Seesmic review

Damien McFerran

We take a glance at Seesmic, one of the net's most popular Twitter clients and a newcomer to the Android platform

Rating:

Verdict: Twitroid may still be the best Twitter client out there but Seesmic gives it a pretty good run for its money

Platform: Android

Pros: Clean menu system, support for Twitter lists and a good range of features

Cons: Speed remains an issue and the app has some way to go before it can rival the very best clients out there - most of which are exclusive to the iPhone, sadly

Version: 1.1

Publisher: Seesmic

Price: Free

More Info: Seesmic website

Despite the recent backlash against the social networking phenomena than is Twitter, there remains an astonishing number of different client applications available for Android right now.

Stephen Fry and Miley Cyrus may have turned their backs on the popular messaging service – which allows users to post items of 140 characters, as well as images and video to hordes of “followers” - but there are still thousands upon thousands of people using it, so Twitter is unlikely to implode anytime soon.

With that in mind it’s always worth keeping an eye out for a new Twitter client, even if you’re perfectly happy with your current one. Chances are, if you’re a hardcore user of the service who happens to own an Android handset, your preferred choice will be the excellent Twitroid, which has ruled the roost for quite some time now.

However, putting aside the sheer volume of features available, Twitroid is actually a little on the ugly side. The interface is getting better with each update but it still can’t hold a candle to the likes of TweetDeck on the iPhone.

With this in mind, we’re checking out Seesmic on the Android. You’ve probably heard the name before because the company behind the app already has a sizable online presence, and is the preferred Twitter client of many PC-based users.

Visually Seesmic is definitely a step up from Twitroid, but it still has some aesthetic quirks which look a bit out of place. On the whole though, it has a clean and clear menu structure with tabs positioned at the top of the screen which grant access to your timeline, replies and direct messages.

Usability is one of Seesmic’s key selling points, in fact. While it very nearly goes toe-to-toe with Twitroid when it comes to capability, everything is organised better here. As Twitter clients gain more and more features it unsurprising to discover that they become ever-more bloated, but Seesmic mercifully manages to keep things simple.

The latest edition of this software also comes with support for lists, which is a new feature for Twitter. Lists allow you to organise you friends into groups so you can quickly view what people are posting and go straight to the Tweets which are likely to interest you the most. Needless to say, Seesmic’s list function is just as intuitive as the rest of the app.

Sadly, like so many Twitter clients, speed remains an issue with Seesmic. It’s only marginally quicker than Twitroid, in fact.

While Seesmic doesn’t rip up the rule book when it comes to Twitter and doesn’t innovate in the same way that iPhone clients like Reportage do, it’s still one of the best examples currently available. If you’re disenchanted with Twitroid then this is probably the most viable alternative right now.