unveil its new timeline backdating ability.

CLICK CLICK FLASH. Pixable, the photo sharing complement for social networks is rolling out a couple big features. First, is a hashtag feature that allows users to tag their photos or their friends’ photos for an easier experience when recalling and organizing snapshots. #drunkenregrets?

At the same time Pixable is being integrated into the Facebook timeline technology. Users will be able to share their photo viewing and tagging activity in the Facebook ticker just like when listening to tunes on Spotify.

HERE'S THE MAIL, IT NEVER FAILS... MailChimp, the easy-to-create email newsletter service has just acquired TinyLetter, another easy to use newsletter creation engine. Today, TinyLetter 2 is launching with cool features that allow you to see who has read your newsletter, who's sharing it and how many shares it has. PR's unanswered questions, answered.

WHAT'S ON... THE INTERNET? Onswipe just introduced cool new technology that will let tablet computer owners seamlessly browse and view related reading material from various publications just like changing channels on a TV.

ANGELIC. Check out Angel Guru, the new resource that "seeks to help new and emerging angel investors" from the always-ambitious Oren Bennett.

GET AROUND. If you just got a smart phone or don't already have a transit app for some other reason, Roadify is here for you. The newly updated app won the NYC BigApps contest last year and allows users to access official transit schedules, delay and service notifications, maps and anything else a savvy traveler's heart desires from one screen.

HEALTHY STARTUPS. AT&T is "providing scholarships to StartUp Health Academy for promising mHealth startups who are interested in leveraging the new AT&T Developer Center." Apply here.

EDUCATION. General Assembly is offering course deals on startup management lead by Justin Kan of Justin.tv and intellectual property from Bill Reinisch of Paladin Capital . Sexy stuff. Use promo code "_INSIDER_" to get 10 percent off and don't forget to check out the other GA course offerings.

TRABAJANDO. Bitly is now hiring for an application engineer, front-end developer, sales rep. and systems administrator.

Acclivity NYC needs a Cocoa UI developer, Python back-end developer and UI/UX designer. Polish up that CV and send it here.

Internet data company What's Watched needs a sales director. If this job is in your future, email Burr.

Inside Startups is searching for a web developer intern for a top secret project. Send your edited, spell-checked, grammatically correct cover letter to Ali.

Making threads. For your startup. (flickr.com)

WEAVE. Startup Threads, a merchandising site for startups from local newletter mogul and startup founder Frank Denbow, just launched a new monthly program where consumers can subscribe to receive new startup gear each month. The company will partner with a different startup each month to create interesting merchandise. Right now that lucky startup is Hipmunk, the company behind the new flight finding tool. Startup Threads hopes to become a "marketing channel for startups."

ALL ABOARD. StartupBus is now accepting applications for the hackathon-on-a-bus competition in March and this year New York will be represented. To get invited you've got to shine like the brightest star in the sky... or look on social media to see if people are offering invites. StartupBus said they are expecting way more applications than they can handle. You've been warned.

POINT AND SHOOT. Pixable just passed the million download mark. The program is a new way to view photos on the internet "based on an evolving algorithm that prioritizes the photos that matter most to you."

DOCTOR DOCTOR.  ZocDoc, a free service that makes it easy for patients to find nearby doctors who accept their insurance and instantly book appointments, online just went live in San Diego. The service is also up and running in New York, D.C., Chicago, Miami and other major cities.

LEARN. Get your free application in before Feb. 4 for the Founder Institute's Spring 2012 program. Gabe Zichermann, resident game mechanics expert for Ultralight Startups, runs the show.

THE FUTURE.  TEDxBigApple is hosting an event themed around "Disruptive Ideas." They'll cover the near-term (three to five years) "impact in housing, biotech, local spaces, biomimicry, fashion, business." The focus will be on "ideas that are likely to change the world." in the near-term (~3-5 years) instead of those whose  Tickets are $100.

EAT. Gary Whitehill of Entrepreneur Week is hosting Rockin Out For Breakfast 4, a networking event at Wichcraft for $25. Breakfast included.

HEY LADIES! Astia, which focuses on women-led, high-growth ventures is looking for applicants by Feb. 4. Applicants will be "screened"  at the "convenience of the CEO." The bootcamp is in Cambridge, UK in March but U.S. bootcamps may take place in New York or San Francisco "as needed."

HIRING. Sense Networks is looking for a software engineer to work with cutting edge, "big data" and "NoSQL" technologies. OkCupid is in need of a product designer. "You'll be involved in every step of the development process." Artiscle, Boxee and Rent the Runway are looking for interns.

QUITTING. The American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey is introducing QuitBuddy, which will nag you, via text, to quit smoking. Text "Quit" to 22723 to receive tips and "messages of encouragement and support."

In the last year New York startup Pixable has moved into a bigger office and expanded from six employees to 28. "Five years ago you took a photo on your camera, downloaded that to your computer, uploaded that to the internet and then emailed your friends. That 20 minute process is now one click and maybe five seconds tops," says Inaki. The company just raised $3.6 million, mainly to build out an optimize their back end for faster speeds.

The company also announced an interesting integration with Aviary, which is now powering the edit tool at the bottom of all Pixable photos. "People love to be able to add a funny sticker or a filter to their images, but we could  not afford to create this functionality ourselves," says Inaki. "Partnering with Aviary was an easy way to bring a new feature set to Pixable without taking away from the core focus of our team."

Right now Pixable is adding about 40,000 new users a week, and increasingly their data shows Facebook as the king of photos. While images are being produced on other services, Inaki says 85% eventually make their way onto Facebook, whether it's the newsfeed or part of a full fledged album.

Pixable just released a Facebook app that the blog Inside Facebook is already saying could become "2011′s breakout application." It's calledPhotofeed, and it aggregates photos and tries to present the photos users will find most interesting using an algorithm called WonderRank.

"[WonderRank] analyzes dozens of variables associated with a Facebook account and acts as a personal "photobot," scouring Facebook for the photos that users will find most interesting. This targeted experience is enhanced by the ability to "follow" friends and receive notifications when they comment on, are tagged in, or upload new photos," according to a press release.

Pixable has no business plan for the new app—Pixable's CEO and cofounder Inaki Berenguer says there's no monetization model. "The problem is so huge, our goal is to build a massive audience, 10 or 20 million, and then we'll figure it out," Berenguer told Inside Facebook.

One glaring problem: Pixable's success depends on Facebook, which could add similar technology in its photosharing app at any time. Facebook hosts billions of photos — 10 billion had been uploaded to the site in 2008 — and it will be surprising if the company doesn't add more sharing and organizational functionality.

Pixable's success will depend on how well it can establish itself outside as well as inside Facebook. The company will release apps for the iPad and iPhone, and follow up with other venues later this year.

ajeffries [at] observer.com | @adrjeffries