SheGeeks

Daniel Crenna, a Microsoft MVP, recently expressed his thoughts on why Twitter clients don’t matter in the long-run. According to Daniel, the focus could shift from clients to applications in the true sense of the word: “unique software that solves a particular need, whether broad or niche.”

While I don’t disagree with Daniel on whether Twitter clients don’t matter, he’s helped me define why Twitter Clients will continue TO matter to ME. It’s because of where they could be headed:

“I think Twitter clients really do matter. Web apps are great. They’re portable and once you’re done with them you can simply sign-out and move on. However, that could lead to users constantly hopping from place to place just access one application. Would you rather do that or just live in ONE Twitter client?

I think Twitter clients will eventually evolve into social networking clients, making them far more important standalone apps or features.”

This is a comment I left on Daniel’s post.

Respect My Conglomerate

In the next level, things will surely become a race of who can conglomerate the most apps in the most visually appealing client. However, those that started as Twitter clients are no longer just Twitter clients. They’re dipping into other prominent and bubbling social networks such as Facebook and FriendFeed.

That’s because it’s not just about the features or the apps. Sometimes people just want an easier way to tap into their network. Other times, people just want one place to use their most common apps for their favorite social networks. Twitter clients solve this now and save a lot of tab space in my web browser while doing it.

Which only makes me wonder if these clients will eventually become branded as social networking clients or something along those lines…

What Do YOU Think?

What do you think is the next level for Twitter clients?

• How will they evolve?
• What will they integrate?
• What apps will eventually get lost in the midst of things?

Popularity: 63% [?]

Ladies and gentlemen, I am so excited right now because one of my favorite iPhone apps is coming to a desktop near you!

Atebits, developer of the popular Tweetie iPhone app, has announced the debut date of Tweetie for Mac a.k.a Bigbird! I’m hoping that it will be coming to Windows really soon, but for now let’s drool.

It seems Atebits will be taking the same slick UI of Tweetie on the iPhone and pushing it straight to the desktops of Mac users. According to the demo video of Tweetie for Mac (here), it will be one of the first desktop apps to support conversation tracking, or threaded message support, with a cool way to view conversations for messages too.

This is a really good feature and rapidly becoming a must have for any Twitter application these days. Tweetie is the first I’ve seen to this and I haven’t seen it in their iPhone app either.

“Tweetie for Mac is more than a port – in fact, it’s a complete rewrite. The new core is faster, more stable, and more extensible than its predecessor. Not only will it form the foundation of the Mac version, but also the foundation of the next generation of Tweetie 2.0 for iPhone.”

Tweetie for Mac will be released this Monday, April 20th. I’m looking forward to hearing what Mac users will think of it(and secretly wishing I had a Mac). It has a lot of cool nifty effects that really catch the eye, but also has the potential to be a hit or miss with some folks. I think you’ll either love it or hate it, especially with the way they’ve integrated threaded messaging into every conversation that happens on Twitter!

Other Features

We’re not sure what features might be missing compared to competitors, but having groups may be one of them. So be sure to stay tuned for more info on this or follow @atebits and @tweetie on Twitter.

Here are some screenshots of the great features from the demo video of Tweetie for Mac:

Drag & Drop Image Support

Direct Message Threading!

Twitter Search Integration

Questions:

• What do you think of Tweetie for Mac?
• Wish it were coming to Windows?
• Will you be giving it a test drive?
• Are you hoping it can replace your current client?

Popularity: 80% [?]

Lately, my list of AIR applications has grown tremendously. So I thought I’d share the AIR apps I have installed and actually use on a weekly basis. This post was inspired by JeffisaGeek’s post Using Adobe Air?

Google Analytics Reporting Suite

Google Analytics Reporting Suite on AIR brings you the best of the Google Analytics web tool for statistics. When I don’t feel like bogging down Firefox with more tabs, I just open up GARS for a quick look at my stats. The neatest thing about GARS is that I can get an export of my data in either PDF, Excel, or XML format. It’s a really handy tool and easy to setup.

   
Doomi

Doomi is just a neat little to-do list app for jotting things down on the fly. I use it for writing down quick brainstorming ideas, news, tips, or phone numbers when I can’t find a pen. Very handy little tool.

    
Feedalizr

Feedalizr is a FriendFeed desktop client for keeping up with the service. I won’t rehash this. Instead, you can check out my latest review of the service: Feedalizr FriendFeed App Is Back In The Game.

Shrink O’Matic

Shrink O’Matic is great for on the fly resizing. I hate having to open up Photoshop just to resize a picture. Shrink does it for me with plenty of basic options, though if you need something more, go back to Photoshop.

    
Snackr

  Reviewed on ReadWriteWeb by Marshall Kirkpatrick, Snackr is great for getting news on the fly without being in Google Reader or FeedDemon. I don’t suggest importing your entire OPML if you have a ton of feeds, but I have heard stories from those that do. It’s useful for leisure perusing without feeling your ADD kick in and docks itself on the bottom, top, left, or right side of your screen.

Twhirl

  Twhirl is my Twitter client of choice. You can check out my reviews: The FriendFeed Desktop Apps Disappoint Me, Twhirl Integrates Friendfeed: The Chaos Begins.

     
uvLayer

I recently reviewed uvLayer on ReadWriteWeb. It’s a fantastic app for viewing videos. Check out the review for more info. It’s definitely worth a look!

    
WebKut

WebKut is my on the fly snipping and website capturing tool of choice. A nice set of options for cropping entire websites or just select parts. Really useful! You can read my review here: WebKut Makes Blogging Easier.

AIR Nut

I must admit that I am a bit of an Adobe AIR fan, so if you have any AIR apps that you’d like to share leave a comment with some links! :) Also, I found a really great Adobe AIR directory called FreshAIRApps. Read the review on ReadWriteWeb (of course).

Popularity: 7% [?]