The Twitter desktop client wars are on.
Yesterday, Loïc Le Meur announced a TweetDeck rival dubbed Seesmic Desktop that not only looks a lot like the popular AIR application (more popular than any other desktop client according to statistics) but also heavily competes with it on a feature level. TweetDeck founder Iain Dodsworth, not to be outdone by the announcements, sent an e-mail out to his contacts just now about an upgraded version of the software which should be available for download real soon (update: should be automatically pushed from now on – or get it here).
According to the e-mail, this is an unscheduled update, but it tackles one of the major issues users have been struggling with and complaining about: memory leakage. In the message, Dodsworth says he has been working closely with Adobe for a fix, but stresses that this doesn’t completely solve the problem of the app being quite the memory drain (he says this is still being worked on), only that memory usage will be capped so you can keep it turned on “day and night’” (do you?).
The new version of TweetDeck (v0.25) will also include a number of bug fixes and new features, including a Digg URL shortener, support for Spotify URLs (so you can play a song from a tweeted link directly in the Spotify player), previewing of TwitPic images inside the desktop app and preview of information about short URLs within the application before opening the link.
The biggest new feature being rolled out to everyone today is Facebook integration, so you’ll be able to view your Facebook friends’ status updates in a new column alongside your TWitter updates. You can also see when your Facebook friends are online and start a chat with them from within TweetDeck, simply by clicking their name. However, you cannot comment on their status message from within the client. This is of course making TweetDeck more a lifestreaming service than a Twitter client, so it might have to change its name if it keeps on adding integrations with other services.
Finally, you can now record and share short videos directly from TweetDeck thanks to an integration with 12seconds (a Seesmic competitor). Both the Facebook and the 12seconds integration were already included in test releases, but as of today they’ll be included in the full beta version of the app.
Very interesting. This heated competition in the social networking / social media desktop application space should only benefit the end users.
I can’t tell you how much value I’ve gotten from the new Twhirl since Loic added integration for custom search terms. I’ll have to give the new TweetDeck a try now.
Follow me @ http://twitter.com/IanMikutel
nice angle but i’m very happy with tweetdeck. twhirl was very buggy for me so i abandoned it
i’ll have to give it a twhirl
Twhirl works nice for me. Tweetdeck column management in annoying.
This looks nice. It now appears we have a horse race on our hands. Both Tweetdeck and new Seesmic client look very good.
The FB and 12seconds integration in upcoming Tweetdeck in nice. Noticing the search and accounts info in new Twhirl will make this into a new universal realtime update client.
Apps like increase and drove drive usage and engagement like mad and addictive
Facebook and 12seconds integration was already available in 0.24b.
What I’d like to see is the multiple account feature Seesmic offers. Like the TweetDeck interface better and this would make it near perfect.
only in the pre-release versions, as I pointed out at the end of the article.
True, but 0.24b was a bit wonky on the Facebook integration (constant pop up on startup).
Too little, too late. There are SO many things we’ve been asking Tweetdeck to do which they have ignored, and those are now in Seesmic Desktop.
Skimmer works just fine for me, and it’s had Facebook integration for quite a while now. Way to catch up guys.
“and it’s had Facebook integration for quite a while now.”
Skimmer has only been out for a couple of weeks… let’s get serious.
Also, its so clunky and dark it fails on so many ends. Its a good idea, and fallon really worked a long time on it, but I’m waiting for some better developers to come up with a similar app.
I actually use both Tweetdeck and Twhirl. I would use Tweetdeck exclusively if they would allow the use of multiple accounts.
In the meantime, I use Tweetdeck for personal use and brand monitoring (searches are great) and Twhirl for the company account.
Follow me @ http://twitter.com/eporrell or @ http://twitter.com/BWBooks
When will it be out?
Groups! Groups! Groups! Where are the groups? And, multiple accounts! Finally, I want my phone and desktop to sync!
ASIDE: I really love how much people (myself included) feel that they deserve certain things, especially in technology, and how they demand for them. Alll this in spite of the fact that we only heard that these new technologies only came into existance just a few short days ago.
