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When there are only 10,000 apps available for the BlackBerry, it’s easy to get excited about the ones on deck. The last time I was this excited about a new BlackBerry app, it was also for a Twitter app (I know…boooorrring).
The buzz around Blaq — a BlackBerry Twitter app — has been growing over the past few months. I only heard about it a few weeks ago…through Twitter, of course. But after getting acquainted with the app’s features on its website, I was hooked.
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The user interface is to blame for my obsession. The attractive black background highlighted by bright greens and blues make it the most pleasing Twitter app so far. Not even the latest UberTwitter update (which I gawked at since its most recent facelift) can touch its beauty.
But what functionality sets it apart from other Twitter apps?
While viewing Twitter profiles with Blaq is aesthetically pleasing, there is one feature that the Blaq developers are “most excited to share with you”: BlaqOps.
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On its blog, Blaq developers claim that “selecting the BlaqOps icon brings you to a pop-up menu…Blaq will pull the corresponding information from your device and send a direct message to the selected user with a special code (e.g. #blaqBBM) and your information (in this case, your device’s PIN).”
The Quick Tweet option stands out as the most appealing feature in my opinion. By opening the BlackBerry menu and selecting “Quick Tweet”, a status window appears giving you the ability to let the world know that you’re eating a sandwich. This can be done even when other apps are open. With the installation of a 10KB plug-in, you can set Quick Tweet to a convenience key for easier access to this feature.
Adding to the convenience factor is the ability to tweet from multiple accounts without having to toggle between accounts to do so. Blaq lets you choose which account to post from by selecting the respective box of the account(s).
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One other feature worth mentioning is tucked away in the ‘Settings’ menu. With Blaq, you have the ability to customize your URL shortener. I’ve always stuck to bit.ly, but I know that others prefer to use an alternative shortener. There are a few other features that focus on integration, but this was my favorite since I’d likely use it regularly.
The app is expected to launch today in BlackBerry App World.
Today, we’ll be bringing you the 480 x 360 resolution (9700, 96xx and 89xx) and the 320 x 240 resolution (93xx, 85xx and 83xx) in both the full, paid version for $4.99, and also BlaqLite, our free version. Blaq updates and upgrades will be free…for life.
A Twitter update from Blaq claims that there will be a version for the Bold 9000 as well.
I plan to use Blaq exclusively for awhile longer before I can claim it the “Best BlackBerry Twitter app”. For the record, I’m still high on UberTwitter. But with innovative features that focus on convenience and a UI that’s easy on the eyes, Blaq is well on its way to the top.
No word yet on when this app will be available for the Torch 9800. For more information and updates, check out AllBlaqEverything.com. You can also follow them on Twitter at @Blaq.
Popularity: 2% [?]
As a loyal BlackBerry user, it’s hard to turn my nose back down toward the Apple “light”. But Flipboard had me at “Hello”. Dare I admit that I’m considering an iPad?
The iPad app turns the ‘fancy tablet reader/website viewer’ into a more useful tool. Flipboard sorts content from your Facebook and Twitter feeds into a flipboard grid — articles, images, videos, links — and allows you to flip through that content like pages in a magazine. In addition to having the ability to like and comment on those items, the app aggregates others’ tweets and comments into view as well.
If I had to choose one significant feature that Flipboard lacks, it would be updates across multiple social networking sites…think HootSuite. However, I’d have to assume that they’ve already got some new features in the works. There’s just so much potential here. Nicely done, Flipboard.
Download the Flipboard app from iTunes.
Popularity: 9% [?]
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Back in February, I was given the opportunity to test Twitter For BlackBerry by the folks over at IntoMobile. In true beta style, it was buggy and was missing many of the essential functions we’ve become accustomed to using Twitter apps like UberTwitter, Seesmsic or SocialScope. Regardless, I took what it gave me and returned some of my own thoughts about the app.
Yesterday, the application was released to the public with some upgrades to the closed beta version. Many of the bug fixes were implemented with the update resulting in a smoother experience. And some functions — editing lists and updating profiles, instant DM and @ reply notification — were added as well.
There are still some wishlist items that this app lacks in order for it to be a worthy switch from one of the apps above.
Multiple Accounts. Unless you log out of one account and then into another, there is no way to support multiple accounts on Twitter For BlackBerry. Yet. Hopefully, this is one of the features added in the next update. Considering all the mulitple personalities that are using Twitter, this is a must.
Editable Retweeting. I don’t know about you, but I love to add my 2 cents to RTs. Twitter For BlackBerry only retweets using the new format. And worse yet, it doesn’t appear in your timeline to confirm that your RT was RT’d.
URL Shortening. Doing this is a chore in this app. You have to visit your favorite URL shortener from your BlackBerry browser, paste your link into the appropriate field, shorten it, copy the shortened link, head over to the Twitter For BlackBerry app, and paste it into your tweet. Ouch.
