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Tweetbot for Mac updated, adds user-specific notifications, Vine and Flickr previews and more
Following on the heels of the recent update for the iOS version, Tweetbot -- the Twitter client for iOS and Mac -- has today updated its Mac app to version 1.2, bringing a host of welcome new features. Most notably, the new version of Tweetbot for Mac brings user-specific notification (disable or enable notifications for specific users) and thumbnail support for Vine and Flikr. Other highlights in the update include UI tweaks, support for adding .mp4 video to tweets and the ability to drag images or .mp4 video into the app icon to create new tweets. For all the details on the update, check out Tweetbot on the Mac App Store. The update is available now for existing Tweetbot users, through Software Update on your Mac or via the Mac App Store, or you can purchase Tweetbot for Mac on the Mac App Store right now for US$19.99. [via MacStories]
Vine app gets 17+ age rating
A recent update to the Twitter-owned Vine app for iPhone bears at 17+ age rating. The update, version 1.5, doesn't mention the change in its release notes, but users downloading the app will see a pop-up message noting that Vine may contain age-restricted material. This is no doubt a response to a brief pornographic video somehow being presented as a Vine editor's choice last month, shocking many users. Vine lets you create and share 6-second video clips. In my experience they're kind of jarring, but in the right hands, perhaps someone can create something beautiful.
Tweetbot for iOS adds in-line Flickr and Vine viewing
Whatever the platform, Tapbots' Tweetbot is known for supporting in-line content viewing that doesn't always appear in other Twitter clients -- it's a survivor of the Instagram-Twitter fallout, for example. With the launch of version 2.7 updates for iOS, the app may have microblog media well and truly covered. The upgrade adds easy Flickr viewing, to accommodate Instagram exiles, as well as quick peeks at Vine's 6-second video loops. Third-party app integration likewise expands its boundaries: links can now open in either 1Password or Chrome, instead of Safari. Both the iPad and iPhone releases are live today, so hit the relevant links to see the imagery you might have been missing. [In-photo image credit: Steve Kovach, Vine]
Daily Update for January 29, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple yanks Vine from Featured Apps section after porn debacle
If you were to ask me for a few tips on starting a new video-centric social app, I would probably be able to offer you very little advice. That said, one thing I can guarantee I wouldn't recommend is to push grotesque porn to every users' feed just as they're having their morning coffee. That's just what Vine did -- allegedly due to "human error" -- and TechCrunch reports that it was enough to get the app yanked from the Featured section of the App Store. As you might imagine, Apple wasn't the only one a bit upset by Vine's untimely adult content, and many early adopters have openly declared that they will never use the app again. Twitter, which owns Vine, has apparently taken this incident as a sign that it needs to take the porn problem seriously, and will begin a more aggressive approach to filtering it out. Whether that will help the app regain its place in Apple's hallowed promo section remains to be seen.
Editorial: Facebook vs. Vine is another chapter in the book of 'We Own You'
Oh man, Vine is fun. It is already apparent that with creativity and planning you can produce something approaching an epic experience in a 6-second video. Vine is a perfect enhancement of Twitter's casual "what's happening now" social base. With stop-and-go videos that resemble animated GIFs, Vine puts greater movement and reality into life-casting. I showed it to my wife, who is not remotely a Twitter user, and she immediately began storyboarding microvideo adventures for our Serta sheep. So my message to all seven people who follow me on Vine: You've got a lot to look forward to. Speaking of followers, let's consider the tectonic unfriending that transpired in the ongoing skirmish between Facebook and Twitter, the serfdom of social media users and the historical risks of walled gardens.
Vine's friend-finding feature already blocked by Facebook
Facebook obviously isn't interested in welcoming new social media players, and not long after stopping Yandex's Wonder app from combing its precious data, it's decided to block the friend-finding feature in Twitter's Vine video embed app. Using the "find people" option in Vine now presents users with an error message, essentially killing that labor-saving option. Facebook, as we all know, is notorious for keeping rivals' noses out of its database, and let's not forget it pulled Instagram Card support from Twitter last year. We've contacted the social network for comment, and will update you if we get a response.