@Anthony:
Days ago? Seesmic has been around for two years, their Twitter client has been around for months. Their desktop app is new, but “these technologies” have been around for a long time.
Interesting, I’ve been using Tweetdeck a lot recently and enjoyed it. Will have to follow both seesmic and tweetdeck updates closely from now on.
also follow me on twitter @ http://www.twitter.com/bidyyy
Twitter clients is the hot thing in 2009!
Loic is a very cool person but Seesmic is way too complicated – maybe fine for geeks but it will take years to get the “normal” PC-user to use it!
Still no multiple accounts? It can’t be that hard, can it?
Oh well, back to Seesmic Desktop for now…
TweetDeck needs a ton of work. Besides the multi-column idea, the interface is not good. I prefer the interface to EventBox except it also doesn’t support multiple accounts. There is no one twitter desktop winner yet, and the fact that all these guys are hopping into doing FaceBook and video recording tells me they aren’t concentrating on getting the twitter aspect right.
Yeah well Seesmic is full of bugs on Linux.
Blah blah blah. Nambu has always done, and does do all of the above and more.
But Nambu only runs on the Mac. I’m a Mac fan, but even I can tell when an app needs to cross platforms.
I still want the ability to sync my TweetDeck groups between computers.
I checked out all 3 clients listed here (and more). TweetDeck has come out on top every time. The ONLY thing that it’s missing for me, is multiple account support.
It didn’t take me long to dislike Seesmic’s UI. The way they handle multiple column support is very old fashioned.
TweetDeck provides a much more polished application in both functionality and UI. TweetDeck, on the other hand, is very clean to look at and their multiple column support and custom groupings are simple and very effective in sorting out favorite tweeps from a sea of tweets coming in.
I fail to see how Tweetdeck makes that easier. They’re both the same IMO.
Multiple account support on the way as far as I can tell. Could still take a few weeks though.
No, don’t include Digg URL’s in the client.
They steal link juice!
Also waiting for multiple account support. I’ve been switch back and forth betweet Nambu/OSX and Tweetdeck and have just started using Seesmic Desktop. So far, Seesmic seems to fit my bill perfectly. I especially like the Smart Reply feature where it autmatically switches to the right user account when replying.
Also: I fail to see why the multiple column support is different in TweetDeck vs Seesmic (in some ways Seesmic does this better with integration of multiple accounts in one column, e.g. for replies)
Totally excited, we need this level of competition to get push social media to real “real time”. Currently I use tweetdeck, only wish they don’t increase limits on columns.
I do have tweetdeck running at all times except I am asleep
tweetdeck ftw!
And STILL no support for multiple accounts. It’s ridiculous at this point. Why not provide the one missing feature that so many of their users want?
I just downloaded Nambue (www.nambu.com) yesterday and I’m really psyched on it!
So glad Mac users are so spoiled with great apps. Nambu does NOT use Adobe Air, which the two apps in question in this article do, the interface is everything you’d expect from a Mac OSX application, and the features and functionality are top notch. I love that I finally have groups in a Twitter client, among other things.
Is Seesmic a real company or some kind of marketing only thing ?
I’m really surprised to see these listed as “major new features”. The steps toward fixing the memory problem are very important – but it’s a bug fix, not a feature.
The other items are nice little additions, but “major new features”?
Nuh uh.
This Twitter clients is the best
Just wrote about the new Tweetdeck today at blogging-fool.com I have grown to love it (despite my minor gripes about its stability). The integration of Facebook and Facebook much maligned new streamlined Twitterification seem like a lovely friendship. I look forward to seeing how both Seesmic and Tweetdeck evolve. It’s amazing to think Tweetdeck is still a .25 beta. Early adopters are we all. Even now.
When Seesmic Desktop came out, I really liked it but I moved back to TweetDeck when I learn about this counter release. TweetDeck is definitely doing a great job, feature wise and providing support for the community. However, apart from the features, there are still some room for improvements that can be made. Kudos and keep it up, Tweetdeck.
Love the look/feel and smoothness of tweetdeck. I will switch as soon as there is multiple account support. (Currently using twhirl)