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Battle of the iPhone Twitter Clients
6 Titans Put to the Test
OVERVIEW: Comparison of 6 of the top Twitter apps for the iPhone. Echofon, Tweetdeck, Tweetie, Twitteriffic, Twittelator, and Hootsuite.
There are tons of Twitter applications for the iPhone. I took a look at 6 of the most popular ones to see which one is the true champion.
Here are the Twitter apps that I tested:
- Echofon
- Hootsuite
- Twitteriffic
- Tweetdeck
- Tweetie
- Twittelator
How I Tested
I installed all of the applications below on my iPhone and used them fairly heavily. Over the course of two weeks, I used one application as my only Twitter interaction for two straight days. I tried to test every situation that I could think of to see how well each application worked. I also took detailed notes on things that caught my eye as good, bad, or weird as they occurred.
Disclaimer: I have been using Twitteriffic Premium for several months and LOVE it. I think that my work on this blog demonstrates my passion for free software. So if my cheap ass springs for the most expensive app on the list, you should take note.
Echofon (formerly Twitterfon)
Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $4.99 premium
Echofon used to be called Twitterfon until Twitter’s copy write lawyers got involved. I tested the free, ad supported version of this client. I generally liked everything I saw. Reading, retweeting, creating of tweets all was very nice. Everything functioned exactly as I thought it should. If I had not already bought two of the premium apps on this list, I would definitely consider Echofon. iPhone App Store
Pros: “Nearby Tweets Map” is awesome! Instapaper Support. Smooth interface.
Cons: 5 bucks is a lot to get rid of a few ads.
Rating: 
4 out of 5 stars
HootSuite lite & HootSuite
Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $1.99 premium
I like Hootsuite. I think it’s more for the SEO social networking power geek than the average user. It feels slightly less smooth than Twitteriffic or Tweetie, but it could be good for some people.
Pros: You can post to multiple accounts at once. You can schedule tweets.
Cons: Can’t sort tweets from oldest to newest.
Rating: 
3 out of 5 stars
Price: Free (Ad Supported) / No premium version
If you want to keep track of your Facebook and Twitter presence from the same app, than this is the one for you. I don’t love the interface. It seems like you’re always clicking left, scrolling down, swiping right, etc. It’s all over the place.
Pros: Facebook support, there are cool little shortcut keys to insert # and @ into your tweets.
Cons: Busy, clunky interface, no oldest to newest sort.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $3.99 premium
Tweetie 2 is constantly labeled as the “best twitter app for the iPhone”. Well, I’m just not sure at all. I constantly felt like I was clicking all over the place to get things done. I just doesn’t feel quite as smooth as I liked.
Pros: I love the “Nearby Tweets Map” in the Search view. Landscape Scrolling. Draft Saving. I also like that there is support for Instapaper.
Cons: No free version. If feels like there are too many “keystrokes” required for certain functions. Draft saving.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Twittelator & Twittelator Pro
Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $4.99 premium
I wanted to love this one so badly. Mostly for the cool egg logo. Sadly, I’m just not that into it. When you see a tweet that you like which has a link in it, guess what? You can’t open the link! Done! not even close to good enough.
Pros: Cool nearby tweets map view.
Cons: You can’t open links in a browser.
Rating: 
2 out of 5 stars
Twitteriffic & Twitteriffic Premium
Price: Free (Ad Supported) / $4.99 premium
This is my absolute favorite of the whole bunch. I love how solid the interface is. Love how you can save tweeted web pages with Instapaper for later reading. Yes, it’s tied for the most expensive app in roundup, but if you use Twitter a lot, it is worth every penny.
Pros: Very smooth, clean interface. Everything works just like you expect it to.
Cons: No Nearby Tweets map feature
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
iPhone Twitter Application Feature Comparison
The following table breaks down some of the main features for all of the contestants.
Which Twitter Client Do You Use?
Show some support for your favorite Twitter App in the survey below.
As always, please leave your thoughts, questions, or feedback in the Comments section. Also, if you use a great Twitter app that is not listed here or is on a phone other than the iPhone, let’s hear about it.
