Exactly (re: your reaction).

I was a bit hesitant to download an iPhone app to edit photos. The picture quality is horrible, and I already know how to use Photoshop, so what’s the point of an in-phone editor? I already knew the answer, but I decided to peruse the free apps in the photography category anyway. And I found this.

Ah, I see what you’re doing, Ford Motor Company! You think people with iPhones (have moneys) who like free things (and are somewhat prudent) and want to play photographer (and like to customize things) are a perfect fit to buy a Ford Flex.

According to this Forbes review, the new Ford Flex “is no look-alike crossover SUV.” It’s $3K cheaper than the highest comparable SUV, looks like a cargo ship container, and makes you feel like you’re going to flip over. Well then, I suppose it’s not so different after all. And it gets 16 miles per gallon on regular roads! Heck yeah.

The best part is that this is actually a neat photo app. You can perform basic brightness/contrast, hue/saturation, and dodge/burn functions, as well as a few extras.

There’s the “Electric Lines” tool, which lets you draw radioactive vomit (or, you know) over any image you want. Or as the app says, “Touch to draw intense glowing lines.”

But my favorite is “Kaleidoscope.” Most of the other free photo apps didn’t have much to offer, but this wildcard provided entertainment for most of my work commute. How many ways can I spin an image? I can’t stop. I won’t stop. Spin! Spin.

What’s clearly amusing is that a photo manipulation application for a phone has nothing to do with SUVs.

Ford Motor Company: We need a presence on the iPhone! Everyone else is doing it!
TAO Agency: Well shit, we can help you!
FMC: We need to FLEX our cool muscle!
TAO: Dude, we’re so using that on our site.
FMC: We need something that everyone will want, because obviously everyone needs to drive our SUVs.
TAO: Well you know, the iPhone camera is really fucking shitty. Why not make photos slightly cooler in a moderately unshitty way?
FMC: Whatever you say, Chinese philosophers! (Hope GM isn’t up on this..)

So what’s my problem? It’s a popular app (over 70,000 downloads, according to TAO) and plenty of people are amused by its marginal novelty. Some reviewers wish that the app came with more Ford images (i.e. the Mustang). Most people realize that it’s not intended to be a mobile Photoshop.

Is it successful? It only has 2.5 stars (out of five) in the App Store, but it’s gotten plenty of traction. The question is, with whom? I’m nowhere near the average SUV customer, but in the words of reviewer Iveth_W, “I absolutely like it!!! It gives life to boring pictures, can’t get enough of it!!!”

Here’s a series of kaleidoscope’d photos that I made this morning. Don’t they make you want to cruise around in a freighter?