S60 Twitter client shootout: Twittix vs. Gravity

I’ve been a Twitter user since 21 July 2006 and there hasn’t been a S60 application available (other than Java apps like Twibbler) even with millions and millions of S60 devices out there in use. The best choice before now has been an optimized web page like Dabr or Slandr, which are actually good free [...]

I’ve been a Twitter user since 21 July 2006 and there hasn’t been a S60 application available (other than Java apps like Twibbler) even with millions and millions of S60 devices out there in use. The best choice before now has been an optimized web page like Dabr or Slandr, which are actually good free choices even today. It seems it really does pour when it rains as we have been blessed with two great choices for Twitter dedicated applications over the last couple of weeks. Gravity was launched first, followed very shortly by Twittix.

I’ve posted several screenshots from both applications running on my Nokia 5800 and a video below of both applications running on the 5800 and my Nokia E75. You will find the basic info on both applications below, followed by my thoughts on the differences and performance of them on my S60 devices.

Twittix

As you can see on the Twittix page they state that it is “the best mobile Twitter Client for Nokia Smartphones!” While I do think the client is quite good, I have now purchased two copies of Gravity and find it to be the better client for S60 devices at the moment. The good thing about competition is that this could change as developers improve both applications. UPDATE: A new version of Twittix was released last night that fixes several issues so it now looks like I will have to go buy Twittix for my S60 devices too

Available for $4.95 and is tied to an IMEI number.

Here is the list of features from their website:

• All Twitter functions: Tweet, Reply, Direct Message, ReTweet, Follow, Unfollow, Create
• Search function and Auto Update
• Tabbed view of Timeline, Replies, Messages, Favorites, Followers, Followings
• Get users profiles directly out of tweets; Open URL from any Tweet
• Real time number counter; Followers and Following lists
• Build-in Theme support and Portrait and Landscape Mode
• Support of build-in accelerator
• Symbian Signed certificated; Lifetime free updates
• English and German version available

Here is the list of updates and improvements from 16 April:

• Function “Introduce” added
• Multi-Accounts added
• FullScreenMode (press star key) added
• New download bar added
• Deleting Tweets added
• Symbol for received Tweets, DMs and Replies
• Several improvements of GUI and usability
• Auto-disconnect added
• Direct Start of New Tweet (press & hold any key) added
• Chinese language support added

Twittix works like a traditional S60 application with the menu system being quite familiar. It doesn’t have anything unique or that special as far as the UI goes, but it does work pretty well and I find it better on the 5800 than on the E75 (found I was using the older version on the E75 in my video). See below for more detailed thoughts when I compare the two apps.

There are tabs/pages for timeline, replies, direct messages, favorites, followers, following, and everyone in Twittix.

Gravity

I read that a few people were in the private alpha/beta testing of Gravity and was excited about what I heard was coming. I immediately tried Gravity on my Nokia 5800 and purchased a license for that device within a couple of days. I just recently installed it on a Nokia E75 and bought a second license for the program, although I am not as happy with it on the E75 as I am on the 5800 as I will explain in detail below.

Gravity is available for $9.95 and the license is tied to a specific IMEI so if you have multiple devices you need multiple licenses. Hopefully, if I get rid of a device I can get the developer to switch my authorized IMEI purchase.

Here is the list of features from their website:

• Compatible with Twitter and Laconica
• All functions available on your S60 phone: tweet, reply, DM, follow & unfollow, create favourites, search, auto-update and many more …
• Tabbed view of your Timeline, Replies, Messages, Friends, …
• Setup and use as many accounts as you want at the same time
• Twitter-Search section with multiple search tabs and Twitter Trends
• Post pictures via TwitPic
• Open URLs from any Tweet
• Kinetic scrolling on S60v5 (Nokia 5800 and Nokia N97)
• Theme support on S60v3 (fixed dark and bright theme)

Gravity works like an iPhone application on the Nokia 5800 and it was quite refreshing to find such an application on the S60 platform. I am having an issue with it on my Nokia E75 where I cannot just use the directional pad and scroll up or down between Tweets simply and easily. I find I have to hold down the directional pad and then the scrolling catches up to it, but what happens is I end up going up or down 3 Tweets and it is taking lots of practice getting it to select the Tweet I want to on the display. I know the E75 is a new device and the firmware isn’t finalized, so maybe that is the issue.

There are tabs/pages for timeline, replies, direct messages, my Tweets, favourites, friends, and followers in Gravity.

So what application is the best right now?

1. I know I am probably a fringe case, but I have two Twitter accounts for my own personal usage and one for Nokia Experts. Gravity lets me setup, manage, and post to multiple Twitter accounts and this setting does not appear to be supported on S60 3rd Edition devices. However, as I show in my video, I did find you can setup multiple Twitter accounts on 5th Edition devices with Twittix (added in latest version to all devices).
2. There does not appear to be anyway to post a photo (via TwitPic) with Twittix. Gravity does have this capability, but is a bit limited on what photos can be selected for uploading.
3. Gravity supports kinetic scrolling on the Nokia 5800 and N97 and this works extremely well on the 5800.
4. Gravity has a very cool UI that I prefer, including the cool way you select a Tweet and then see buttons appear for replying, direct messaging, retweeting, etc. The buttons look cooler on the 5800, but still appear in color on the E75 too.
5. Twittix does allow for full screen mode by double tapping on the 5800. This full screen mode toggle does not appear to work on S60 3rd Edition devices like my E75 though.
6. Gravity has a cool Knight Rider/Cylon downloading status bar while Twittix uses the standard Nokia one a new custom download bar that appears in the latest version.
7. You can control the frequency of updates in Twittix while this is setup with a default value that cannot be changed in Gravity.

It is a tough call about which one is best and it comes down to your desire for a slick UI or desire for more control of update frequency and full screen mode. I purchased Gravity before seeing this latest version of Twittix, but now am thinking I need Twittix on my E75 since the selection doesn’t work well on the E75 with Gravity.

Twittix and Gravity on the Nokia 5800

Which is your favorite Twitter application? I am pleased to see both of these and look forward to updates and improvements as people give them regular feedback after more usage.

Source : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nokiaexperts/~3/M6l...