Auto Refresh. Twitter For BlackBerry offers an option to periodically update your feed, but it would be nice if it offered to update each time you access the app as well. This eliminates the need for a shortcut key (but don’t get rid of that)…or worse yet accessing the menu, scrolling down to ‘refresh’ and clicking.
Bugs! While my Twitter For BlackBerry app runs much smoother, I’ve discovered a couple of bugs. Every now and then while typing a new tweet, the words sudddenly disappear. A screenshot of what I’m referring to would be great right here. But that’s a little annoying. To fix this, you have to close the app, which means losing your tweet and starting all over.
While I can’t prove that Twitter For BlackBerry is to blame, typing texts or BBMs can be a hassle. Like a ghostwriter, random symbols and letter variations start popping up in my messages. A reboot (alt+right shift+del) is necessary. However, when I deleted the app for a period of time, these issues disappeared as well.
Despite what appear to be gripes with Twitter For BlackBerry, this app certainly has potential to be a top consideration for Twitter users. Hopefully, these changes are addressed sooner than later. What are some of the things you want to see from the next version of this app?
Popularity: 5% [?]
Wondering if your favorite players (i.e. Fantasy Football roster) are on Twitter? Here’s a list of NFL players on Twitter. The list is constantly updated. If you see someone missing or other changes, let us know by adding a comment.
You can also follow my Twitter list of current & former NFL players, coaches, staff and analysts here.
See the entire list below the break. (Updated: September 9, 2010)
Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 16% [?]
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Today’s trending topics on Twitter included more than celebrity gossip, world news or some pointless meme. “Twitter Analysis” and “Tweets Are Pointless” were #1 & #2 respectively. Ryan Kelly of PearAnalytics completed a study of a 2,000-tweet sample over a period of two weeks to determine the breakdown of tweets. On the heels of Twitter’s recent acclaim as a viable news source, Kelly decided to dissect Twitter’s content.
The chart above reflects the study’s findings: 40.55% of the tweets were considered “Pointless Babble”, 37.55% considered “Conversational”, and only 8.70% had “Pass-Along Value”.
Perhaps more interesting were the following stats:
- 11:30a and Monday’s have the most frequent tweets with Pass-Along Value. If you want something re-tweeted, try it at 11:30 in the morning, or try it on a Monday. Maybe folks are feeling generous then.
- Spam seemed pretty consistent all day, everyday, but luckily was second-to-last on frequency.
- News seemed heavier at 2:00p and on Tuesdays. Note that we did not collect any tweets during the Michael Jackson news, in order not to skew the results.
- Conversational tweets were high between 2:00 and 4:00p throughout the study, and heaviest on Tuesdays. Most people are busy on Monday catching up with work, so perhaps it takes until Tuesday to get into the swing of Twittering again.
You can keep your babble. Robert Scoble interviewed Ryan Kelly this evening, which included an offer to perform the same study on @Scobleizer‘s friends. The difference? Scoble recently dumped all of his tens of thousands of friends and then reinvested between 50-70 hours vetting his new list of friends to follow. The new list does include people he has met in person, but it’s probably safe to assume that Scoble’s list consists primarily of tweeters that initiate “conversation” and offer “pass-along value”.
Be sure to read the white paper on the PearAnalytics blog here and hear Robert Scoble’s exclusive interview with Ryan via FriendFeed.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Due to not caring about a DVR scheduling conflict, I missed this year’s ESPYs. But I kept hearing about a great commercial with Devin Hester and Deion Sanders called “Mission” that made its debut during ESPN’s award show. Nothing special about the usual suspects that star in the commercial, but the point of view and edit are particularly clever. It also includes tweets from Devin Hester. UA sorta missed the true essence of the viral-ness by opting to use a fake handle instead of Hester’s real Twitter handle, @D_Hest23.
Anyway, if you can’t tell by my last couple of posts, I’m so ready for football season. This is a good warmup.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Tweet from @natewhitehill…In case you didn’t know, Nate and his crew over at Unique Blog Designs designed helped design Derrich.com. His link was a video of Jon Stewart explaining Twitter.
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Tweet from @tonyhawk…the Tony Hawk Foundation seeks to foster lasting improvements in society, with an emphasis on supporting and empowering youth. Through special events, grants, and technical assistance, the Foundation supports recreational programs with a focus on the creation of public skateboard parks in low-income communities. The Foundation favors programs that clearly demonstrate that funds received will produce tangible, ongoing, positive results. To support the cause, the THF is auctioning off a pair of Jeeps. To bid, visit this website.
Tweet from @TechCrunch…in conjunction with my heads up about Amazon VOD meets Roku, Michael Arrington shared the news today that Roku now supports Amazon VOD.
Tweet from @blellow…Mandi Leman is a San Antonio entrepreneur that started Blellow — its mission is to encourage open collaboration and the sharing of knowledge. If you’re scratching your head and want to learn more, see how it works and sign up for Beta, which closes today. So get movin’!
Popularity: 15% [?]
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