Twitter For iPhone Push Notifications Are Being Internally Tested; Rolling Out Soon
To many users, Twitter for iPhone (the artist formerly known as Tweetie) is perhaps the perfect Twitter client (though I’d argue that the new Twitter for iPad is right there with it). But the one thing it has been lacking and that users knock it for is the lack of Push Notifications. Well, good news. They’re coming. Soon.
Twitter is currently internally testing the feature, we’ve confirmed. Interestingly enough, we learned of its existence when the latest version of the app went out yesterday (the universal binary that included Twitter for iPad). It appears that users who have iOS 4.1 installed (which just hit Gold Master for developers, but won’t be official out until next week) get the option to enable Push Notifications for Twitter. They don’t appear to be working yet, but the feature is definitely there.
Here’s Twitter’s statement on the matter:
Twitter Now Over 145 Million Users, Almost 300,000 Apps
When I read Twitter CEO Evan Williams post tonight about the state of Twitter from a mobile perspective, the first thing that jumped out at me what that Twitter for Android, an app Twitter worked hard on, isn’t even in the top 10 most-used apps for the service. But Williams also used the post to whip out some impressive numbers. Chief among them: Twitter now has over 145 million registered users (though presumably less than 150 million, or he would have said that). And there are now nearly 300,000 registered apps in the Twitter ecosystem.
The latter number above is technically the number of registered OAuth apps in the ecosystem (and includes multiple instances of some apps). Twitter made the switch over from basic authentication to OAuth a few days ago, leaving behind some apps, such as the old Tweetie (which was reborn as Twitter for iPhone). Williams says this number of registered apps has tripled since their Chirp conference — which was only this past April.
Um, Where’s Twitter For Android On Twitter’s Top 10 Apps?
This evening Twitter CEO Evan Williams put up an interesting post about Twitter mobile usage. By just about every measurable metric, it seems to be skyrocketing. He also included a graph of the top 10 ways people are now using Twitter. This includes both Twitter’s own apps and third-party clients, but notably, Twitter for Android is nowhere to be seen.
I’ve confirmed with Twitter that this isn’t a mistake. It seems that Twitter for Android is in fact not in the top 10 ways people interact with the service. That’s incredible considering that Twitter for iPhone is number 4 and Twitter for Blackberry is number 5. Both of those were built by the Twitter team, just as the Android app was.
Even crazier, it’s behind third party clients TwitPic, TweetDeck, Echofon, UberTwitter, and even Google Friend Connect!
Obviously, Twitter downplays that in the post (and by downplays, I mean, doesn’t mention it), and instead only mentions Twitter for Android in the intro to say that it “launched a new version this week.” Remember, “new” is the best tactic to get people to try something.
Facebook Wants To Be In A Relationship With The Big Boys — They Want To Be Just Friends
Yesterday, Apple launched iTunes Ping, their new music social network. Part of that launch was a very basic implementation of Facebook Connect, simply to hook in and find out which of your Facebook friends were also using Ping. I tried it yesterday and it worked fine. But this morning the option vanished and everyone was left wondering what happened?
Well, it vanished because Facebook started blocking iTunes Ping from accessing their API, we’ve heard (just as AllThingsD and New York Times have as well). Obviously, there’s no point in having a feature that doesn’t work — so Apple simply removed it.
Twitter Mobile Usage Skyrocketed With “Official” Apps [STATS]
HOW TO: Track Hurricane Earl Online
5 great content discovery sites which aren't Digg
Filed under: Features, Social Software, web 2.0, Lists
Nailed It (Not): Our First Twitter Post, Circa 2006
I often point to my first post on Twitter, the day it launched in 2006. Why? Mostly because of how wrong I was. Best line: “I imagine most users are not going to want to have all of their Twttr messages published on a public website.” I also love that original vowel-free logo.
The first couple of comments to that post are classic as well:
I do not understand the utility of adding the SMS messages to a public webpage or making messages from my network public. I would have to pass on that type of offering. The ability to make messages private should be added asap.
and
i do not want to be woken up at 4 a.m. because my friend got drunk and decided to text Twttr with “asdl im at barasdf sooo drunksalkfjs”…i find it interesting such an annoying feature is supposedly causing viral growth…i’m done developing social software if the key to success is to be intrusive
and
So is it pronounced twitter or twatter?
Morning Brief: iTunes 10 & Ping Now Live, Samsung Unveils Tablet, Twitter’s iPad App
Twitter Launches Official iPad App
Follow Us on the New Digg
I am sure you have heard the big news of the week. Yes, the new Digg v4 has launched.
We have got our own Digg account up and running, so get your mouse click over here and follow us now!
The new Digg is updated with a new user interface and has evolved to a more social platform than it used to be. While many have complained and revolted, I am impress of all the changes and the fact that it is no longer the power Digger’s game (or it still is? We’ll see). You can follow other’s Digg accounts and have their news stream to your main page. Users can also import their feeds and have it automatically submit to Digg.
If you have not checked out the new Digg, do it now. At the same time, don’t forget to Follow us at Digg.
Google Chrome Is The New “Down For Everyone Or Just Me”
You hit a site; it’s down. You immediately reload; it’s still down. You start to freak out. “How the hell are they down again!? Is anyone in charge over there?! WTF?!” But quite often, it’s just you. And you look like an ass for your rant that you just spewed on Twitter (or on Facebook when it’s Twitter that is down). Thankfully, it looks like Chrome can now potentially save you from that embarrassment.
Tech geeks are very familiar with sites like Down For Everyone Or Just Me (which was incidentally created by a then-Twitter employee and sold earlier this year). You go there, enter a URL and see if others people around the world are having trouble accessing the site as well. But the latest version of Chrome appears to do the same thing for you now, as the blog Rudefox pointed out today.
