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Twitterrific 2.0: It's real, and it's SPECTACULAR.
I'll be honest, I adore Twitter. I don't mean "Oh it's so cute and Oprah's on it," I mean in a way that is likely unhealthy. It was just another technology I had an account for but only sort of used until I found out that the Iconfactory created an application for my desktop called Twitterrific that allowed me to have a little corner of my desktop devoted to microblogging. So then I used it a little more.Then I got my iPhone 3G and the Iconfactory made a version of Twitterrific for that, too. Today, here I sit more than sixteen thousand updates later. Twitterrific was among the first desktop and mobile Twitter apps and terribly exciting. Then some other folks came on the scene, having re-imagined what an iPhone Twitter app could look like. We got Twitterfon and Tweetie, and I found myself very disappointed to have bumped Twitterrific from my home screen.All of that has changed. Twitterrific 2.0 is out and once again I have an Iconfactory app on my home screen. There are loads of changes, but the standout feature is the option to turn some of these off and on as you desire.Multiple account support was the revolutionary feature of other clients, and it has now been added to Twitterrific. Adding more is a piece of cake, and the nice thing about it is that your account(s) live on a "Sources" page with the public timeline, saved searches and a list of the current trending topics. I really like this view and it makes things very convenient, especially if you want to check the trending topics on the go.You'll notice you get three views of your timeline: A "mini" view with just a name and a tweet, the "standard" Twitterrific view of an avatar and bold name with a tweet, and an additional "mega" view, with a larger picture and the text a bit bigger as well (including the client). So far I am loving the mini view, since I can scan easily.In case a black background with lighter text isn't your thing, you also have the option of three different color schemes, Raven (the classic black), Snowy (lighter, with some 3D elements for selected tweets), and Basic (a black and white option). Right now Snowy is the one that's working for me. I really like the way selected tweets stand out.Now you can also pick your reply method which is one of the most impressive features. If you have a tweet selected when the entry window comes up, you get your pick of whether or not to tweet, tweet a public @ reply, or DM the author of that tweet based on which tab you choose at the bottom of the window. You can also hide the keyboard to peek back at the timeline in case you want another look at the tweet. This is a really elegant method for entry since a lot of times I want to reply via DM to someone who sent me something publicly, or inadvertently have a tweet selected but I don't want to reply to it. Every time I use this interface I am happier with it in a new way.To keep from using a lot of screen for the buttons for different views (one each for your timeline, replies, and DMs) there's a little funnel you tap that pops up a bar with those view options in it. As a fan of the mini view this helps me pack even more information on the screen and I like how it's implemented. Next to this icon is a little snowflake/asterisk icon you can tap to get buttons for a link to a selected tweet, retweet, reply to the author, the author's info page, see the conversation thread, email it, or favorite it. You also get a button to mark a tweet. Marking a tweet is like a favorite, but currently those marks are only saved on your phone (it has been mentioned that this will sync with the desktop version eventually).Other features I really like: the left-handed option made it forward from the previous version, configurable options for tapping an avatar (1, 2, or 3 taps can be set to different actions like show the author or the conversation, add it as a favorite), and there is a notes field on authors so if you are out and about and add someone you can take note of where you met them or how you know them or whatever else you can sometimes want to keep track of.I love the new version, and I like to think it came about because others came along and innovated which made the Iconfactory step up THEIR game, so now there are a variety of easy to use and nice looking Twitter clients for the iPhone. Now, on to the desktop!
The evidence for an Apple game console
I think the whole "Apple buying Twitter" rumor floating around is about as much of a crock as the "Apple buying EA" one. But I give slightly more credence to this conclusion: that, despite the painful experience of Pippin, Apple is once again putting together a game console. Why? Let the evidence from BNET convince you. First, Apple is picking up game execs and console chip makers left and right. Second is a whole slew of recent patents, for everything from mixing up media and game environments to management of games acquired from a media server. And third, though BNET doesn't actually connect the dots and say it, we will: Apple is sitting on what might be the best library of independent games anywhere, and it's sitting right in front of us in iTunes' App Store.For years, console makers have depended on the mercy of publishers to keep their hardware going -- they sell the hardware at a loss, and then rely on the software sales and licensing to make it all back up again. But think of what Apple could do here: improve the AppleTV or Mac Mini, throw in some kind of Wii-like interface, and then break the whole thing open in the same way they did with the App Store: let developers in with a really low cost of entry, give them the tools they need to create solid games, and just take a nice cut from all of the tiny transactions flowing back and forth.BNET claims that the iPhone's interface wouldn't work on a larger console, but why not? All Apple has to do is figure out a way to translate the iPhone's gestures and taps into a console system, and then they can practically run the games natively. Sure, the resolution would be a little low with a straight port, but that's a small problem to fix. Apple already has the makings of a game console with the iPod touch, and while the rumors may still just be rumors, there's never been a better time for them to leverage what they've already got.
