The 5 Things I Love About RIM’s New Twitter Application

Last week Research In Motion released it’s official Twitter application for the Blackberry.  I was somewhat skeptical at first, as the majority of the social media apps that I have downloaded in the past have always been 3rd party apps, but being the tech geek that I am, I wanted to see what this new app was all about (if you are interested in downloading it for yourself, you can visit Blackberry’s App World Store here – it is a free download).

After playing with it for an hour or so, I began to relize that RIM hit the nail on the head with this app.  Here is what I really like about it:

1. Saved Searches – Much like the desktop application, TweekDeck, you can save keyword searches.  For example, if I want to see tweets about Eloqua, I simply type in the word “Eloqua” and save it.  This means next time I go back I simply click my phrase, and all the most recent tweets about Eloqua are shown
2. Tweeting outside of the application – This is probably my favourite feature.  If I am browing through my email and I get the urge to tweet about something, I can simply utilize the email menu and select the Twitter option.  From there, it asks if I want to tweet or a send a Direct Message.  If I decide to tweet, a small window pops up from the bottom of the screen where I can tweet from (rather than having to open the Twitter application independently).
3. Add photos to your tweet – Right below the text box to enter your tweet, you will see a small camera icon.  From there, your BlackBerry Media Center will open up and give you two options – utilize your camera to take a new picture to add to your tweet or select a picture that is alread stored on your device.
4. @replies and Direct Messages sent to your inbox – If you are sent a direct message or mentioned within a tweet, you will see a notification pop up in your email inbox (you will also need a Twitter icon in your notifications area on your BlackBerry).  This is a fantastic feature as once again you do not need to open the twitter application to see if you were mentioned or messaged.
5. Twitter Lists – within the Twitter application you can create a new list, or you can manage which lists you are currently apart of. 

The only thing that I thought was lacking from this release was the ability to edit a re-tweet, but I am sure that we will see that functionality in up coming releases. 

I would love to hear what you think about this new app, so leave your comments below.  Happy tweeting!