The Ultimate Toolbox for Photos on the Mac
Last night Twitter opened up the API for real-time user streams. The first apps to come with this much-requested feature are Tweetdeck and Echofon for Mac, but only if you’re a registered user (Echofon) or have been invited (Tweetdeck).
I have my doubts about this new feature, but I don’t want to judge yet. In the meantime, take a look at the videos showing real-time Twitter on these two apps, courtesy of The Next Web.
Another interesting update just showed up on iTunes: Osfoora, for Twitter (the iPhone version) has been updated to the 1.5 version, which introduces support for the Retina Display, a better geo-tagging and lots of bug fixes.
We previously reviewed Osfoora for iPhone here (but it’s got a lot better since then) and Osfoora HD for iPad here. I’m currently using Osfoora on my iPad but Twitterrific on the iPhone. Could this new update make me switch again? We’ll see.
Osfoora, for Twitter is available at $2.99 in the App Store.
UPDATE: Roger Byrne (@imrogb) reports that if you’re still running iPhone OS 3.1.x (it seems like he’s running 3.1.2) Osfoora won’t work. A bug? Maybe. If you experience it, please report to @Osfoora.
A great update has been released for one of the best Twitter clients for iPhone and iPad: Twitterrific reaches version 3.0.1, which introduces a handful of new features, lots of iOS 4 improvements and even more bug fixes.
Senior Vice President of iPhone Software Scott Forstall has recently joined Twitter with a verified account, though if he’s just protecting his name, he may want to make his Tweets private to prevent the public from using him as a lever for customer support. I imagine Forstall is doing just that: protecting his name on Twitter. He doesn’t have a profile pic and hasn’t tweeted anything, so until we see those crazy eyes, the account’s just a placeholder.
However, TechCrunch speculates on the possibilities, mainly that Forstall is either interested in learning more about Twitter for a future iOS implementation. Though After Apple’s incredible profile on Twitter, I imagine Cupertino already has some insight into the company’s operations and software.
And don’t forget the rumors that Apple was thinking about Facebook integration for the iPhone. Nothing came of that with iOS 4, but integration of Facebook and Flickr in software such as iPhoto, suggests that Apple isn’t opposed to such partnerships. For the iPhone, Twitter could be a perfect one.
I can see the headlines now. “iPhone 5. 140 Characters Re-imagined.” Or something magical like that.
[via TechCrunch]
The iPad is still waiting for its Tweetie: a Twitter client which will set new standards and raise the bar so high it’ll be difficult for developers to catch up. Twitterrific hasn’t raised the bar: it brought a blow of fresh air in a market that, since Twitter’s acquisition of Loren’s app, is struggling to find its new Messiah. For as much as I love Twitterrific 3.0 (it’s my default client on the iPhone) I can’t say The Iconfactory has reinvented the wheel. The first Tweetie for iPhone did.
Maybe the wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented. Maybe we’ve already explored all the possible ways to lay out a Twitter application and now we’re just waiting for the one developer who implements them best. It’s a subtle difference.
If we take this approach, Osfoora for iPhone and iPad might be the best example to take a look at. It started as a quite blatant Tweetie ripoff, but it slowly evolved overtime in a wisely developed alternative to much more celebrated clients such as the aforementioned Tweetie, Twitterrific but also Echofon, Twitbird and Twittelator. It’s really changed a lot since the last time Cody reviewed the iPhone version here on MacStories.
Even though its terrific evolution, this time I won’t be talking about Osfoora for iPhone. The iPad version, released last month, was updated yesterday with a lot of new features and now it’s seriously claiming the throne of the best Twitter client for iPad. App Store users seem to be on Said Marouf’s side.
Here’s why I agree with them.
I was looking forward to Twitterrific 3.0 for iPhone. Since Twitter (ahem) bought Tweetie from Loren Brichter, I feared no one would take the effort of developing a great Twitter client for the iPhone anymore. Fighting against the man with a paid / unofficial app? Many developers gave up, and I understand them.
The Iconfactory team didn’t gave up though. They announced a native version of Twitterrific for iPad and it was released on day one. A great app, but I eventually ended up using Osfoora HD on the iPad, more on this in a moment. After the iPad client was released, they announced their plans for the future: a completely revamped version of Twitterrific for the iPhone and a much needed 4.0 update for the Mac.
With the 3.0 version of Twitterrific for iPhone, they decided to take a radically different approach and streamline the user experience by removing all those unnecessary features that made Twitterrific 2.0 a feature creep. I think it worked.
Writing about Tweetie for Mac updates has become some sort of a joke to me. “Tweetie for Mac has been updated? Yeah, sure.” That’s why many people last night didn’t initially believe Twitter actually pushed an update with OAuth support, and once they realized it was real, they just didn’t update. Why? Because they’re not trusting Loren Brichter anymore. And considering what happened to Tweetie for Mac last night, go prove them wrong.
I almost can’t believe I’m writing this: Tweetie for Mac has been updated. Sadly, it’s not the long awaited Tweetie 2, but at least it’s got OAuth support, meaning that the app won’t die when Twitter will officially kill the old authentication system.
Since Twitter acquired Loren Brichter’s Tweetie for iPhone and Mac, we all feared that the new team would only focus on the iPhone app, leaving Mac users behind with a version based on a deprecated authentication system. Knowing that they didn’t even have plans to make it an official client didn’t help either. Then, two weeks ago we reported that an update for the Mac version was on its way this month, and here it is: a rather minor update that brings OAuth, better Magic Mouse support and removes Fusion Ads according to Twitter’s new Terms of Service.
It’s kind of surprising though that there’s still no official word about the 2 version (we don’t want that much, a tweet would be enough) especially considering that thousands of users entered the latest MacHeist sale just to get their hands on an early beta version of Tweetie 2 for Mac. But, we heard some rumors last week from a source close to Loren, who claims that he’s up to “some amazing stuff for Tweetie”. I bet he is. Working at Twitter must be awesome.
Anyway, that’s not the point. There’s a new version, go check for updates, Tweetie for Mac won’t die. At this point, I’m afraid to say it’s enough.
You can find the changelog of the new 1.2.7 version after the break.
[UPDATE] They’ve pushed another build that fixes the authentication problems, 1.2.8. It’s available here. Still, you know my position about this.
The developers of Birdhouse specifically state that it’s not for looking at your friends Twitter updates. So what does it do?
Well, Birdhouse is a “drafts manager” for your tweets. It’s supposed to be used as a notepad for whenever you get an awesome thought in your head that might go away. Although Birdhouse only does one simple task, it does it very well. Keep on reading to find out why.
