Android and Social Networking: Review of Tweetdeck for Android

Android and Social Networking: Review of Tweetdeck for Android
Page content

Tweetdeck for Android, What is it All About?

The popularity of social media has received a real boost thanks to the introduction of smartphone platforms, such as Android. It is now easier then ever to quickly post a status update or let people know where you are. Many applications try to facilitate users of Twitter, Facebook, Buzz or Foursquare, but Tweetdeck now combines them all in one attractive application.

Features of Tweetdeck for Android

Tweetdeck for Android Home Screen

Tweetdeck for Android combines the four previously mentioned popular social networking platforms into one application. The user can sign into any of them and receive updates in one overview. The application has three ‘screens’ that users can slide between. The first, and furthest left, screen is the ‘home’ tab, which portrays all the updates, color-coded by social network type (for instance, Facebook is unsurprisingly blue). The second, middle, screen is the ‘me’ tab, and shows all your updates. The last, and far right screen is the ‘direct message’ tab that shows all the messages to you from the various networks.

It is also possible to update your networks individually or send the same update to all or some of them. The application has a built in map as well, which displays points of interest in your region. Tweetdeck is completed by three widgets, dubbed ‘column’, ‘bar’, and ‘post’.

Overall Look of Tweetdeck for Android

Tweetdeck for Android Widgets

It is obvious that the developer of Tweetdeck went for the minimalistic approach, where dark colors make the application look very streamlined, almost sterile. For this type of application this approach works well and the application is very clean. The color-coding of the social networks is a good feature, which prevents the application from looking too tangled up. Overall, the application is one of the nicer looking ones on Android.

Usability of Tweetdeck for Android

Tweetdeck for Android Send Update Screen

The question is whether or not the feature pack works in combination with its minimalistic style. The answer is yes and no. The application works well in terms of social network implementation. It does everything you want from it, and the tab separation helps towards keeping the different social network aspects split from each other. The different screens work as they should with updates coming in instantly.

On the downside, the minimalistic style also occasionally leads to the absence of certain information, leading to an overall confusing presentation of information at times. For instance, when selecting one of your Facebook friends, his or her status updates are shown together with what people post on the wall and what he or she posted on theirs. However, this is not clearly separated and most of the time you won’t have a clue which direction the messages are going. It is therefore not easy to comment yourself. This lack of clarity could have been avoided by providing just a bit more info and letting go of the bare look of the application a bit.

Tweetdeck for Android, a True Asset or Already Redundant?

Tweetdeck for Android Twitter Statistics

In the current landscape, where the Android platform already has its own dedicated social network integration it is hard to justify an application like Tweetdeck. Although the developer tries really hard to present an outstanding product, this only partially works. The only real reason to use Tweetdeck is the combined social media integration for which it is indeed suitable. However, it is hard to imagine that the application will entirely replace the stock offerings of all the individual social networks. Therefore it is just too confusing at times and simplicity is all that matters in this type of app.

Tweetdeck for Android is free in the Market.

Tweetdeck for Android QR Code