Twas the Twitter
By Stephen Heller
It seems every few years another wave of social networking catches on. First there was Myspace, then there was Facebook, and it seems in 2009 everyone is all about Twitter. What is twitter? Twitter is status updates 140 characters at a time. Via Twitter you can update your friends on what you are doing, when you are doing it via it’s lightweight website or text messaging from your mobile device. Share some links to that funny vid you found on youtube, ask opinions on a house you are thinking of buying, promote one of your latest articles, the possibilities are endless.
While the website is lightweight enough, there are a number of you who will be looking for that perfect desktop or mobile app that makes twitter so much more instant than loading the webpage, logging in before sending your tweets. That’s why we have compiled this guide her for some of the best Twitter apps across Windows, OS X and the iPhone for you all to enjoy.
OS X
For those Mac users out there here are some of the better clients at your disposal.
Tweetie
Tweetie features a clean and easy to use interface that gets you the information you need in the best possible way. Features include multiple account access, search and threading functions and all with growl support for notifications.
There is a free version which features an advertisement post in your tweets every few hours, or for $19.95 you can get rid of the ad if it bothers you, personally I very rarely notice them there.
Twitterific
Another simple and clean interfaced system, Twitterific boasts some very impressive features. A fully customizable User Interface allows you to simply see as much or as little information as possible.
Like Tweetie there is a free version that has the occasional advertisement, or you can pay the premium of $14.95 to get the ad free version. It’s light on system resources and looks quite good. Unlike Tweetie it doesn’t feature Growl Support.
Syrinx
Syrinx has some awesome features that other clients just don’t have. Bookmarking, Timeline Searches, great search features and a Pause button, Syrinx can be customized to meet your every need. It has a active user base so you’ll be assured to get some help from the forums if you need it.
PC
Unlike OS X, finding a client for Twitter isn’t quite so easy. Most of the apps out there run off the Adobe Air platform and incorporate other social networking sites such as Facebook. Here are the creme de le creme of the PC Clients.
TweetDeck
TweetDeck is a robust app that has some fantastic features. It separates your feeds into columns for easier access which is very nice. It also supports Facebook status updates. Unfortunately the look feels rather outdated, and it can be a little sluggish at times. With great search features though, it’s hard to go past this great Twitter application.
Seesmic Desktop
Essentially Seesmic has the same feature set as TweetDeck yet it certainly is a lot more stable. Running off the Adobe Air platform you have instant access to your tweets and Facebook status updates, all in column form for convenience. It also features support for multiple Twitter accounts.
Digsby
Digsby is all your online eggs in one digital basket. A robust IM client with access to a multitude of email accounts, along with Facebook Chat, Myspace, Twitter and Friendfeed, this is the tool to managing all of you online interactions. It can be a little buggy at times, but with an active community it’s the one stop shop for your online interactions.
iPhone Apps
With the great online features of the iPhone, Twitter apps have become the norm. Here are three apps worth checking out.
Twinkle
Twinkle is a great free app that looks stunning and has some rather interesting features. The best feature by far is the near me feature. By using the GPS location data built into the iPhone, you can search up to 1000km and locate other people tweeting near your location. This can be very handy when trying to find somewhere good to eat in the city, but unfortunately for hardcore Twitter users Twinkle just falls short. All photos and links posted on the Twinkle client wont be visible on the Twitter webpage, they are visible on other Twinkle accounts only.
Tweetie
The iPhone version of the app is a fast, clean and reliable solution to mobile tweets. With multiple account support, a clean and easy to use interface, this is by far one of the best twitter apps on the market. Lighting fast and a nice price of $3.99, if you are a twitterholic, this should fill the cravings.
TweetDeck iPhone
Emulating the look and feature set of the Desktop app well, TweetDeck has the most features of the three apps, but at the price of a slow sluggish program. If you want more options and aren’t too fussy about speed this will be perfect for you. Best of all, it’s 100% free of charge!
So now you have the guidance to navigate the jungles of random tweets, and make your Twitter experience a rich and rewarding one. Which apps do you use? Which are your favourites? What features do you look for in a Twitter application?
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