Twitter

Twitter turns 8, celebrates with new tool that uncovers anyone’s first tweet

When Jack Dorsey, along with Evan Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass, flipped the switch on Twitter back in July 2006, there was no chance on Earth they could have predicted how widespread their strange new service would become.

I mean, isn't it remarkable to think that news breaks on Twitter nowadays? Big media like CNN, NBC and other 24/7 media outlets source information from Twitter and celebs who get paid to endorse Samsung devices regularly humiliate themselves by tweeting from their iPhones.

The service that forces you to compress your thoughts into 140-character posts was actually created on this day eight years ago and Twitter is marking the anniversary by launching an interesting tool which lets you check out anyone's first tweet, without having to scroll for hours through their timeline.

Skimming through your followers' inaugural tweeting is an awesome reminder that most folks struggled to figure out this Twitter thing when it launched...

TwitkaFly brings Twitter quick reply and quick compose to iOS 7

If you've been around the jailbreak scene for any considerable amount of time, then you probably recognize the name TwitkaFly. It's a jailbreak tweak that's been around since the iOS 4 days, and it allows you to use quick reply and quick compose features with Twitter.

TwitkaFly was just recently updated for iOS 7, and it brings with it a fresh coat of paint and compatibility with Apple's latest OS release. As you'll see from our video walkthrough, TwitkaFly isn't perfect, but it's a tweak that you should definitely consider if you're a big time user of the official Twitter app or Tweetbot

Tweetbot 3.3 is out with larger images, Avenir font, mute enhancements and more

Just in time for the SXSW conference, Tweetbot developer Tapbots has just issued a new version of its popular Twitter client for the iPhone and iPod touch. Tweetbot 3.3 is now available as a free update to existing owners and includes a larger image thumbnail option, another option to hide current tweets after muting, the ability to use Avenir as a new font option in the display settings and more. I've included some additional tidbits, the screenies and your official changelog right after the break...

Twitter ‘system error’ causes mass reset of user passwords

Folks who received an email from Twitter tonight letting them know that their password has been reset are not alone. Thousands of users have come forward over the last 6 hours claiming that Twitter has force-reset their passwords, and requested that they create new ones.

The good news is that it doesn't sound like the social network was hacked, or overrun with nefarious bots. A spokesperson for the company has confirmed to tech site Recode that a 'system error' caused the mass reset of user passwords, and the problem should be fixed now...

Twitterrific gets a Flappy Bird inspired Easter egg: this is how to play it

The Flappy Bird drama has slowly begun to dwindle down, but there are still artifacts left over from the game's immense popularity. For example, The IconFactory—creators of the highly regarded Twitter client Twitterrific 5—have planted a Flappy Bird inspired Easter egg inside its iPhone Twitter client called Ollie Soars.

Inside, we'll show you how to access Ollie Soars by means of an easy to use gesture. The app even lends the ability to tweet your high score after you die. And die you will; I've found Ollie Soars to be significantly more difficult than Flappy Bird ever was. Check inside for the video.

Echofon Pro update adds new profile design, photo filters and more

When you talk about third-party Twitter clients, two offerings tend to come up first: Tweetbot and Twitterrific. But there are several other good options available, including Echofon, which just received a significant update today.

Released as version 7.2.5, the update brings about a number of improvements including an all-new profile design, with profile headers and better support for viewing push notifications. And it brings back photo filters to the iPhone...

Twitterrific update adds streaming searches, conversation views and more

Twitterrific users will be happy to hear that the iOS Twitter client has been updated this morning, bringing the app to version 5.6.1. The update brings about a handful of new features, as well as several improvements and bug fixes.

On the new feature front, The Iconfactory has added both streaming searches and conversation views (over wi-fi), as well as the ability to customize navigation tabs by tapping and holding. Keep reading for the full release notes...

Twitter caught testing major Facebook-like redesign

I'm not big into social networking—Facebook, Path, Instagram, etc.—but I'm a longtime and frequent user of Twitter. I could give you a dozen reasons why I like it, but it comes down to its pool of high-profile users and its in-line streaming design.

That design, however, could be going by the wayside in the not-too-distant future. Twitter has been caught testing a major redesign for user profiles and tweet streams which features larger photos, rearranged tweets, and several other UI changes...

Tweetbot for Mac refreshed with conversation icon, ‘Save Image As’ option

Tapbots has just issued a maintenance update to Tweetbot for Mac which added a pair of feature tweaks and some bug fixes. Tweetbot version 1.4.2, now available as a free update in the Mac App Store, finally allows you to save images from tweets to folders other than the default Downloads folder.

There's also a new conversation icon next to tweets that are a reply to another tweet, which allows for a more visual navigation and helps make sense of your feed.

The full breakdown is after the break...

Twitter updates app with enhancements for Tweet replies and photo viewer

Folks who use the native Twitter app will be happy to hear that the social network has updated its official iOS client this afternoon. The update brings the app to version 6.1, and it includes a number of enhancements and improvements.

On the enhancements side, Twitter has made it so that users can quickly reply to a Tweet with a photo, as well as easily mention others when Tweeting a photo. And on the improvements side, it's made photo editing easier to do on the fly...

Twitterrific 5.6 launches with live streaming, list management, images in DM and more

Twitterrific by The Iconfactory is one of the finest Twitter clients available for iOS and OS X. I've been using both Tweetbot and Twitterrific on a daily basis and couldn't be happier with these fine pieces of software. Today a new Twitterrific build has surfaced on the App Store, bringing a few nice new features and a bunch of tweaks and fixes.

Twitterrific 5.6 for the iPhone and iPad, now available as a $0.99 universal download, can now render image attachments in direct messages, a feature that first appeared in Twitter's own iOS client in early-December (Tweetbot gained images in DMs late-December).

What else is new in Twitterrific 5.6? Read on for the full reveal..

How to add a Now Playing shortcut to Control Center

I don't like to do it all the time, but sometimes I'm jamming to a song so hard that I just have to let the world (or at least my own corner of the Internet) know what I'm listening to. For moments like these, CCNowPlaying is a great jailbreak tweak to have in your repertoire. It allows you to quickly send a tweet or a Facebook status update telling your followers what song you're currently playing. It's a tweak that integrates directly into Control Center, and features a stock look and feel.

I put CCNowPlaying through its paces on video and I was impressed with what I saw. Have a look past the break as I showcase how the tweak works in action.