TweetRight Shares Pics, Text, and Links from the Chrome Context Menu
Chrome: If you find yourself frequently cutting and pasting links from your web browser to include in Twitter updates, TweetRight offers easy sharing of pictures, text, and links right from the Chrome's context menu. More »
North Korea Joins Facebook
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AOL Lifestream continues to evolve with release of Google Chrome Extension
Full disclosure: AOL is indeed our benevolent overlord. However, Download Squad bloggers are under no obligation to speak kindly of their products or applications.
AOL Lifestream is an excellent app -- and it's certainly a far cry from the clunky, over-designed browser and dial-up software you used to see given away on floppy disks. Ahh, the good old days -- which are gone, and really weren't that great if you're comparing dial-up to DSL, cable, or fiber. Moving on!
Lifestream is a solid social networking aggregator. With support for key social sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Digg, Delicious, and now Foursquare, Lifestream presents a clean, simple way to keep tabs on all your friends' activity in one centralized location. While Lifestream might be a bit underpowered for social superstars, It's an excellent choice for average users -- as well as savvy users who don't need a more complex app.
Already available via the web and in the App Store, AOL has now added an extension for Google Chrome. While it's not going to transform Chrome into the super-social browsing experience that Flock 3 presents, the Lifestream extension is still a very handy way to keep your entire stream within easy reach without being distracted by it.
Let's start with my one gripe about the extension: it's slow to load. Pretty much every other Google Chrome extension I've tried out appears instantly after I click its icon. Lifestream, on the other hand, takes between three to five seconds to appear. That needs to be addressed -- users don't like to wait, and they don't like it when UI elements don't respond the way they want them to.
Beyond that, the Lifestream extension is pretty slick. Your stream is presented in a scrollable window with filtering and sharing options. You can post multi-network updates and share URLs, view trending topics, and view your account settings. Currently there's no support for files, so you can't share pictures or videos via the extension -- hopefully that will come later. Lifestream does allow you to comment on/reply to updates that appear in your stream, and retweeting is supported as well.
For users who are looking for a way to keep the conversation going on multiple networks and don't require some of the heavyweight features you find on apps like Seesmic Web, Lifestream is a good option -- I just hope they do something about the sluggish startup.
Seesmic Web gets huge update: Facebook, FourSquare, LinkedIn, desktop notifications arrive
There's also added support for desktop notifications in Google Chrome, which you can see in my screenshot. They're an incredibly useful way to know when your Seesmic tabs needs attention. Yfrog has been added to your image posting options, and a number of other interface refinements (like color-coded direct mentions) have been made as well.
The update also brings a significant speed boost to Seesmic. The momentary lag I used to notice (especially in Firefox 4) is now totally gone, and Seesmic is zippier than ever.
If you've got a Facebook page, I've got more good news for you. Now that Seesmic has bolted on initial support for Facebook, Loic Le Meur informed me that page support is he's been wanting as well -- and that it's coming "very soon."
For more info about the refresh, check out Seesmic's blog post. Not seeing the changes in your browser? Hit the refresh button, or close and restart -- that should do the trick!
Flock 3 ditches Firefox core for Chrome, adds social networking awesomeness
Why? Because the new version is really good. I was more than a little put off by Flock 2. Apart from a Mozilla-based core which felt sluggish in comparison to other browsers, the user interface was a bit too cluttered for me. In the new v3 beta, Flock has switched powerplants -- moving to Google's Chromium -- and concentrated on a clean, minimal interface.
Using the same code base as Google Chrome obviously brings a big increase in speed, but Flock has built in a number of enhancements that offer some serious advantages over Chrome if you're a serious social networker. Like what, you ask?
For starters, there's the awesome sidebar I've outlined in the header image. Sure, there are plenty of Chrome extensions which add a little drop-down display of your Twitter or Facebook streams, but Chrome doesn't have sidebar support out-of-the-box. Flock coded it from scratch, and it's a fantastic addition.
Flock's sidebar can display activity from the people you follow on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr as well as RSS feeds. It's worth pointing out that Flock also decided to include RSS feed detection out-of-the-box -- something I'm still shocked Google hasn't built in to Chrome yet. You have complete control over what's displayed in the activity bar. Don't want to see Facebook tagging or pokes? Not concerned with comments on your YouTube vids? Uncheck 'em and they're gone.
There's also a search box that displays matches from your activity as you type, and you can click the drop down menu to switch between specific sites or groups (which we'll take a look at next).
The drag-and-drop goodness doesn't stop with grouping people, however. Your friends probably have multiple accounts, and Flock lets you stack those on a single card if you want. Below, I've got Jay's twitter feed on its own. Vic's, on the other hand, I've combined with his Facebook feed -- making it easy to find all his updates
One more excellent addition to Flock is this:
And, yes, Flock does support Chrome extensions and Incognito (which they've renamed Stealth) mode is available.
With a solid, speedy browser core and some innovative (and seriously cool) features bolted on, the Flock team has really put together an excellent third version. If you enjoy Google Chrome and you're a heavy Twitter or Facebook user, you really should take the new version for a spin.
View Thru for Chrome lets you instantly see through any short URL
View Thru is a neat extension for Google Chrome that lets you instantly see what's hiding behind a shortened link. You simply hover over the link (say, http://is.gd/bJoc7) and get an instant tooltip showing you where it's leading. When I tested it, the tooltip really was instant -- I did not have to wait at all. I tested it both with TinyURL and is.gd, and it worked equally well on both.
The shortened URL must be an active link, though -- it doesn't work when it's just text on the page. View Thru has earned a five-star rating in the Chrome extension gallery, and I can see why.