I got caught up thinking about the hype around the Color launch and re-read a bunch of launch-day stories (ie, most likely embargo’ed in exchange for access), just for kicks. These are the stories and lines that stuck out at me, posted without further, er, color:

What’s powerful about Color is that it’s a “social” site optimized for mobile devices. Just as textbook app Inkling launched only on the iPad but plans to write for other platforms, Color works for now only on the iPhone but intends eventually to satisfy users of BlackBerries, Windows smartphones and Android devices. Facebook is the king of photos, but most people think of Facebook as a Web experience. Color ignores the Web.

Color: Trojan horse photo startup - Fortune Tech

The case can be made quite well that this tech, if not this specific implementation, ishuge. Also, it has $41 million in pre-launch funding! That’s a lot of millions to spend on something that has a high chance of becoming the straight version of Grindr. In the right venue, it’ll become nonconsensual Chatroulette on the go! In the best, non-pornographic case, it’s a live, interacting group photo Tumblr.

Color: Is This the World’s Most Innovative Hook-Up App? | The Awl

We went in skeptical and, 550 photos later, knew we’d experienced a wholly new approach to social media.

Eyes of the World - Forbes.com

 ”I think a lot of people touched upon the ideas we’re about to do—we just vertically integrated it all,” says Nguyen, who has some choice words for most of his potential competitors. For one, he knocks other photo-sharing apps as “mice nuts,” and disagrees withInstagram’s use of trendy filters. “No one sees through filters,” he quips.

Lala Founder Unveils $41 Million Real-Time Photo-Sharing App Called Color | Fast Company

If Color fulfills its ambitions, millions of users will adopt it, thus assuring persistent views of almost any given location. If that happens, even more interesting effects can be triggered.

Color Me Fascinated: A Photo Social Network for the Here and Now | Wired Business | Wired.com

If I were running Google Social, Color is what I would have launched.

Twitter / rabois: If I were running Google Social, …

Doug Leone, the Sequoia partner who is joining Mike Krupka, Bain managing director, on Color’s board, is rather taken by it as well. “Just as the iPhone changed everything about mobile phones, Color will transform the way people communicate with each other,” he says. “Once or twice a decade a company emerges from Silicon Valley that can change everything. Color is one of those companies.”

Valley-backed Color’s “miraculous” new app | Tech blog

So this isn’t a review. But I’ve seen enough to know that Color is a fresh take on the seemingly well-trodden concept of photo/video sharing; it’s nothing at all like Flickr or Instagram or Path or other services you might be using. And if it lives up to its potential it could be a big hit.

Color: Share Photos With Those Around You–Automatically and Instantly

Did anyone who was pre-briefed write a skeptical take on the company? Or did everyone trade their brain for access?

Twitter / fromedome: Did anyone who was pre-briefed …

People may reject it entirely. Or it may be completely addictive. There’s really no way to tell until people start using the app in the wild. The future is unclear, but promising. And with this much money in the bank and a staff of 27, Color has plenty of time to hone in on what works.

Color Looks To Reinvent Social Interaction With Its Mobile Photo App (And $41 Million In Funding) | TechCrunch

THERE IS NO PAGE HERE.

I see you’re trying to reach a page that is no longer here. Or worse: it was never created in the first place.

Page Not Found | John Battelle’s Search BlogJohn Battelle’s Search Blog

Correction! John Batelle did not delete his Color post as I indicated by copying his 404 error. Rather, Choire Sicha does not know how to make a working link and I apparently do not know how to check if a “.php” is missing from the browser bar. Here is John’s post, and my favorite part of it:

Oh, and note to Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare: If you don’t get this feature into your service, pronto, you will more likely than not be rueing the day Color launched.