FON (better known for building a WiFi community) launched Twitxr today through their FON Labs group. Basically, it’s Twitter but allows picture uploads when sending a message (which makes it particularly useful for camera phones). FON founder Martin Varsavsky announced the product on his blog.
So, yeah, basically it’s a photoblog. You can easily set it up to automatically send your messages to Twitter and Facebook too, though, which is useful. My Twitxr account is here. Here’s an example of a message that was copied over to Twitter. Another feature I like is the fact that you tell it where you are, so location information is included.
Varsavsky says it’s specially designed for the iPhone, and they’ve created software that makes uploading text and a photo from the iPhone very easy. As a third party application, though, it isn’t officially available for the iPhone. You have to “jailbreak” the phone before you can install their application. It looks like you can’t simply grab a photo that you’ve taken normally from the iPhone, either. You have to initiate the photo through the Twitxr application. The application automatically adds location information to your photos and updates.
Twitxr is the upteenth variation of Twitter to appear (see Jaiku (acquired by Google), Pownce, etc. One clone has even gone to the deadpool. This isn’t even the first Twitter-variation to include photos - see Zannel . This is something Dave Winer has been working on with his FlickrtoTwitter project as well - which sends links of your new Flickr photos to your Twitter account. And photoblogging is nothing new. So as pretty as Twitxr is, perhaps FON should stick to wifi.
Update: I’m actually going to re-jailbreak my iphone to test the software - the fact that uploading is so easy and it adds location information is worth noting. If it works really well, this could actually be a reason for me to stop posting directly to Twitter.
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Mike, we’ve been sending pics to Twitter for ages using
http://twittergram.com/flickrtotwitter/
It’s wonderful!
I wish the Twitter API had direct support for photos.
BTW, I signed up on twixtr, my username is “dave” and I’m following you.
Let’s go for JingJing sometime, it’s been too damned long!!
Dave
Do you know if they have an API?
Ideally, they’d implement a superset of the Twitter API, adding the payloads feature I asked for ages ago.
http://www.scripting.com/stori.....itter.html
Have you asked these guys if they have a strategy for scaling beyond seat of the pants?
Dave - yeah, hold on. I’m still working on the post (I sometimes post early and then continue to work on a post). Mentioned flickrtotwitter. They talk about an API but nothing is linked yet. Scaling is of course an issue, hopefully they didn’t steal any of twitter’s code.
Well, well - nice features but still nothing new as http://www.albinogorilla.dk has been doing this since 2003 in Denmark
Mike – I agree with Dave. API and scalability is key. Also, have it running on many mobile web and rich clients (esp. low-end) ASAP. What your take on the micro-blogging market? Is it still growing or flat? I can’t tell from the Twitter #.
Mike/Dave – Did you check out Fon11? Sorry, for self-promoting. We can twitter, but hesitating.
Great project from Martin’s Fon Labs…once again…
Congratulations
http://www.enriqueburgos.com
It looks good, but do we need another web app just to post photos? why didn’t they use twitter API to build something over it?
And what about the interface? I’m all for simplicity and minimalism, but some graphic design goodness would have been great.
And…. it should support other mobile phones, for it to have a chance of being successful and standing up to twitter.
This highlights again why I should have an iPhone.
As I opted for two non-iPhone purchases in the past few years… I’ll set up an email API call tonight to get the same effect until they have a native email option.
I am curious, why are people prematurely calling out scalability issues for twitter-like clones? Because of Twitter’s scalability issues, it’s like a knee-jerk reaction nowadays to automatically think that a Twitter-clone has scalability concerns right off the bat. This hardly seems fair.
I really like the features of Twitxr, but it’s another social network to manage. I wonder with its twitter like look and photo features how many twitter users will create a profile. The maps and facebook integration is a plus.
I’m http://twitxr.com/waynesutton/ on & http://twitter.com/waynesutton
All these random start-ups with completely unoriginal ideas are really, really, really starting to get annoying. Not that it was much better before but come on– Twitxr?!
– Karim Baz
Soooo what happens to this service when Twitter adds the same functionality? =) Which I would assume they would do right now.
