Tweetie for iPhone

The iPhone + Twitter is like bread and butter. They just simply go together. But since the introduction of the App Store and having Twitterific as the only option for a few weeks, there are now a slew of various Twitter iPhone apps, and the question that will boggle the minds of all twittering app store shoppers is: Which one to get? Look no further than Tweetie, now version 1.2, which is also in the #2 spot for Top Paid Social Networking apps, only beaten by Smule’s Zephyr, which is quite impressive nonetheless.

Tweetie 1.2 just adds more icing to the cake that I believe was Tweetie 1.0. With the first version, there was only the iChat bubble theme, which was a new and refreshing take to Twitter apps, making it feel as if it was made by Apple themselves.

The scrolling for the app has been perfect since the first version, and is the smoothest I have seen for any iPhone twitter app (and I’ve tried most of them!). There is even a built in web-browser so you do not even have to leave the app if you choose to tap on a link that someone tweets. It also handles multiple Twitter accounts, and makes switching between them a breeze. And if you want to save something for later, favoriting a tweet is as easy as tapping the Star at the bottom of the viewed tweet. Also included since 1.0 is the ability to view Trends and even search for keywords in tweets. All this in one simple package that cost only $2.99, which is quite a steal compared to other paid Twitter apps.



There have been several updates to Tweetie since 1.0, and as of right now it is on 1.2. In 1.2, there are added features, such as swiping across a tweet to bring up three options: Reply/Profile/Favorite. Swipe back to bring the tweet back into the timeline. Now, if you tap on a tweet to view it, you’ll notice an ‘i’ to the right of the username. Tap that, and it will view their profile, to which you can access Recent tweets/search @username, view following/followers, send a reply or DM, and block/unblock as well as follow/unfollow at the top.

If you go to the main Settings on the iPhone/iPod Touch, you can find Tweetie settings located there and you are able to pick between the Simple or Chat Bubbles theme, as well as pick font size (smallest will fit the most tweets in one screen). Also you will find Instapaper integration, useful if you already use that app. I don’t, so I can’t really review that part of the app, can I?

When creating a new tweet now, you’ll notice ‘New Tweet from @username’ at the top, which you can tap and then choose which account you want to send the tweet from, so that you do not have to go all the way back to the screen that lists all your various Twitter accounts. Also, if you are in the middle of a tweet, and need to answer that phone call or text ASAP, you now can, and return to Tweetie when you’re done, because it will pick up where you last left off! Or, cancel the tweet and you’ll be prompted to save a draft. If you do, the writing will appear again when you attempt to write a new tweet.

Tweetie also has a Nearby feature, which is pretty good for using the iPhone 3G’s GPS. Even though it is a Nearby feature, I’m sure that others would rather use Twinkle for location-based Twitter, however, if you have Tweetie, Nearby is pretty nifty and it’s already in a complete package (something I don’t see Twinkle as, I feel it lacks robust features like Tweetie, but I haven’t used it in a long time so I may be wrong).

On a more humorous note, the creator of Tweetie, @atebits decided to add a feature in Tweetie that is a snide criticism of the top paid apps, which include fart noises and flashlights, that seem to have multiplied like rabbits and there’s a new one fairly often. This feature is called PEE (Popularity EnhancEr) which, if you choose to activate it in the main iPhone Settings, will make fart noises whenever you swipe on tweets (as I mentioned earlier) and you’ll find a flashlight in “More” tab at the bottom of the app. With these two types of apps flooding the app store along with many other useless apps that are merely novelties for the consumer to waste their money on, Tweetie is now the ‘ONLY fart app that includes a flashlight and a built-in Twitter client,’ as claimed by @atebits on his site.

An awesome twitter client, and the creator has a sense of humor as well. What are you waiting for? Get Tweetie for $2.99 in the app store now!