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Why #FollowFridays are Broken and How a #TuesTorial Will Fix Them
Sharing the Best Tutorials on Twitter
If any of you are Twitter users, you’re probably aware of the #followfriday phenomena. The original theory to tell the people that you follow about other Twitter users who regularly post interesting, useful tweets. This is a great concept that helped me find a bunch of good people to follow.
Recently #followfriday seems a lot more like an artificial, obligatory way for everyone to pump up each others follower counts.
I still do post the occasional #followfriday tweet using the following guidelines:
- They are someone whose tweets regularly add value to my experience.
- I can provide a reason for why I’m recommending them. (for example, #followfriday @abc123 They have the best information on #letters and #numbers anywhere on the web)
This serves two important purposes: It lets you know why you might care and the #tags give a little “twitter-wide” credit to the person being recommended. (Help the follower and followee; good idea, right?)
My Variation on the #FollowFriday Theme
VitaminCM.com is all about helping you learn how to do things. So I came up with the a twist to the original idea that will hopefully help pass on useful information. I’m calling it #TuesTorial.
During the week, I’m going to bookmark any good tutorials that I come across. Each Tuesday I’ll tweet the ones that I think are particularly helpful. If you would like to see my suggestions, just follow me on Twitter.
They will also be posted here in the sidebar widget.
Here is the format that I will be observing:
#Tuestorial – Great video showing how to do #XYZ – link.url/12345
I promise not to shamelessly promote any of my own articles, just other people’s work that I think is excellent.
If you want to see my suggestions follow me on Twitter. (They will also appear in the Twitter widget to the right.)
Your Call to Action – Please Join In the Fun
If you really like the idea of sharing helpful tips, please join in. I really want to see the tutorials that you recommend, so put your @Twitter name in the comments below so that I can follow you.
Who knows, if your tweets are any good, I might just #FollowFriday you. ; )
Reader Poll – How Do You Manage Email?
How Have Twitter, SMS, and Facebook Replaced Plain Old Email?
Email is still a very important communication tool. However, it’s not quite as simple as it once was. There are so many options for sending and receiving email. I was a big Outlook guy (and briefly Thunderbird) for years, but I have recently switched completely to Gmail.
Since I got my iPhone I do about half of my emailing on-the-go. I also text a lot more now due to the really nice threaded text messaging application. I can’t wait for MMS with the 3.0 operating system this summer.
I also use Twitter a lot from my computer and phone.
This all makes me wonder how everyone else is managing “email type” communication with all of the options available these days.
Don’t forget to add your Twitter name to your comment.
Create a RoboSecretary for Yourself with Dial2Do
Turn your Smartphone into a Genius Phone
Do you ever wish you had a secretary to take care of setting things up for you? Yeah, me too. Well, I found the closest thing to having your own secretary that you can get without opening your wallet. The free service Dial2Do.com will allows you to use your phone to do the following: check and update your calendar, send emails and text messages, create to-do’s and memos, check the weather, update your twitter account, and a bunch of other things.
Here’s how Dial2Do.com describes their service:
Dial2Do lets you do common tasks by just calling a number and speaking. Use it to send EMAIL or TEXT messages, record REMINDERS to help you remember things, post updates to your TWITTER or JAIKU stream and LISTEN to your favourite internet content. It’s easy and handsfree…
How Dial2Do Works
You get a call in number when you set up your account. When you dial the number a robotic voice ask you what you want to do. You say what you want and they recognize what you said and do it for you instantly.
They integrate with more services than you can shake a stick at. Calendars, Email, RememberTheMilk, Evernote, Twitter, FriendFeed, Wordpress, Blogger, and Typepad, Twitter, Ping.FM, and Tumblr. See the complete list of all of the services that you can use with Dial2Do.
Using Dial2Do to handle your business is extremely simple:
- Create a free account at Dial2Do
- Set up all of your services (email, calendar, to-do’s, etc.)
- Put your Dial2Do phone number in your phone
- Call Dial2Do and tell say what you want done
- Relax, knowing that it’s all taken care of.
Video Tutorial
See how to make your smartphone into a genius phone using Dial2Do.
Click here to download the Dial2Do tutorial podcast.