Twitterrific 2 for iPhone and iPod touch available
The Iconfactory's Twitterrific was one of the first Twitter applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Since its introduction, The Twitter App Wars have begun in earnest. If Twitter is the Belle of the Ball, there's a long line of suitors who want to be her beau.The new Twitterrific makes a serious play for her affection. Long-absent features like multiple account support, search and "tweet actions" like re-tweeting are all included, plus new goodies like a gorgeous, color-coded tabbed UI and the Filter Bar. Quickly find your mentions via "@ replies," direct messages, starred favorites or tweets you've "marked," which are like private favorites.There's so much more to this app and we'll have a full review for you soon. Until then, you can get familiar with Twitterrific 2 on the new "Tweetorials" page. Twitterrific 2 Premium is available now from the App Store [link] for $3.99US. An ad-supported free version is also available [link].
WoWHorn tweets your achievements
This is an interesting little system -- unfortunately, it's probably a little too complicated for most people to use, but the functionality is intriguing. WoWHorn is an open source application that basically monitors your achievements on the Armory, and will Twitter about it when you earn a new one. To get it up and running, you'll need the application itself of course, and you'll probably also need Ruby installed if you don't have it yet (OS X has it already, I believe, and Linux may as well). I don't think you'll need to input your actual WoW password (the program should be able to look up your info with just your character name and realm), but you will have to punch in your Twitter credentials if you want it to tweet for you. Once you've got everything working (and you'll have to ignore the errors, I got quite a few), you should see a tweet pop up in your feed whenever you get new points ingame.If you're a programmer type, you can read about the making of the app, and though, as I said, the app is probably a little too hacky for widespread use (it's not quite ready for primetime yet, and do you really want to run a separate application just to twitter about your achievements for you?), the functionality is the thing here. It would be cool for Blizzard to have the Armory interact officially with other networks on the Internet, either Twittering about your character or sending your profile out to Facebook.Not that anything like that should distract them from future content, of course. But if they want free advertising, allowing their subscribers to more easily share and disseminate information about their characters won't hurt.
Midweek rumor roundup: 10.5.7, 3G laptops, parental controls & more
Get your scorecard here, can't tell the speculations without a scorecard... it's the midweek rumor roundup! While the rest of the tech blogosphere is mobbing Amazon's black & white imitation of a Stevenote (yes, the Kindle DX is already on sale), we'll catch up on the open threads of the past couple of days. Kara Swisher at AllThingsD has the most complete take on the Apple/Twitter rumor from yesterday. While it's not beyond imagining that Apple and Twitter are talking, she says, it's only part of a dance with scores of other possible suitors and an inevitable rugby scrum at the finish line. Mac|Life is citing a source within Apple on a release date for 10.5.7, and they pin it for this coming Friday. 9to5Mac points out that Friday is an unlikely day for an OS release, but there has been a spike in support staffing at the company's Austin offices in anticipation of customer questions. Speaking of rumors from 9to5 and Computerworld, there was a brief spotting of an QA engineering job posting from Apple (since taken down on Apple's job site) that indicated a need within the Mac group for a 3G WLAN hire. While 3G talent is naturally present on the iPhone team, this laptop-centric gig might lend more credence to the idea of a portable machine with onboard wireless broadband capability. [H/T to the Monitor] Lastly, the rejection of Makayama's Newspaper app for iPhone on the grounds that it allowed access to the UK Sun tabloid's notorious Page 3 girls -- reminiscent of the Craigslist app commotion -- cites the upcoming parental controls in iPhone 3.0 as a possible mitigator for R-rated apps in the future. Got something sexy or skanky in the pipeline? You may not have to wait much longer.
