Tweetie for the iPhone, currently available from atebits for $2.99, is an extremely user-friendly and feature-rich Twitter app for managing your Twitter accounts. Now in version 2, I found this release to be faster and even easier to use than version 1, maintaining its status as one of the best Twitter applications for the iPhone.
The Tweetie Interface
The basic interface of Tweetie is simple and intuitive. Initial setup of the app only requires you to enter your Twitter username and password, after which you are brought to your main timeline. Bottom row icon navigation takes you from the timeline to your “@ mentions,” direct message conversations, search and an additional set of features including favorites and drafts of unfinished Tweets. Nice little touches add to the friendly interface, such as tiny glowing “lights” under each menu icon when there are new items available (such as new direct messages).
Composing Tweets
New tweets are also created within a nice interface, with most functions hidden within a menu that replaces the keyboard. As with the rest of the app, you can tweet in landscape mode, making typing easier. Within the hidden menu are options to take a new photo to attach to a tweet, choose an existing photo from your gallery, add a geotag, and shrink a URL. You can choose which services to use for URL shortening and photos with the app settings. Also built into the menu is the ability to search the people you follow and recent hashtags to add them to your tweet. I especially like the option to search for people to add an @ mention to, as it allows you to finish a tweet without going back to your list of followers or those that you follow.
Do a Lot with a Tweet
When viewing your timeline, you can do a lot with an existing tweet (yours or someone else’s) by simply sliding your finger across a message. Clicking icons allow you to send a quick “@” reply, email or repost links, go directly to the author’s profile and add the tweet to your favorites. A fifth icon reveals a menu to retweet, quote the tweet, post a link, email the tweet or translate it. Tweetie does a great job here hiding a large group of functions but making them easily accessible. Within the “@” mention area of Tweetie, you can easily track conversations by seeing what each tweet was in reply to. The same ease-of-use applies to the direct messages, where tweets are threaded similar to instant messages.
Searching with Tweetie
The search function in Tweetie allows basic keyword searches, and these searches can be saved to easily repeat them later. Overall Twitter trends are featured within the search window as well. A nice addition here is the “nearby” search that uses your location to find nearby tweets, which can be viewed in a map or list view. This is just one of many small touches that makes Tweetie an excellent Twitter app for the iPhone.