Every Twitter user has heard of Twitter clients — unique applications that allow you to make the most of your micro-blogging experience. Many of us have tried several out before selecting our favorite, or going back to using the original Twitter site. Each application has its own personality, its own strengths and weaknesses, and as they battle it out to gain the largest share of users, we can’t help but think of them as action stars. Much like the heroes use their special skills and methods to save the world on the silver screen, our beloved Twitter clients boast their muscles and weaponry on our phones, monitors and laptops every day, fighting to bring us the best Twitter experience possible. Today we explore the question, what if Twitter clients were action heroes?
HootSuite – Chuck Norris
We all know Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding, and similarly HootSuite makes most other twitter clients run in fear. HootSuite features an attractive and powerful interface that integrates seamlessly with all of the popular social networking portals. Much like how Chuck Norris has never met a foe he couldn’t handle, HootSuite stays on top of it all, allowing users to keep up with Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, among others. HootSuite provides users with detailed tracking and statistics reporting to help you make sense of your traffic. This service even allows you to make scheduled posts, keeping your audience up-to-date, regardless of what you’re doing. What would Chuck Norris do if he had to take down some chumps in a new and unfamiliar landscape? He would march in like he’s been there a million times and take care of the job. And then he’d tweet about it…undoubtedly via HootSuite. Similarly, HootSuite runs entirely online, allowing you to manage your networks with ease and style no matter where you happen to be and whatever Internet-connected operating system you are using.
Twhirl – Jason Statham
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When you need a specialist to kick major ass while handling unorthodox jobs, Jason Statham is the man to call. Whether while transporting for crime syndicates or keeping his artificial heart beating long enough to track down the scoundrels that stole his real one, Statham can handle problems both big and small — with ease and efficiency. Similarly, Twhirl is a desktop Twitter client that also features full integration with several less popular and more intimate networks such as Loconi.ca, FriendFeed and Seesmic Video. Whether using Windows or Mac, Twhirl will bring you your social network updates whatever the cost.
TwitterFeed – Sherlock Holmes
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Sherlock Holmes (both the new cinematic version and the old literary character) is known for his keen wit and ability to solve abstruse mysteries through careful analysis and logic. No matter how obscure the mystery or hidden the culprit, when Holmes is on the job, you can rest assured that answers are on their way. TwitterFeed is the Sherlock Holmes of Twitter clients. Unlike other twitter clients, TwitterFeed is focused on bringing you real time statistics about your Twitter, Facebook or blog activity. Not only can you post to your accounts through TwitterFeed, you can view up-to-the-minute data on the popularity of your posts. Just like Holmes monitors all possible leads to get to the bottom of a case, by posting through TwitterFeed you can view how many people have clicked your links via the various networks. This allows you to gauge how effective your accounts are at generating traffic. Never let your traffic be a mystery again, get TwitterFeed and harvest your data.
Tweetie 2 – James Bond
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Powerful, covert, and always on the go, James Bond is the kind of hero you need if your job requires constant travel and absolute efficiency in execution. Tweetie 2 follows the Bond approach to bringing you your Twitter updates. Though many twitter applications work on the iPhone, Tweetie 2 is one of the few qualified to receive “00″ status. There when you need it, Tweetie 2 will travel anywhere in the world and have no trouble getting its job done. Whether driving in a high-speed chase, exploring a foreign jungle, or roaming the back-allies of Montevideo, Tweetie 2 will bring you full Twitter capability. In keeping with the Bond legend, Tweetie 2 has a cool little “gadget” up its sleeve. If you ever find yourself in the perilous situation of having no service, you can switch to Tweetie 2′s offline mode, which allows you to read, favorite, tweet, follow, save to ‘Instapaper’ and more. The moment your phone finds service, your account will be updated with all of your offline activity.
OpenBreak – Tony Stark
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Tony Stark is the billionaire businessman who successfully managed to privatize local law enforcement by creating the Iron Man suit. Sharp and brilliant at his trade, Stark manages his company as the visionary leader he is, and kicks serious bad-guy arse. Sleek and to the point, OpenBreak allows the businessman to post to Twitter in seconds right from his BlackBerry using a very intuitive interface. When Stark is working on one of his high-tech devices, he doesn’t get distracted by messing with every tool in the garage. Similarly, some of the bells and whistles have been stripped out of OpenBreak, allowing for maximum productivity while tweeting. In addition, OpenBreak allows you to use the BlackBerry’s camera to post pictures to Posterous, Zannel, TwitPic, Twitgoo, or yfrog. After all, who said you can’t mix business and pleasure?
