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Twitter Client Project: Hibari
Echofon for Mac is no longer in development. TUAW's Twitter Client Project surveys popular desktop alternatives in highly subjective reviews. Hibari (US$9.99) offers a clean, visually pleasing Twitter interface. Unfortunately, as these things go (and despite its price tag), it's not feature-complete compared to other clients currently on the market. You cannot yet load saved searches from the Twitter API, one of the most essential bits of functionality I rely on. The support page notes, "Currently, we do not sync your Hibari searches with your saved searches on Twitter.com." You cannot tweet pictures directly, as I found to my dismay. The developer has these on her to-do list, but they're not yet part of the app. I found basic bugs that probably shouldn't have gotten past a general release, especially for a $9.99 app. For example, you can type things into the built-in search field and the field does not automatically scroll to accommodate. Despite the blinking cursor, I kept typing and the field stayed stuck. The same goes for the "keyword block" and mute options I demonstrate in this video. I could not search using standard Twitter Boolean logic, and I was unable to find a global feed and/or searches for it. I pinged the developer to see if I had simply missed them, but have not yet heard back. There were also stylistic choices I wasn't fond of. You cannot hide and show the text entry field, for example. It's stuck on "always open." That takes up significant screen real estate that I'd rather use for something else. The color and font choices in the visual theme seemed to draw my eyes away from the tweets (the primary content) to the avatars (the secondary content). The app does offer clever and worthy elements like the in-line conversation expansion. Unlike other Twitter clients, it shows these details in the same window rather than using a drawer. This can lead to a sense of "Department of Redundancy Department" as you see in this screenshot. These are the reasons that Hibari won't be finding a permanent home on my Mac for now. Although I like the overall minimalism and the geek-friendly extensions built in (for details on those, see this write-up on advanced and hidden features), Hibari was less of a "wow" and more of an "I can't wait until they get to that."
The Twitter Client Project: Echofon
I love Echofon. It was among the first apps I bought for iOS, and remains to this day on my devices. When it hopped to OS X, I was delighted and immediately installed a copy. I'm still using it. Only one problem. Naan Studio discontinued it last October. It still works great, however, and probably will until Twitter drops support for its 1.0 API. My love for this no-longer-supported app, however, continues -- even if it's beginning to feel a little like appnecrophilia. Kelly H pulled me to the side, the other day. It was time for an intervention. Although TUAW has done individual reviews an any number of Twitter apps, she wanted me to start looking at popular clients with the angle of searching for a replacement. It was, she pointed out, long since time to move on from Echofon. She, another Echofon fan, had dropped it a few months ago after Naan said they would stop development. We quickly realized how individualized client choice is. There are things I love about Echofon that speak strongly to me, but may not be essential for other users: I love how I can click on the dock icon and my feed appears and disappears. It's just one click and one window. I love how the layout is vertical, with icons on the top, and tweets displayed using the full window width. I love the default fonts and whitespace. It may not be the prettiest client, but it's extra readable for those of us with bad eyes. I love the customizable notification controls, with highlight words and Growl support. I love the minimality of the interface, like the simple + button (versus, for example, the official Twitter client's huge "Save" button) that transforms searches into saved items. I love that it adds information I want like the time the tweet was posted -- missing in the official Twitter client. I love the conversation bubble integration with the side-drawer. Even better, the drawer has a history feature, so I can walk back. In the best of all worlds, of course, a public outcry would force Naan to bring Echofon for OS X back -- renewing support for a great client. (Hashtag hint: #bringBackEchofonForOSX) In this world, however, I have promised Kelly to start road testing Twitter clients. I'll be doing this slowly, probably one every week or two, and writing up my experiences. If you have any OS X clients you'd like to request I look at or features you want me to pay special attention to, drop a note on our feedback page. In the mean time, let's kick things off here in the comments. What OS X Twitter client do you use and why do you love it?
