Prolific iPhone development studio Tapulous has launched a trio of new applications, including an impressive Twitter client that could well become the most-used app on my phone. They’re also releasing a new online multiplayer version of mega-hit Tap Tap Revenge that will likely see the game surge in popularity (again), and have announced that they have hit a total of 3 million users across all of their applications.
The company’s new Twitter client is called Tweetsville (grab it here for $3.99), and was developed by veteran engineer Ed Voas. CEO Bart Decrem says that Voas initially started building the app for himself after becoming dissatisfied with existing Twitter clients, and incorporated a number of key features that make Tweetsville an ideal app for Twitter power-users. The application includes an integrated listing of top trends, advanced search functions, and a streamlined interface that feels much speedier than its competitors. In short, it’s great, and I won’t be surprised if it displaces favorites like Twitterific and Tapulous’s own Twinkle as the premier Twitter client on the iPhone. Decrem says that Twinkle will now focus on connecting people who are close to each other while still functioning as a Twitter client, while Tweetsville will be for hardcore users.
This evening an update to Tap Tap Revenge (an addictive game similar to Guitar Hero) also went live, incorporating online multiplayer that allows players on multiple iPhones to compete over Wi-Fi or 3G. Tapulous’ servers are totally overwhelmed at the moment so I’ve been unable to get into a game, but it’s sure to be a success (though I doubt it will be as fun as in-person multiplayer games). Earlier this month Tapulous also released Nine Inch Nails Revenge, a version of the game that features licensed NIN music and new artwork. Decrem says that the company has been pleased with the results, selling “tens of thousands” of copies at $5 apiece.
Earlier this week the company also released a simple application called Photo Collage that displays pictures taken around the world to a community album (you can also view photos taken by friends and people in your proximity). While fairly basic in terms of features, it is slick and makes for a great diversion.
Awesome things in this technology. It just gets better and better.
The Tapulous team sure seem to know what they are doing. Plaudits… well earned.
the twitter app is awesome
The app is great. I can’t help feel sorry for Twitter that other people are managing to monetise their own platform as effectively as this whilst they still basically have no revenue model :/
Why haven’t Twitter themselves developed a $5 iPhone app?
Agreed. This was another revenue model they could’ve worked for them!
Btw
Check out http://www.jobstaxi.com
New Jobs. Nixon Inc.. oDesk. Rockstar New England. FixYa. Snap. Gorilla Nation.
No kidding. Twitter worries me. They have so many opportunities to make money and they don’t even try. I don’t understand how they think they can survive on zero revenue, and it must be getting to be a pretty spendy operation now.
Twitterfon is just as awesome and free.
The twitter app is VERY cool! Another app a friend just emailed me is called “iMakeDecisions”. Pretty well written app.
low battery in the pic haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
pshh.. its not even in the red
I have been looking for a new twitter app and this is great, just too bad its not free… For photo sharing, I prefer an app called Rotzy which basically lets you start conversations with friends and strangers via mobile photos
A better twitter app sounds very refreshing. All the current ones suck bad, I typically just use m.twitter.com instead. Not ready to fork over money though until I read a more thorough review, or see a video of it in action. I’ve bought one too many shitty iPhone apps, I just can’t bring myself to do it anymore with learning more first
I’d be curious to hear what makes this better than Twittelator Pro. Maybe it doesn’t crash as much? But from the review I saw in Germany’s app store, it won’t be replacing Twittelator Pro for me anytime soon: “Lieber nicht kaufen… Fühle mich gerade um mein Geld betrogen. Die Anwendung stürzt direkt nach der Eingabe meiner Accountdaten ab. Solange in jedem Fall lieber die Finger hiervon lassen!” (Translation: Better not to buy… I feel I was tricked away from my money. The application crashes just after entering my account details. As long as this is the case, better not get it!)
Known bug… fix is on the way
The newest version of TwitterFon does most of the Tweetsville does. It’s free, very fast and displays more then 3-4 tweets on the one screen. I’d really recommend you check it out. Web site is here: http://www.naan...wiki/TwitterFon
Does it do multiple accounts?
Can you reply to older Twitters so that the linking is right? In other words: See threads in talks like Twittelator Pro does?
Just wasted 4$ on tweetville:
1/ It doesn’t save draft so if you misclick or get a call or want to exit and finish your twit post, you have to restart from scratch.
2/ No GPS support
3/ No support for multiple account like in twittelator pro.
Right now I prefer twitterrific, it is free, supports SSL, GPS, photos, sleek design and it is free.
it may be just me – but i just dont see how “iphone app” companies are ever going to return ROI. sure they will be a good business. but they are entirely dependent on a handful of v. talented coders who can easily be poached.
lets say 1 million people pay for an app @ $3 (almost impossible but lets say) – its $3 mil, minus 30% for apple fee – its around $2 mil.
its hardly a “mega million dollar” exit is it ? i mean – “realistically” how many companies are going to produce “regular” apps which “make money” at this level ? someone PLEASE tell me
It’s not about “mega million dollar” exits. It’s about running a sustainable business that takes care of the sales side of things all by itself. time to market for an iphone app is short, costs to develop are low, and it’s a no-brainer as far as payment / distribution / customer data etc is concerned (Apple handles all of that).
It’s not about selling a million copies of one app for $3 each.
It’s about selling 10 different apps for $3 each and trying to do a few thousand sales of each app, every month. For a small team, that will give you more than enough cashflow to keep going, building more apps, and growing the business.
Not all companies are aiming for that big liquidity event in the sky.
> a streamlined interface that feels much speedier than its competitors.
Try TwitterFon or NatsuLion for iPhone.
thats the first app I am paying for – I hope it is worth it (I have already 5 twitter apps on my iphone)
mmh, app crashed 3 times so far… the first login worked, but app didn’t show my tweets or replies or anything so far…
I’ve been beta-testing another Twitter iphone client that is currently pending app store approval– should be out Monday at the latest. I think it will be the new gold standard.
TWEETIE
http://www.ateb...oftware/tweetie
Tweetie was written by Loren Brichter, an ex-Apple software engineer who worked on the original iPhone team. He’s a co-worker of mine at Borange.com, but I can still tell you honestly: The UI design is near-perfect (as you might expect from an Apple guy), scrolling is as fast as Apple’s stuff, it uses SSL, it lets you drill down through “reply chains” (which is awesome), it supports using multiple Twitter accounts easily, and looks drop-dead gorgeous. $2.99 and does not crash.
I did try Tweetsville for a while to see how it compared. Not favorably. Wait a few days for Tweetie, and buy me a coffee with the $1 you save?