Mobile Twitter client(s) of choice
I heard a lot of positive things about Tweetbot released yesterday so decided to give it a try myself as I’ve been on the lookout for any Apps that may improve upon the iPhone Twitter experience.
This App is not drastically different in appearance or navigation than the default iPhone Twitter App, which is good for people worried about change or getting used to a new client. Personally, I like the swipe left/right for replies / related tweets and the easy access to lists features best. The custom columns are also nice, as are small things like indicating number of updated tweets on refresh, Readitlater support (which is a must for me) & the ability to tap different parts of the tweet for different information. All these things reduce the number of “clicks” (taps) while navigating, which is really how all these apps try to out-do each other.
As it is only version 1.0 though, some features are missing, so as of now I still have another 4 Twitter clients installed. Twitter for iPhone for push notifications, Hootsuite for scheduled tweets, Echofon for the thumbnail’s in timeline and possible overall replacement default app (although I might get rid of this now that Tweetbot is here) and TweetDeck just incase their illustrious update ties in perfectly with the desktop App. Once one App does all these functions well though (hopefully Tweetbot given it’s potential) I won’t need them all.
For now it’s great to be spoiled for choice with these Apps – many more options than how to browse Facebook on the move. Only rivaled by the supreme way to browse Twitter on the desktop, which is of course Tweetdeck. As of today though, there’s a new bird occupying the centre of my iPhone dock.
WordPress Tag Surfer – the new time consumer
I used to spend hours each day reading about the latest technology and gadget news and well written features. Then a few weeks ago Gizmodo ruined its layout. It suddenly became difficult to keep up with the hottest gadget news, browsing a site harder to navigate than a double-decker bus. It wasn’t just me – many complained about this change to an un-broken format, but the Gizmodo team seemed reluctant to admit that all the time and effort designing this “improved” layout might have been in vain. I can understand this feeling (like how Facebook never revert on their design changes despite all the “bring back old Facebook” groups) but sometimes you have to admit your users know best if your whole userbase is at risk of deserting after such a drastic change (They must have lost 2 or 3 times the new traffic they gained from the iPhone 4 leak publicity they gained last year). I’m not sure it’s the smartest move.
Sure I could visit other sites but I always loved Gizmodo the most as I thought they had the most varied news, clearest product reviews and – most importantly – best unique features which set them apart from rival tech sites (The kind quality features I would love to publish on my blog). If these guys didn’t value their core user base enough to give them back what they want, maybe I should look elsewhere for someone who would value my time? And with my own blog now in full swing who better than fellow WordPress bloggers for the job?
With “Freshly Pressed”, Blog Subscriptions and “Tag Surfer” it’s easy to lose hours not even leaving this site, reading about your own personal interests written by like minded people. Everyone here wants their blog to be read, generate hits and be discovered, so you find surprisingly professional writing for a bunch of amateurs doing it in their spare time. You get real opinions on these blogs rather than held-back views that well known companies or websites carefully construct so they don’t get in trouble with anyone. Full, descriptive articles are written on here that are not restricted by any 140 character limit imposed by micro blogging sites like Twitter.
Yes in many ways, WordPress blog browsing could develop into my new media and news consumption tool of choice. It is early days yet of course but I really applaud WordPress.com for integrating the reading/writing experience so well that it is very easy to consume interesting, funny, professional and free articles each day using this platform.