Buzz about an Android Twitter client began in mid-April when the company announced its pending arrival at a developer conference, fueling speculation about whether it would be a fresh composition, like BlackBerry's version, or a co-opted, "official" third party app like Atebit's Tweetie, now called Twitter for iPhone.
If you're hooked to both Twitter and Google's Android phone system Relevant Products/Services, you'll be delighted to download the social media giant's new client, available as of Monday.
A result fo direct collaboration Relevant Products/Services between the two companies' developers, Twitter for Android is available for brand new phones such as Nexus One and its cousin, the HTC Incredible, giving those phones a function that recently became available for Apple's iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry. Phones using versiosn prior to Android 2.1, though, won't be so lucky.
Using the Twiiter client allows full interactivity with other Android applications, allowing users, for instance, to click a share button while looking at photos, maps or Web sites, then choosing Twitter from the list of pop-ups.
"It's a good addition, particularly for the younger crowd, as social media applications are becoming more of an option for connecting with friends and family," said Kirk Parsons, a wireless Relevant Products/Services analyst for J.D. Power and Associates.
Using the client allows access to Twitter without logging in. "It's bundled together with other social media sites," said Parsons.
Android Tweeters can use a home screen widget that produces a timeline, shows a tweet location on a map, or displays a friend's latest tweet next to his or her phonebook listing.
'Super Easy To Share'
Though it was in more than 140 characters, the free client was announced today on Twitter's official blog.
"When apps work well with each other, sharing becomes as second nature on machines as it does in person," read the blog post. "The Android platform is really good at that, and we've worked with the Android team to make it super easy to share what's happening. Twitter for Android is a fantastic application to use, and sharing any link or photo is super simple too -- just look for the share button in your favorite application and choose Twitter."
The new client is available from Google's Android Market, which has been estimated to grow at about 8,000 apps per month to an inventory of about 50,000 as of April. That's still shy of market-leader Apple's staggering 185,000 App Store programs for the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
Buzz about an Android Twitter client began in mid-April when the company announced its pending arrival at a developer conference Relevant Products/Services, fueling speculation about whether it would be a fresh composition, like BlackBerry's version, or a co-opted, "official" third party app like Atebit's Tweetie, now called Twitter for iPhone.
Open Source Code
Google and Twitter want to see more developers integrate Twitter into their applications.
"We had a great time working with the Android team and are thrilled that Google will be open sourcing the code used in this app in the near future," said the blog post. "We look forward to the amazing experiences developers will create using Twitter APIs in their upcoming Android apps."
