The new Twitterific: Good just got better

Twitterific was one of the first of many Twitter clients that have been released to the App Store. During its 1.x days, it was a decent client. It was fast loading, had Twitpic integration, and was fairly simple to use. However, it had some major flaws. It scrolled really choppily, some interfaces were inconsistent, and it had crashing problems. But worst of all for me, it was ugly. Now, Twitterific 2.x has been released to build on its previous flaws and add needed features. How does it stand among the competition nowadays? Does it even compare to the mighty Tweetie?

The first and most important feature (to me) about this new Twitterific is a overhauled and freshened user interface. The new interface is a little more colorful than the previous iteration, and is much more sleek and polished. Scrolling is really smooth now as well. It seems that many of my and other user’s complaints have influenced the new design. The new design is much more easy on the eyes than 1.x, and even beats out Tweetie’s theme in terms of prettiness.

Along with a theme refresh, many new functions and features have been tied into the new UI. A new toolbar has been added for quick access to public replies, direct messages, and other useful information. The only problem that I had with this new feature is, that it is not immediately intuitive to use. It will take a little exploring to find out what every icon will do, and find more buried functions. However with a day of getting used to the UI, I have to say it is more efficient than most other clients, and is about on par with Tweetie.

The link browser has received some attention as well. Tapping a link will open up an integrated browser, just like many other clients. However, Twitterific has a few exclusive features and a pretty UI that cannot be beaten. Sharing has become easier than ever with a whole toolbar dedicated to additional functions such as, sharing via email, bookmarking, and even Instapaper integration! Granted, Tweetie and other clients have had similar features for a while but, accessing them and using them is often ugly and counter intuitive. Twitterific has refined the integrated browser experience to the point where it is actually enjoyable to use, not just thrown in as an afterthought. Twitterific beets Tweetie hands down here.

So, what are my final thoughts on Twitterific? Compared to any of the Twitter clients in the App Store, it is hard to beat. With a rich feature set coupled with a beautiful and intuitive UI, Twitterific has really matured to become one of the best clients you can get. It even holds its own to Tweetie, being on par with the user interface, and even beating it in its integrated browser. Twitterific comes in two prices: a free but, ad-supported version, and a $3.99 “pro” version that is free of ad’s. I highly recommend this app to any Twitter user, especially since it is free. Give it a spin, and see how you like it.