TweetDeck has officially launched a public beta version of its new Android app. TweetDeck is a tool that lets you keep up with multiple social networking accounts at the same time. You can link your Facebook, Foursquare, Google Buzz and Twitter accounts to TweetDeck for Android, and one thing that sets it apart from most third party Twitter apps is that it supports multiple Twitter accounts.

An early build of the software leaked unofficially yesterday, but the version that you can download today direct from TweetDeck is much more polished. For one thing, it has an “Accounts” button that lets you go back to the accounts screen any time you want to add or delete a Twitter, Facebook, or other account. The old build was somewhat buggy and only let you adjust your accounts the first time you logged in.

TweetDeck also has clients for desktop computers, the iPhone, and iPad. And one of the defining characteristics of TweetDeck is the ability to display multiple columns of data, with information such as updates from your contacts, messages directed at you, and custom searches. The TweetDeck Android app keeps this column paradigm — but rather than trying to display all the content on screen at the same time, you can swipe the screen to the left or right to switch between columns.

Different social networks are color coded so that, for instance, Facebook messages have a blue background and Twitter messages have a gray backaground. This makes them easy to tell apart at a glance.

TweetDeck lets you update your status on various social networks and interact with messages from your contacts. For instance, on Twitter you can reply, retweet, or favorite items. When you’re using Foursquare, you can check in, leave a tip, or open a map. Facebook lets you reply to comments or hit the Like button.

You need to register for a TweetDeck account to try out the beta. Once you fill out the form, TweetDeck should send you a download link in a few minutes.

Update: The official beta is now available for download.

Yesterday we reported that TweetDeck for Google Android would be available this week. Today it is… kind of. A pre-release build leaked out, and a number of folks have grabbed the installer file and taken it for a test drive. It actually works pretty well, but TweetDeck CEO Iain Dodsworth says the build floating around right now is actually an older version — and that the real beta will be available tomorrow.

He recommends avoiding the old build that’s making the rounds today. But I decided to ignore his advice and take a quick look. The app seems to work pretty well, and has one of TweetDeck’s signature features: The ability to create custom columns. Say you want to keep track on the latest tweets from the public timeline about Google Android. Just hit the search button, enter “Android,” and click the “Add column” button at the bottom of the screen.

While you can display multiple columns side-by-side on the desktop software though, the mobile version of TweetDeck lets you switch between columns by swiping left or right. Only one column shows up at a time.

The default columns show your personal timeline, @replies, and direct messages. You can use TweetDeck for Android to keep up with your Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, and Foursquare contacts. Each service is color-coded, so that, for instance, Twitter updates have a gray background while Facebook updates show up on a blue background.

Another killer feature? The ability to manage multiple Twitter accounts.

You can click on any message for more information, allowing you to favorite a message, retweet, reply, comment, or like — depending on the social networking service. You can also click on a contact’s picture to bring up their profile. You can open links shared by your contacts in a web browser by clicking on them.

The current build is still a little buggy. For instance, there’s no obvious way to return to the account screen after you login for the first time — meaning that if you want to add a new Facebook, Twitter, or other account after your initial login, you may be out of luck. But I suspect the official beta due out tomorrow will address that issue.

via EuroDroid

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Facebook has rolled out an update to its mobile web page that lets you control your privacy settings on mobile devices. Up until now, you could only adjust your privacy settings using a desktop browser.

In order to access your mobile privacy settings, you have to visit m.facebook.com/privacy on your phone. You won’t find the link if you just go to m.facebook.com.

But once you do find the page, you can adjust your settings to allow everyone, friends, or friends of friends to see information you post from your phone. You can also create custom settings. For instance, you can allow everyone to see your website and bio information, but only allow your friends to see posts, contact information, family, or relationship status.

Unfortunately, the settings only apply to the Facebook mobile web site. If you use the iPhone, Android, WebOS, or other mobile apps for Facebook, there’s still no way to adjust your privacy settings — although I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw that feature in future updates.

via ReadWriteWeb

Facebook pushed out an updated version of its Android app last night. The new version has a sleeker user interface, complete with a notification bar on the home screen which you can pull up to see a list of your latest notifications, and a media bar which you can scroll through to see recent photos and videos from your contacts.

Scan to download

The new Facebook app also adds the following features:

• Respond to friend requests without opening the web browser
• Improved Events support (you can now RSVP without opening a web browser)
• Support for H.264 video playback

There’s still no Facebook chat support, although there are third party apps for that.  But overall the latest version of Facebook for Android is a big improvement. It’s available as a free download from the Android Market.

via GigaOm

Clicker wants to be a sort of remote control for internet TV. When you visit the Clicker web site you can find links to watch streaming TV shows from a variety of sources including Hulu, Netflix, Amazon video on demand, and others. It’s a bit messy, since some videos are available to stream for free while others are only available for a subscription or one-time fee. But there are few sites that are quite as well organized as Clicker for finding out whether a video is available online.