TweetGenius for BlackBerry review
BlackBerry users know that stellar Twitter clients have been hard to come by, so whenever a major new release hits the streets, it's something that makes the BlackBerry-carrying Twitter addicts out there -- and there are many of them, rest assured -- sit up and take notice. The latest app is called TweetGenius, and if you've been keeping an eye on our Twitter accounts, you'd know that we've been pretty excited about this app since we first had the opportunity to check it out over a month ago. In that short period of time, it's gone through one hell of a metamorphosis, and it looks like the bar is being raised for future apps -- Twitter and non-Twitter alike -- on the BlackBerry front. Read on for a closer look at what makes this app tick -- and more importantly, to find out whether it'll be replacing your current Twitter client.
DirecTV HD TiVo actually not due until 2010
We got pretty excited last week when we saw that the DirecTV Twitter feed indicated that the DirecTV HD TiVo was still on track for the second half of 2009 -- as promised. But shortly after the feed was once again updated and the gem isn't due this year after all. We're not sure what caused the mix-up, but it looks like another year of waiting for those TiVo fans who prefer satellite over cable.
Rumor Watch: Apple to buy Twitter
TechCrunch's Michael Arrington is reporting that rumors beginning to float around the blogosphere are stating that Apple is interested in purchasing Twitter for US$700 million in cash. Twitter, in case you've been off of the planet for the last two years, is the magical "social networking" tool that has you answer the question "What am I doing right now?" in 140 characters or less. Twitter currently has more than 25 million users, and it is rumored that growth has been exploding since Oprah blessed the service with her presence in mid-April. However, despite the size and growth potential of Twitter, there's simply no compelling reason for Apple to spend part of its huge cash reserves to purchase the company.Google recently tried to purchase Twitter, but was turned down by Twitter's CEO Evan Williams. Today's rumor comes from a "normally reliable source" who told Arrington that "Apple is in late-stage negotiations to buy Twitter and is hoping to announce it at WWDC in June."Despite the popularity of Twitter, the service hasn't figured out a way to make a profit, and is strictly powered by venture capital at this point. Can any TUAW readers think of a reason why Apple should buy Twitter? Leave us a comment!
Celery lets Gran tweet from the fax machine
You may not have heard of the Celery fax-to-email service for the elderly in the past, but now that the company's rolling out Twitter and Facebook integration we'd bet it's the hottest ticket on the 4PM dinner scene -- Nanna's always had a thing for Ashton, after all. Built around a Lexmark fax machine (or your own, if you have one) the Celery service allows the computer-illiterate to send and receive emails, tweets, and Facebook status messages by simply writing down messages and faxing 'em out -- incoming messages can be printed out individually or in digest form to cope with volume. Add in a dash of RSS integration and hell, you've basically got the world's clunkiest netbook on your hands. Yep, interesting, but we'd almost rather pay the $14 / month service fee to make sure Nan never, ever sees our Facebook or Twitter pages.
Turn 10 hilariously shows off its new logo: Forza Watersports
You see that image above, friends (#1)? That was the image revealed last week to PortalXbox.com.br during a briefing in São Paulo, Brazil, teasing the assuredly to-be-announced at E3 2009 Forza 3, developed by Turn 10 Studios. It seems as though Turn 10 likes having a little bit of fun with its game reveals though, as the developer has released the full logo (#3), now with more silliness. Through the magic of Twitter, Turn 10 linked its followers to "the logo of the new game [it's] working on," found below in the gallery. What's weirder is a little poking around in Turn 10's conversations with others on Twitter reveals another image (#2), though clearer, and this time sans "watersports." Looks an awful lot like what could be a Forza 3 logo to us. One thing's for sure: If this game ends up to be for real, we're going to have an awful lot of egg on our face to wash off. Let's hope that's not the case!%Gallery-51574%
Shadowbane closure date extended to July, possible new lease on life
We thought we'd seen the end of Shadowbane in April, but we're happy to report that we were wrong. The game's servers were scheduled to go dark yesterday, May 1st. Ubisoft said this was the case and the developers said their goodbyes. However, overwhelming response from the playerbase is now keeping the game alive a bit longer for a proper farewell, and this stay of execution could possibly allow the devs to seek other options. Shadowbane developer Xanther writes, "Following our recent news, the support and enthusiasm the community has shown for Shadowbane has led to an extension of the closure date to July 1, 2009. This should allow the community enough time to play out its final days appropriately. We are looking into various options to make these final days as fun as possible!" It seems they're also looking into options beyond closure events for the players. Thanks to a tip from Massively reader NT_we see that Aeria Games has mentioned on Twitter that they're interested in picking up the game and are in discussion with Ubisoft. Also, Aeria Games is seeking input from Shadowbane players to help determine how viable running this title would be. You can let them know via Twitter at @aeriagames. While the situation still remains grim, that Shadowbane has roughly two months of time left, we're happy to see there's potential for a new lease on life for the game if publishers are willing to keep it running. If Massively learns that Shadowbane gets picked up by a new publisher, we'll be sure to let you know.[Thanks, NT_]
