Twitter for iPad hits

[javajolt]

Twitter for iPad

Twitter unleashed its official application for iPad, which is really just a rebranded version of Tweetie, a Twitter client that Twitter bought in April, 2010. When it comes to Twitter apps, there is no shortage of competition on the iOS – plus there are all kinds of web interfaces that work with Twitter. For Twitter to have an official branded application, the app better be good. As mainly a TweetDeck user myself, I quite liked what I saw from the Twitter app.

You’ll find useful options like Timeline, Mentions, and Lists on the left. The right pane displays whatever option you pick. The interface is similar in the landscape mode – the right pane just becomes a centered pane with a gutter on the right side.

Twitter with its browser pane open

Clicking on a link from a tweet brings a sliding browser pane from the right with the tweet on top and a preview of the website from the tweet. The left-most pane (with your options) gets shrunk from icons and text to icons only when the sliding pane comes in.

On the bottom of the browser pane are more options – you can move to Safari, copy the link, or read the page later using either Instapaper or Read it Later. The Twitter app has lots of options to customize what services you use for pictures, videos, and what you use for reading things later. I was happily surprised with the amount of choices available. For the most part, you probably don’t even have to leave the app to see everything that your friends are tweeting about.

The app can get a bit cluttered, but it still works well

The interface can get a little cluttered if you have the maximum number of panes open and you want to tweet or reply to something while having the keyboard open. Also, due to the amount of soft buttons on the app, I was initially confused on how to remove the browsing pane without a button — then I realized I was using an iPad, and swiped it away. However, none of that actually inhibits the use of the application. The app was snappy and is a much better way to hit Twitter on an iPad than using the Twitter website.

The app also supports multiple Twitter accounts. Obviously, there are no other social networks available on the Twitter app, so if you want an all-in-one solution, this isn’t it. However, if you are a Twitter fan, you will probably like this app. The Twitter app for iPad is available now and is a free download.