- Dallas J Clark
http://www.dallasjclark.com
i totally agree with you karim
Interesting. Seems like they’ve got a somewhat muddled stance (lack of stance) on privacy.
Also: http://www.techcrunch.com/2007.....-starters/
Karim, because Twitter already exists, a product that competes with it could grow very quickly.
I first saw this effect when podcasting grew as much in its first year as blogging had in its first seven. The reason? The network of blogs existed so it could be used to spread the news of podcasting.
A new Twitter that offers everything Twitter does plus something cool that Twitter doesn’t will grow *very* quickly because people who use Twitter will find out about it on Twitter.
BTW, I wrote up the questions that come up from the existence of this product, here…
http://www.scripting.com/stori.....ATwit.html
Dave
To make Twitxr a true winner would be flickr integration. Example I post a photo to twitxr and it post to my flickr profile too. Like the facebook option.
http://twitxr.com/waynesutton
I was very critic with twitter cause I thought it wasn’t as innovative as so many people said, and now I love it.
I think twitxr comes to improve my twitter experience with pictures and geolocalization. and I like so much because it’s simple to use… because it is similar to twitter.
congratulations to fon labs!
I’m confused. Did FON raise capital to build out a global WIFI network or applications?
Hey y’all
It’s been on TechMeme for about 48 hrs now.. Google is powering the GOP’s 2008 Convention?
Looking for some insider take here..
Anyone?
A good primer here
http://blog.insiderchatter.com.....al-muscle/
GOP Convention Announcement here
http://www.gopconvention2008.c.....spx?ID=511
YouTube vid posted Feb 4 ?!? here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR7ACiitLSc
Looks alot like my app that I released a while ago, http://www.gatsb.com
I like this geolocalization.
@Johnny:
They need some applications which require high bandwith to justify their WiFi access points (Apples iphone has WiFi)
I agree with Karim.
I believe that Techcrunch only talks about startups that “they like” or that are in some way connected to techcrunch. I’d expect a more impartial approach.
Check out http://twitpic.com which was launched on Feb 5th. Basically the same thing, but it works off your twitter account, no signup required. Mobile posting coming this week and an API to follow.
More information about TwitPic at my blog: http://www.findmotive.com/2008.....h-twitpic/
Francesco - I’m actually drafting a post about this very subject. Those of you who don’t actually like startups really need to think about why it is you read this blog - and consider moving along.
This was already done with http://twitpic.com earlier this month.
guys work a lot, design an app, write the code, do everything as great as possible but when it comes to picking up domain they go and pickup something that not only is impossible to pronounce but also hard type without looking at it at least three times.
The main difference between this and http://twitpic.com is that twitpic is built on twitter’s api to allow posting of photos to twitter itself, its not a separate twitter clone platform.
Hmmm….This may be very good for cell phone Porn.
Damn. It would be nice of the Twitxr RSS feed passed along the thumbnails of the photos. It would be great for my blog.
Oops…the RSS feed does. Gah.
Phone support is bad I think. Why didn’t they implement the post by e-mail? Just type the email and send the photo to that address. The photo will automatically become a new post. There are lots of sites that are already doing it. Flickr, Vox etc have this feature. Whats new here?
Hope they set up a proper SSL cert soon.
Okay. Gave it a whirl. Some thoughts:
Good:
- Very fast for now. Excellent uploads.
- Love the “Global/Local” time-lines.
Bad:
- Google maps aren’t working well. If I’m located in Michigan, their maps put my IN Lake Michigan … and not the middle of the state.
- Uninspired name. Do we need more Twitter name bastardizations?
- Pownce does photos a bit better and with more features (unrelated to photos or Twitter).
Parting Thought:
Nothing new really, but nothing too horrible either. It’s Twitter with photos, but with a heinous name and an affinity to drown people from Michigan.
Since when is FON based in the USA? Last time I checked their headquarter was in in Spain.
I have used their service and like it quite a bit. We are looking at another company with a similair product. More info at: http://www.techbus.com
Dave,
Quote: “A new Twitter that offers everything Twitter does plus something cool that Twitter doesn’t will grow *very* quickly because people who use Twitter will find out about it on Twitter.”
