"Snapchat? Oh that thing that's for youngsters and sexting right?"
Well, yes. But it's quietly been building up a rather impressive little array of tech under the bonnet. After paying $50m to acquire QE code startup Scan.me, which it used to build the hugely popular Snapcodes, it's now introduced an incredibly cool new feature in the form of real-time video animation - aka 'Lenses'.
It comes via a company called Looksery, which Snapchat apparently paid $150m for, and it enables you to apply a range of cool 'filters' to your face, which is accessed via facial recognition software. Take a look at what they can do below, it's brilliant. To get your own, simply download the latest update, then touch and hold on your face - then scroll through the options. Lenses will apparently be changing over time, so keep checking back to see what fun and games they've sorted out.
Will it compete with Twitter and Facebook? Will it even ever make any money? We have no idea. But who cares when you can make your eyes bulge out like Tom from Tom & Jerry when he's just malleted his own tail?
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