Some of the most popular apps for the iPhone have turned out to be — without surprise — mobile Twitter clients. Even though a mobile Twitter is not a new concept for the iPhone, especially since the dawn of web clients such as Hahlo, these new versions popping up in the App Store offer a richer experience. Here’s a look at the two most popular Twitter clients for the iPhone.
Twitterrific. Not new to the public eye, especially since it won an iPhone ADA last June, Twitterrific started its life as a Mac client that quickly became a favorite for its users. Now, on the iPhone, the same experience alongside a couple of new features are available for anyone to try out. Visually, Twitterrific maintains a similar appearance to the Mac version, except on the white theme that’s available for premium users (more on that below). And in terms of functionality, it maintains the same tweeting experience as on the Mac, but adds a couple of iPhone features, such as built-in photo snapping/sharing, and the ability to quickly update your location using the iPhone’s coordinates. Twitterrific, in a few words, is a simple app that will bring hours of enjoyment to the active Twitter user. Twitterrific is available in a free version that will sport an occasional ad, or the $9.99 “premium” version that removes the ads and has an extra theme as detailed above.
Twinkle. Also not new to iPhone users (at least those who ran apps on their jailbroken systems), Twinkle is also here to offer a rich Twitter experience that takes advantage of the iPhone’s features. Visually, Twinkle is more casual and colorful, as it illustrates the “twinkle” of the sky, and iChat-esque tweet bubbles. In terms on functionality, besides tweeting both images and text, it uses more heavily the location functionality of your iPhone by displaying local tweets within a certain range. That last part is very interesting since it allows you to connect with other fellow users that use Twinkle within the same city you live in. Something notable that’s been omitted from this Twitter client, though, is a built-in browser. So unlike Twitterrific, when you want to view a link that’s been posted on a tweet, the app will close and open Safari instead of displaying the link within the same app. But in the end, Twinkle is already being hailed as the definitive iPhone client, mainly because of its colorful interface, intelligent location features, and the price — free (with no ads!).
Personally, I will keep both clients in my iPhone until the annoyances of both 1.0 releases are fixed. Then I’ll be able to choose the best one I like.
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