Twitter introduces Vine app for sharing video
Haven't been able to post enough videos of your adorable cat, baby or girlfriend on Twitter? Fear no more, Twitter has introduced Vine, a free video-sharing iPhone app that takes short snippets up to 10 seconds in length and blasts them to Twitter, Facebook and/or the Vine.co website. Those snippets are played ad infinitum, kinda fun if you do something like spinning around in a chair for 10 seconds like I did. Well, I was going to post a link to that video, but Vine is apparently a wee bit overwhelmed today: Here's a link to an earlier Vine video for your viewing pleasure. Once you've installed Vine, it asks you to either create a new account or sign in with Twitter. I chose to do the latter, yet couldn't use my Twitter name (not my handle) as it has characters (a couple of Apple icons) in it that are apparently not kosher. Vine grabs your Twitter profile, all of which you can change except for your bio -- apparently, if you want to change that, you need to change the Twitter bio. Sigh. Vine then runs you through a short tutorial on how to shoot video. Any time you touch the screen, it will capture video up to a total of that magic 10 seconds. Tap the Next button, select the services you wish to share the video on, choose whether or not to geotag the video and then let it blast out to the world. There are discovery tools built into the Vine app, providing a choice of editor-curated loops, videos that are marked with a particular hash tag and posts that are just very popular. Tapping on any video you're watching pauses it or restarts viewing, and unlike the similar Lightt app, Vine provides audio to go along with your masterpiece. In the official Twitter iOS app, tapping on a tweet containing a Vine link displays the video immediately. Whether or not the world really needs another way of sharing videos of people and animals behaving badly seems to be a moot point. Vine's here, and it's sure to get the attention of a lot of iPhone users.
Vine embedded video tweeting comes to Twitter for iOS
Why it seems like only yesterday we were telling you about Twitter's new video tweeting feature, courtesy of a tweet from CEO Dick Costolo. With the bird out of the bag, Vine's just made its way to iOS, so those with an iPhone or iPod touch looking for the video equivalent to 140 characters can pick it up for free now, courtesy of the App Store. Or, if you just want to bask in the adorableness of others, check out Twitter's short video-filled blog post below.
Twitter and Vine combine to enable embedded video tweeting
Twitter took Vine under its wing late last year, and it looks like that new relationship is bearing its first fruit. Earlier today, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo revealed Vine's new capabilities with a single tweet earlier today with a Vine video embedded. Like Twitter's card implementation, the video appears as a link in the tweet, and users need only click the "View media" (instead of "Show summary") link underneath for that tweet to expand and show the embedded vid. Once played, the clip loops until you tell it to stop. The video Costolo shared is only a few seconds long, so we don't know if there's a time limit for embedded Vine videos, nor can we say when the rest of us will be able to start using Vine. However, we can surely point you to the source to see the service in action.
Twitter said to have acquired fledgling video-sharing service Vine
Twitter has pretty much nailed text-based interaction, so it looks like it's time to diversify into video. According to AllThingsD, the blue birdie has snapped up a three-man outfit called Vine, a video-sharing startup intended specifically for bite-sized clips. You'd be forgiven for not knowing it -- the service hasn't actually launched yet -- and there's no word on whether it'll operate independently or be assimilated by the social network. There are bound to be more details revealed soon, and it might not be too long before you're sharing less in 140 characters and more in five-second clips.
Amazon launches Vine.com for shoppers who live life on the 'green' edge
Love Amazon's renowned two-day shipping? How about organic eats and other miscellaneous environment-friendly products? If so, then today's your very lucky day. Adding to the endless list of shopping sites it already owns, Amazon has just introduced Vine.com; a site which aims to be a one-stop web store for folks looking to snag anything from organic ingredients to beauty products like all-natural shaving oils and Kiss My Face foam soaps -- and yes, as we stated earlier, there's an option to get that speedy two-day delivery service. While chatting with Bits Blog, a Vine representative said the goal isn't "necessarily about saving the planet," but that his team does "feel the products are useful in that regard." Currently Vine.com is live in beta form, though that doesn't mean folks interested can't go browse around and order some goodies -- to do that, give the source link below a quick tap.
Google's Photovine goes live with its photo sharing app
Photovine is Google's latest iOS app and it's best described as a photo-sharing app with a public twist. Unlike Instagram which lets you share your stylized mobile photos with your friends and followers, Photovine ditches the filters and has a much more public slant. You publish your photo with a theme, caption or category and it becomes a vine. Your vine can be as simple as "photographs of ice cream" to as abstract as "the color orange." Once you create a vine, other people can contribute to that vine and you can watch it grow. Likewise, you can browse other vines and add your own photo. Once your photo is attached to a vine, it becomes public and can be seen on that vine and on your profile. Photovine was developed by Slide, a company Google acquired last August. The app is available for free from the App Store. And yes, it does resemble Piictu. [Via ReadWriteWeb]
Nokia viNe goes live: share your mobile adventures online
Not that anyone really needs to see what photos you take, where you take them and what videos are captured during your daily walk through the game of life, but if you feel inclined to share, Nokia's making it exceptionally easy. The viNe service, which is compatible with a slew of E and N Series handsets, taps into your built-in GPS receiver and uploads your media to the viNe website in order for others to keep track. Think real-time social networking, driven by your cellphone. Yeah, it's a touch too voyeuristic for our tastes, but you know you want to give it a go. Hit the read link to explore.[Via Symbian-Guru]
