TwitBin: Inline Firefox Twittering

twitbin.jpgTwitter Users are currently given two primary interfaces through which they can interact with the growingly popular service: by the Twitter website itself or through TXT messaging via mobile phone.

A number of companies have launched third party tools to enhance computer based Twitter interaction. Twitterrific has a strong fan base amongst Mac Users, Twitteroo a PC version of Twitterrific, and more recently Tweetbar bought the Twitter homepage into the Firefox sidebar.

A new Firefox Add-On from Infinimedia, TwitBin, takes these previous platforms to the next level with a custom inline application of Twitter that just works.

Sometimes it’s the simplest things, and TwitBin cuts right to the chase: you get your Twitter messages down the left hand side of your Firefox window, broken up by color. A text box is provided for the addition of your own Twitters: no post this button is provided, Infinimedia thought this one through and knew that most people understand the concept of hitting ENTER.

Advertising purists wont like one part of the plugin: a 180×50 px banner ad is present at the bottom of the add-on. It wasn’t flashing or offering me free iPods; it’s subtle, so I didn’t have any issues with it, but some might.

In the absence of any other competitors this add-on should be popular amongst the army of Twitter fans, and it’s something I’ll be using from now on.

The developers shared one additional tidbit with us that was worth highlighting: it took less than 2 weeks to develop and cost less than $1000.

Clever thinking and good code need not be the exclusive domain of the mega rich or the VC funded.

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