Playxpert brings Twitter, web & more into your favorite MMOs
As if we needed an excuse to spend more time in our favorite MMOs, PlayXpert has now integrated yet another insanely awesome tool into their "in-game operating system" - Twitter! That's right, now you can browse the web; chat; monitor your PC's system usage; halt annoying memory-leeching processes and tweet. Of course, you can also use Google, check Wowhead, pop out to EQ2 Players, use free Vivox voice chat, and noodle around on Facebook - but we know some of you are just as thrilled about the Twitter widget as we are. If you haven't had a chance to check out PlayXpert, you can pick up a free copy of the software over on their site. Twitter, Wowhead, etc. are all done via widgets, also freely available on the site. At the current time, this program is PC only, so the Mac crowd will have to fire up Boot Camp to use it. Of course, while you're adding Twitter to your in-game mods, we're sure you'll want to follow the Massively twitter account too!
Twittering from the World of Warcraft
Just in case you needed any more Twitter in your life (I'm getting to the point where I really don't), enter the PlayXpert Twitter widget, part of the PlayXpert gaming toolset, a free Windows application that you can download to run alongside your PC games (very similar to Xfire and that type of application). It's a little bloaty if all you want to do is run Twitter alongside WoW, but unfortunately, that functionality will never be available in an addon, as addons can't interact with any other outside sites.The poor man's solution here is to just run WoW in windowed mode and have your Twitter browser or client open right next to it -- you don't need a big application if you really need to be connected at all times. But if you want to livetweet your raid without sacrificing screen space to windowed mode, PlayXpert is one way to do it. It'll even do some autotwittering for you if you want.And of course if you're on Twitter already, don't forget to follow our WoW Insider Twitter account. We've already hit our goal of over 9,000 followers (and yes, a video version of the podcast is coming soon), but we're constantly throwing out little pieces of news, discussion and even some giveaways over there, so follow us if you're interested.
Apple's affectionate, slightly starstruck Twitter HQ profile
What's the microblogging trend that pits Ashton against CNN? Yes, it's Twitter -- you can dig it, and apparently so can Apple. The social-media darling is the subject of a glowing profile on Apple's Business site, bearing the humble and understated headline "Twitter. Triumph of humanity." Mmm-kay. Aside from the slightly over-reverent "here's to the crazy ones" tone, the profile is quite interesting; it points out that Twitter's development team overwhelmingly prefers the Mac, and that the baked-in Ruby on Rails support in Mac OS X is vital. Several team members use the MacBook Air as their primary development machine (many running the so-good-it-hurts editor TextMate), and the overall theme of 'minimalist elegance' is cited as a common philosophical thread for both companies. Twitter founder Biz Stone even admits that, while other handset vendors have offered the Twitter team free phones, the staff remains fiercely loyal to their iPhones. While we do love Twitter around here, and you can't blame Apple for wanting to highlight the Mac brand in the light of the blue birdie's buzz, I have to wonder if the linkage between these two companies -- both touted by critics as promoting style over substance, and both slagged for being 'cool' at the expense of actually being useful -- is strategically advantageous to Apple. [via Techmeme]
New DirecTV TiVo HD still on schedule for this year
We can't believe it, but Twitter is really taking over the world. We mean, first celebrities found it and now it seems to be the source of some solid gadget news: like confirmation from DirecTV that the new DirecTV TiVo HD is on schedule to be released by the end of this year. It's been over six months since DirecTV and TiVo announced plans to once again work together, but after the announcement that DirecTV suspended its Media Center tuner project, we had fears that whatever put that project ice, affected the TiVo project as well. Don't get too excited just yet though, as there is still no word if the new DirecTiVo will be missing key features like TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing, like the old one.
Call of Duty 4 patch has cheaters in its sights, finger on the trigger
According to @fourzerotwo, Infinity Ward is in the final stages of crafting a patch that will take aim at cheaters on the Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty 4. The patch is in the certification process right now and should hit the battlefield soon, so if you've found yourself on the receiving end of a nasty cheat (with 15 million players, odds are you have), know that reinforcements are on the way.