Twitterific – Jet Li
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Jet Li may be a small guy, but no one should ever underestimate his power. Sleek and slender, Jet Li leaves no footprints — no evidence that hes even in the same building as you. That is of course, until he wants you to see him, but at that point you’re neck is probably snapped and you’ve taken your last breath (so it doesn’t really count). Twitterific is a small, ninja-like application that can show you as much, or as little as you want to see. Disappearing into the background when you don’t need it, and appearing only when your attention is required, Twitterific has been called “a perfect interface for Twitter. And when I say perfect, I mean perfect.” When is the last time you saw Jet Li not land a back-flip? With Twitterific, you can do some amazing stunts of your own, like user-defined update intervals, auto-show/hide setting, window and layer customization and much more.
TweetDeck – Bruce Willis
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Bruce Willis is an unforgiving action hero who will go to any length to thwart the plans of wrong-doers. Bruce Willis stops at nothing, heeds to no man, and brute forces his way through any situation using guns, explosives and good old fashioned fisticuffs to accomplish his mission. TweetDeck is a big and mighty Twitter client that can handle whatever you throw at it. You got accounts on Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, and LinkedIn? No problem, TweetDeck will fully integrate with multiple accounts from any and all of those services. Using Windows, Mac or Linux as your operating system? TweetDeck runs smooth on all of them. Just like Bruce Willis can knock out a bad guy in just one punch, TweetDeck’s all-inclusive interface will show you everything you want see from all of your accounts at a single glance. Its true, TweetDeck blows through any obstacle to get you the updates.
TwiDroid – Arnold Schwarzenegger
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When you need a robot incapable of feeling remorse, you get Arnold. Best known as “The Terminator”, Arnold will cut down anyone in his way, regardless of whether they’re a human, a robot, or something from another planet. If you’re looking for the most powerful Twitter client for the Droid, look no further TwiDroid, the Terminator of Android twitter clients. As fast as Arnold on a Harley, TwiDroid brings you full twitter functionality to your Android free of bugs, or predators for that matter. With so many features and capabilities, such as bit.ly support, photo and video posting, and threaded view options, TwiDroid brings you a Twitter experience you’ll swear is from the future (cue rimshot).
Brizzly – MacGyver
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MacGyver is an god expert at taking several items and making them into something incredibly useful for the task at hand. With nothing more than a paperclip, a ball of twine, some popsicle sticks and a pouch full of gunpowder, MacGuyver could make a deadly weapon, a compass to navigate by, or any number of useful gadgets to aide in his taking down of Russian terrorist cells. If you don’t want an entirely new application to use Twitter with because you’ve gotten used to the actual Twitter website, Brizzly might be the choice for you. Brizzly is a web service, and the MacGyver of Twitter clients. The service essentially built features and functionality based on other Twitter clients, and integrated them right into a site that looks almost exactly like Twitter. Improving upon what was there all along, Brizzly created a powerful, functional, feature rich client out of the Twitter page we all know and love.
NatsuLion – Steven Seagal
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King of “straight to DVD” action flicks, Steven Seagal is an action hero who just can’t cut it in the big leagues. Delivering cheesy one-liners and maintaining a stern, emotionless face throughout all of his movies (w/ a pony-tail, mind you), Seagal isn’t necessarily awful, he just isn’t especially good, either. Similarly, NatsuLion, an iPhone Twitter client with a clunky, cluttered interface, doesn’t stand out in any particular way as being worth the download. Just like Seagal has a strong upper-body and knows how to fight, the client has many of the features you would expect out of a Twitter application – posting, following, a separate section for unread tweets, etc. However, also like Seagal, the program is just too basic, lacking the cool functionality and advanced features we have come to expect from quality clients. NatsuLion doesn’t even offer picture posting, an otherwise standard Twitter feature. Sorry NatsuLion, you make the B list.
