TweetDeck – A Twitter Client with Promise
Shortly after I started using Twitter via the web site, I started looking for a desktop client application to use to read and send updates. I came across Spaz, an Adobe Air based application. Adobe Air apps can run on Windows and Mac OS X which appealed to me since I use both. Spaz was decent, but not great. I started using Twitterrific on the Mac, a Twitter client that appeared to be the favorite of many Mac users. Shortly after I started using Twitterrific, and paid for a license to lose the random ads, I came across Twhirl. I was still looking for a better Windows client and Twhirl was another Adobe Air app. Twhirl has really taken off, both in popularity and features.
I’ve been using Twhirl for a few months now and haven’t even looked at other Twitter clients. Why should I? I’ve been very satisfied. Over the July 4th holiday weekend, I saw some tweets (i.e. Twitter updates) about TweetDeck, a new client app built in Adobe Air. I decided to give it a try and it has a lot of promise. Surprisingly, it’s only at v0.15.x. I say surprisingly because it seems that the trend is to start the public beta releases of apps at v0.8x. Using such a low version number sets some realistic expectations, illustrating that this app is just getting started. After using it for a few days, it’s really growing on me.
What I really like about TweetDeck (just a few of the key features):
- You can create custom Groups. Groups are a manually defined set of people you follow, whose tweets appear in their own column. If you only follow a handful of people, groups won’t have much appeal to you. I follow 70+ Twitter accounts, some are friends and family while others are journalists and technology experts. Often, family and friend tweets get lost amongst the “noise” of all the other tweets.
- It stores tweets in a local database. TweetDeck starts with my stored data and adds the latest updates to it. Plus, TweetDeck can work offline and send/receive tweets when it’s back online. When I launch Twhirl it only pulls a limited number of updates from Twitter, approximately one web page worth, and sometimes I get blank screens.
- Summize integrated searches that auto-update. You can search the local database or have TweetDeck use Summize to search for tweets. The results of the Summize search displays in their own column and they continually update, automatically. This would be great for following live events, breaking news, etc. Twhirl integrates Summize searching but it does not automatically update the results.
- Allows you to filter the display within a 1 hour to 48 hour timeframe.
- Profile Info Panel. This gets display, along with recent tweets, when you click on the user.
- Displays a Twitter Status. Not sure how it determines the status, but right now it states “Pretty much ok.“
- Ability to switch between Single column and multi-column views.
What I think TweetDeck needs to succeed:
- Adjust the refresh rate to the ever adjusting levels set by Twitter
- Ability to change the font size and color scheme
- Notifications, both pop-up and audible
- Twitpic integration (already in Twhirl; I haven’t used it yet myself but very popular).
What I’d personally like to see:
- Slide out/in drawers instead of, or in addition to, the columns which can quickly take up real estate
- Multiple account access (I have a personal account, Frumpa, and a business account, AstroPhoto (already in Twhirl)
- Ability to read/write and comment on my FriendFeed account (already in Twhirl)
Obviously, others would have a different set of requirements/requests and no program can ever meet everyone’s expectations.
TweetDeck is off to a good start. I doubt I’ll stop using Twhirl just yet, but I will alternate between it and TweetDeck and see how the latter develops.
- Al Degutis