So why isn’t Pownce growing huge by now, and overpassing Twitter?
Just because something exists already, it doesn’t mean that something that looks like it will automatically just grow. It has to add some -real- value, and a feed of pictures with geolocation is something Flickr provides already, I honestly fail to see what twitxr brings to the table. Oh, the iPhone client is nice, but you can post by email to Flickr too.
Tried to upload the app via jailbreak and it failed. I guess I’m running iphone software v 1.1.3, which jailbreak doesn’t work with yet. so no go on testing the iphone twitxr software…
I would argue that there are in fact no new ideas ever presented on the Internet - rather just better iterations of existing ideas done better.
i.e. Myspace - the new Friendster
i.e. Facebook - the new Myspace - just done better
i.e. Youtube - video was not new, they just made it better
etc etc etc
Any service “really” produced is actual just an interation of another service. Is this really a “new” (per-see) idea ? Not 100% sure - most “ideas” are just existing core “ideas” presented better.
Think about mobile - how much can you really do ? Get mobile photos, videos, location, text. There are only so many things you can do with it - before all services start to repeat each other. Its just who does it good, and who does it better that counts
Chew on that !!
This is retarded! yet another needless service.
first of all, why would i want to show my pictures to random people? I want my friends to see it, but they wont be part of this service to see it, because facebook and flickr already do superb job at mobile computing.
beyond the fact that i have to create another base for my friends, separate from everything else, these guys can be wiped dry in a day if/when twitter comes out with the photos addition.
it’s a case where if it’s not broken, why fix it? this is shit! it doesn’t make any sense
Yeah @ 39 I wrote a similar topic on Creating Products and the best way in my opinion to do it via the website above.
Love to here your thoughts!
I have the Twitxr iPhone app, it works great. The only thing I don’t like is that after each post the app closes each time. Hoping for flickr feature and Twitxr will be my twitter, flickr, iPhone app of choice
Well, Check out this site. The original idea is similar to Twitxr.
Well, Check out this site. The original idea is similar to Twitxr.
Sorry, Here is the Address.
http://teethyou.com/single_ite.....8021308114
Signed up, but did I miss something? No shortcode / email address to post to? Logging in via a browser takes way too many steps on a phone, not to mention that file upload doesn’t even work on Palm OS. Weaksauce.
Michael, this is interesting space as we are yet to massive photo-twittering around big events.
Messagedance rolled out this feature last week. No s/w install is required, just use Twitter account info and send pictures from iphone/mail client.
See some pictures - http://www.messagedance.com/solvang
Though service is still in private beta but Twitter users can sign up here - http://www.messagedance.com/twittermail
Brij
if you guys remember yappd, it was pretty much twitter+photo but they disappeared into the wild when they were “acquired” last year with no mention of who and how much…
Maybe twitxr was the who acquired them?? Yes ? No??
Techcrunch writers.. maybe its time to do some investigative blogging and find out what happened to the yappd founders
If you want to see photo blogging / twittering done right, check out http://www.natuba.com . They have all of the iPhone integration worked out and everything.
Natuba is a startup based out of Houston, TX. If you want to read about other great startups in Houston, check out our blog http://www.startuphouston.com
Copied without any shame!
What happened to the originality of Martin Varsavsky?
Hey Mike - sounds a lot like my client http://utterz.com/ except Twixtr doesn’t have as much functionality - further, with Utterz you don’t need a special software client on the phone.
Wayne, Utterz already does the cross-post to Flickr, Twitter, your blog, Facebook and other Web sites through a widget - and it can post video and audio too, from your mobile phone or your computer.
Also, if anyone doesn’t know this, you can of course send images in from your phone directly to Flickr (and I believe all the other major photo sharing services).
what are people hoping twitter, qik, seesmic and now twixtr become. Does anyone really need to know everything about everyone all the time. This is another waste of time that only the A-list narcissists will use.
I wonder if Scoble has the most “friends” signed up yet.