Twitter and Skype and FileMaker, oh my! FMWebSchool integrates them
FileMaker Pro fans can now tweet and make Skype calls directly from databases, thanks to a pair of free files from FMWebSchool. There are a couple of movies that demonstrate how these files work, which you can view by clicking the links below. The FMSkype file allows you to import your Skype address book into a FileMaker Pro database (Windows only; Mac FileMaker users must manually import their Skype info), and then click to call a contact using their Skype name or phone number.FMTweet lets you send messages to Twitter from a FileMaker Pro database. This is not a plug-in; it's a database with associated scripting that can be customized by the user. FMTweet could be useful if you want a database to provide notification of a specific situation through Twitter -- for instance, send a tweet when someone enters information into a web-enabled Filemaker database.To get the two files and other FileMaker goodies that may come out in the future, you do need to subscribe to the free FMWebSchool newsletter.
WoW Insider Show live today on Ustream at 3:30pm Eastern
Gonna be a good one (but is it ever not?) on our podcast today -- Contributing Editors Lesley Smith and Alex Ziebart will both be in the virtual broadcast booth with Turpster and I, and we'll be talking about the biggest stories in World of Warcraft over the past week, including patch 3.1.1 and all of the fixes that have been dropping lately, server outages and how bad they've been, what things are like in Ulduar so far, what the new 5-man might be, and the crack-in-a-twinkie that is Peggle in WoW. That's actually a lot of stuff -- we better talk fast.The show starts up at April 25, 2009 3:30 PM EST var date_span = document.getElementById("date"); var date = new Date(date_span.innerHTML); var monthname=new Array("Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug", "Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"); var weekday=new Array("Sunday","Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday", "Friday","Saturday"); var year = date.getFullYear(); var day_of_month = date.getDate(); var month = monthname[date.getMonth()]; var day = weekday[date.getDay()]; var hour = date.getHours(); if (hour > 11) { if (hour > 12) {hour -= 12} am_pm = "PM"; } else { am_pm = "AM"; } var minute = date.getMinutes(); if (minute < 10) { minute = "0"+minute; } date_string = day + ", " + month + " " + day_of_month; date_string += " at " + hour + ":" + minute + " " + am_pm; offset = -date.getTimezoneOffset()/60; if (offset >= 0) { offset = "+"+offset; } date_string += " in your time zone (GMT"+offset+")"; date_span.innerHTML = (date_string); over on our Ustream page, or you can just click below to find the embedded Ustream feed in the second half of this post. And of course if you can't make it to listen live today, don't worry, because the show will be recorded and available in its entirety (well, minus the preshow and aftershow that we usually do for the live listeners) on Monday as usual.Oh, and we owe you readers a big thank-you: our Twitter page did in fact hit 9000 followers this week (actually, over 9000), so it looks like Turpster and I will have to gussy up and turn on the cameras for a video show. Stay tuned to the show today for more information on that, and keep an eye on the site here for when we'll be doing it. It'll definitely be something to see. Get it? "See"? Video?
Atlus Games launches online gaming and anime portal
Fans of RPGs like the Persona series and those already playing Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online should be familiar with Atlus Games. The company is branching out into online interaction via a new web portal that's a home for their upcoming (summer release) MMO title Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent as well as having a heavy focus on anime. In fact, users can draw live on the site and collaborate with others in this fashion. We've known that a web portal for MMOs and anime was something on horizon but it became official with yesterday's press release and the launch of the Atlus Online portal. Along with the rest of the wired (and wireless) world, Atlus Online is also on Twitter.
Oh my! Stephen Fry to narrate the Littler-BigPlanet
American TV audiences know Stephen Fry as Dr. Gordon Wyatt on Bones. However, gamers are most familiar with Fry for his role as LittleBigPlanet's omnipotent narrator, his soothing voice carrying gamers through all of LBP's complex level-building tutorials. It looks like he's making a return to guide portable gamers, as his Twitter confirms his involvement in the upcoming PSP version of LittleBigPlanet.A large majority of Fry's narration was featured exclusively in the PS3 game's "Create" mode. How much time Fry spent in the studio may give us some insight into how complex the creation tools will be in the PSP version. Quick, someone shoot him a tweet![Thanks, damookman]