Naan Studio discontinues work on Echofon for Mac
Naan Studio's Kazuho Okui announced in a blog post that it will stop development on its desktop version of Echofon so it can focus on its mobile apps. The company will stop selling its desktop Twitter client soon and will end support in November. There are no planned updates to the app. Customers who have Echofon installed on their Mac can continue to use the software as it will "function normally in the immediate future." [Via The Loop]
Skype for iPad: TUAW Best of 2011 iPad social networking app
While the voting in this category of the TUAW Best of 2011 wasn't exactly overwhelming, the readers have spoken -- Skype for iPad (free) was voted the best iPad social networking app for the year. Since the introduction of the iPad 2 with its built-in cameras, Skype for iPad has made it possible to make bi-directional video calls from the tablet with excellent sound quality and a host of other features. The app pulled in 42.9 percent of reader votes, topping second-place winners (both tied with 20.8 percent of the vote) IntoNow and Twitter client Echofon. Skype for iPad has a number of features that aren't available with Apple's own FaceTime app, including the ability to send and receive phone calls to and from landlines or mobile phones. Our congratulations go out to the Skype Software S.a.r.l team for their continued work on improving and optimizing Skype for iPad.
TUAW Best of 2011: Vote for your favorite iPad social networking app
The nominations are in, and the poll is ready to go! The TUAW Best of 2011 awards are all about you -- the readers -- and what you think is the cream of the crop of Apple or third-party products and software. To vote, select one entry from the top nominations made by readers. We'll be announcing the winner in just a few days. Vote early and often! TUAW is asking for your votes for the best iPad social networking app of 2011. Once again, we got only a few nominations in this category, meaning that most readers may use their iPhones more than their iPad for their social networking. In addition, several readers nominated apps that run on the iPad but are not designed specifically for the platform -- they've been disqualified. As a result, I took a quick poll of a number of tech writers and bloggers to get their take on iPad social networking apps. The nominees are: IntoNow, a rather innovative free app that "listens" to what you're watching on TV, and then provides information that is relevant to the show. It also links to Facebook and Twitter, tells you when friends are watching the same show, and more. Echofon (free, also a US$4.99 Pro version), a powerful universal Twitter client. Tapatalk Forum App ($2.99), which works to bring online forums using vBulletin, phpBB, and other systems to iPad users. Skype for iPad (free), which supports not only voice calling but video calls and instant messaging as well. Blogsy ($4.99), probably the most powerful blogging tool for the iPad, supporting WordPress, Blogger, and Posterous. You have a couple of days to vote, and the winners will be announced on January 3, 2012. Let the voting begin! %Poll-72412%
iOS app updates for June 25
The following iOS apps received updates in the App Store: Echofon for Twitter Version 4.0.9 was released with the following changes: Changed authentication method to OAuth through the web version of Twitter Official photo preview support (#photos) Draft saves Added the ability to copy a tweet's URL 8mm Vintage Camera Version 1.2 was released with the following changes: Added post-processing of previously rendered videos Added Super 8 lens Added Noir and 60s films Added projector-sound only and auto-save settings Added option to delete all movies from My Reels Enabled AirPlay support Nebulous Notes (for Dropbox) Version 4.3.3 was released with the following changes: Search ability added through $find macro GoodReader for iPad Version 3.8 was released with the following changes: File tabs added Side menu for creating PDF annotations added The ability to delete local files Adds the ability to create a free 5 GB SugarSync account if needed PDF freehand mode adds color changing, thickness and opacity options while drawing Redesigned PDF page slider PDF passwords memorized if a file is kept on the file tab panel and the user doesn't exit the app Files can be starred through Find Files Improved support for the iPad 2's native video mirroring
First look: Echofon for Mac beta version
Echofon (formerly TwitterFon) has been a favorite for many iPhone users for tweeting on the go. naan studio, the developers behind Echofon for iPhone and Firefox, have brought Echofon to the Mac with a newly-launched beta version. Like Tweetie (which launched for iPhone and was later released for Mac) and other Twitter apps for Mac like Twitterrific and TweetDeck that started on the desktop, Echofon intends to provide tight integration with Twitter. Echofon is also aiming at integrating their new Mac offering with Echofon for iPhone. Read on to see what Echofon for Mac offers... %Gallery-79160%
