Our Verdict
Can you ever have enough microblogging services ? Probably . But the newest popular entrant into the battlefield that Twitter made pop , App.net , rose up in large part as a response to theincreasingly onerous limitation Twitter place on its developers — and by reference , its users . I tested a slew of App.net client for iOS to find the best option useable : Netbot ( ) , Appeio ( ) , Rhino ( ) , Adian ( ) , and Felix ( ) .
I know what I want out of a good Twitter client : I need features like pantry smooth , stutter - free scrolling ; light admission to profile ; feature - rich composition projection screen that make quick work of post position update with metadata like photos and telecasting attach as desire ; seamless insights into the conversation circumvent an individual post ; with all of that clump into an attractive design . Are those the same features I ’d like to see in my ideal App.net client ? I really did n’t know , before I plunge into this raw world of App.net apps .
Here ’s what I establish .
The global feed
There ’s a inclination amongst App.net clients to include entree to a global timeline — one that shows every App.net post , across all drug user of the table service . It ’s a feature film that will steady make less sense as the service grows in popularity , and I do n’t value it much . Rhino , Adian , Appeio , and Felix all make that world feed a top - level pick . Netbot tucks it away under search instead of giving it a sacred maculation in its chit Browning automatic rifle , which I appreciate ; I do n’t ever want the firehose , so I revalue it not gobbling up such prime real estate .
The conversation
For me , a highlight of Twitter is the exchange — the asynchronous , semi - public conversation you could have with one or many citizenry . App.net ’s drug user residential area is , of course , an monastic order of magnitude smaller than Twitter ’s , but my anecdotical experience is that the small connection is in reality even more conducive to conversation than Twitter . That might be because App.net , by default , shows you all @-reply posts from the users you take after ; Twitter fix you to seeing only those @-replies that are directedtowardspeople you follow as well .
My ideal App.net customer , then , should make it gentle to plunge into conversation threads — and sluttish to pass over into them for posting , too . I also want wanton access to features like reposts ( the App.net equivalent of a Twitter retweet ) and stars ( like Twitter ’s darling ) .
Several of the apps I test visually distinguish those stake that are part of a larger conversation . Rhino gift a bright yellow flag to messages with replies , which may betooprominent a marker ; the posts look as if they ’ve been starred or somehow designated as worthy of surplus attending , which is n’t entirely precise . Appeio shows a much smaller , subtler icon to signal posts with conversation threads — a prissy execution of the feature article . In Adian , you must first swipe across a post to unwrap several options , one of which shows its yarn ; unfortunately , the thread icon appears even when no thread is available . Felix shows a simple , obvious speech house of cards on posts with threads . Netbot does n’t show a ocular indicator , but a swipe on the mail service exposes the full conversation surrounding a berth if there is one , and cleverly keeps your place in the thread , showing the conversation both before and following the select mail service .
All of the apps make quick work of answer to Emily Post . While most trust on a clit tap , Rhino instead has you tap the Wiley Post itself .
Netbot offer both aboriginal and manual reposting options , the latter allowing you to add your own comment to the post , but the former being the prescribed way to share someone else ’s Wiley Post . Felix offers both options , too . Appeio offers only native reposts . Adian offer up only manual reposting ; Rhino has no reposting option at all .
All of the apps make it potential to voyage to the profile of the person who penned a post , but the process feels slightly clunkier in Adian than in the rest of the apps .
The interface
There ’s no way to sugarcoat this : Appeio is despicable . It scrolls too slowly , elements get stuck at the top of the screen sometimes , and the app simply lack the user interface refinements you ’d expect to see on iOS .
Rhino and Adian are both simple and pleasant enough to look at , with liquid scrolling . Both also use small , unadjustable font size of it . They ’re legible , but I ’m an old man — I’d choose a font size bump . I did see episodic interface glitches in Rhino where my timeline could disappear during pull - to - fresh actions . Appeio also sports a too - minuscule nonpayment font that you ca n’t change .
Felix scrolls smoothly , too , but stands out with its sepia tones . Its default font is big than the other three , so you get fewer post per covert , but they ’re more legible because of it .
Netbot seem just like Tweetbot , a most identical client for manipulation with Twitter or else of App.net . It ’s far and away the most visually dressed of all the App.net apps I tried , and — unsurprisingly , give its predecessor Tweetbot ’s head start — it ’s the furthest along in terms of choice , too . you may pull off the font size to your liking . And the interface head start means that Netbot ’s interactions are the best of the bunch , too : Tap and harbor on a link to save it to a deferred version inspection and repair like Instapaper or Pocket ; tap and prevail on hashtags to search for them or make new position with them ; beg and hold on user avatar to follow / unfollow user , damp them , or get more entropy about them ; tap and hold on posts to save or share them ; and so on .
Like Netbot , Felix include options for keep linkup to Instapaper or Pocket ; those are configure in the options app .
Adian , Rhino , and Appeio miss optimisation for the iPhone 5 ’s taller screen door . Felix and Netbot fill the whole covert . Netbot is the only one of these apps to offer an iPad native version , too .
Only Adian and Netbot back up multiple App.net history .
Push notifications
Adian and Felix offer aboriginal , built - in push notifications for novel posts mentioning you on App.net . Rhino , Appeio , and Netbot do n’t . ( The detached third - political party serviceNotifooffers tug notification for App.net alerts as well . )
Composing and posting
Rhino offer no extras when you pen a postal service . Adian , Appeio , and Netbot all tolerate you to sequester picture to posts . Adian , Netbot , and Felix also add together the ability to relieve bare post as drafts to revisit after .
Conclusions
It ’s almost not even a reasonable fight . While many App.net client are still struggle to hone core functionality , Netbot is well beyond that phase of development ; alternatively , the app offers a slew of advance , cagy , and helpful choice for learn and enjoying App.net .
Felix is likely the best of the balance , thanks to its understated elegance . But none of the other apps I try can liken favourably to Netbot . Its confidential information is n’t of necessity insurmountable , but there ’s an awful lot of work ahead for the kip looking to unseat it .
Updated Oct. 8 to even up two bit of entropy regarding Felix : its support for manual reposting , and its integration with deferred reading services .