Now Clicker has released a mobile app for Android and an iPhone version is coming soon. Unfortunately these mobile apps don’t actually let you stream video to a mobile device. Instead, they let you take advantage of the social networking aspect of the clicker community, which also launched today.

The idea is that you can connect Clicker to your Facebook and Twitter accounts to see what your friends who use Clicker are watching. You can also “check in” to shows, to let people know what you’re watching and rate programs or make recommendations for other users.

Overall, the Clicker mobile apps provide a way to find new shows that you might like or to share your interests with your friends. But I kind of wish the app also let you stream video.

via NewTeeVee

Twidroid is one of the most popular Twitter clients for Google Android that’s not made by Twitter. So it’s not that surprising that someone would want to buy the company — which exactly what Twitter ad and search firm TweetUp has just done. What is a bit surprising is that TweetUp has decided to change the app’s name… to Twidroyd.

The reason for the name change? The company doesn’t want any legal battles with Lucas Films, which it claims owns the trademark on the word “droid.” I wonder if anyone has told Motorola or Verizon about that? Update: Yup. They know.

Aside from the name change, the latest version of the app has a few changes. You can preview images with pinch to zoom and shorten links before sending via button. There’s a new warning when text exceeds 140 characters. Android 2.2 users can install the app on their SD card. And there are new widgets in the Pro version. Oh yeah, there’s also integrated TweetUp search.

TweetUp also says Twidroyd will soon come preloaded on “millions of upcoming Android phones” from 5 of the top handset makers.

The recently renamed app is already available for download from the Android Market. There’s a free version available, as well as a pro version which will set you back $3.99.

Facebook has released an updated client which adds support for watching Facebook videos on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The app also has a few other new features, including the ability to view and write on the walls for events, and upload photos that are 720px wide.

Facebook 3.1.3 for iOS also has a number of bug fixes. For instance, you can now comment on photos accessed from notifications. It also fixes broken photo album links in the news feed and corrects an error that caused some status updates to appear out of order in news feeds.

You can download the Facebook app for free from the App Store.

via Redmond Pie

Sure, Twitter just launched an official iPhone client a few days ago, so you might think there’s not much room for yet-another-Twitter-client for the iPhone. But today Seesmic introduced an app that makes a pretty strong case that there is still room for competition.

That’s because Seesmic for iPhone isn’t just a Twitter app. It’s also an iPhone app. And thanks to Ping.fm integration, you can also use it to update your status on a ton of social networks including MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, Blogger, and Tumblr.

When you launch Seesmic the first time, you’re greeted with a series of four boxes. Click one to set up a new Facebook, Twitter, or Ping.fm account. You can also create a box for Twitter trending topics or search topics. Unfortunately, this is the only way to search Twitter. That means that if you’re in the Twitter portion of the app, you have to go back to the home screen to conduct a Twitter search.

Aside from that quirk, the app has all the features you’d expect from a Twitter client, including timeline updates, replies, retweets, direct messages, and access to your profile. You can also compose messages with links, map links, location information, or pictures from your phone.

The Facebook portion of the app is a bit more limited. Basically it just shows you your Facebook News Feed. You can compose updates, and you can click on any item to leave comments, see comments left by others, or click a “like” button. But you can’t see your friend list, applications, or other information.

You can check out the Seesmic promo video and see more screenshots after the break.

Seesmic for iPhone is available as a free download from the iTunes App Store.

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Sobees offers Twitter clients for Windows, the web, and Google Android. The company started out a few years ago as a desktop widget maker offering all sorts of widgets for reading RSS feeds, searching the web, and performing other actions. But Sobees is focusing primarily on its Twitter client at the moment, and it shows. I installed the Android client this week, and it’s one of the best Twitter apps I’ve used on my Google Nexus One.

Scan to download

Sobees for Android has all the basic features you’d expect from a mobile Twitter client including the ability to sort updates by replies, direct messages, and your overall timeline. You can also view profiles of users and even follow or unfollow users from the Sobees app. Sobees also lets you manage multiple Twitter accounts and flip between accounts quickly and easily.

The Twitter client lets you read cached messages while you’re offline. And when you’re online you can view trending topics or conduct searches.

And there are a few nifty features when you’re updating your status including the ability to geotag your Tweets, share photos, and shorten URLs.

Unfortunately, Sobees faces some pretty strict competition… from Twitter, which recently launched an official app for Android. But Twitter for Android is only available for Android 2.1 devices such as the Google Nexus One and Motorola Droid.

Sobees for Android is available as a free download from the Android Market.

You can find more screenshots after the break.

via TechCrunch

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There are plenty of Twitter clients available for Google Android. I’ve been pretty happy with Seesmic and Sobees so far. But Twitter launched an official app for Android today, and it has a few awesome features that just might put the competitors out of business — or drive them to up their game significantly.

Scan to download

Like most other Twitter clients, the official Twitter app lets you see the latest updates from your contacts, direct messages, or @ mentions. You cancompose messages, or users profiles. But here are a few of the things that really make this app stand out:

• Contact synchronization feature that lets you sync data about your contacts with your Android address book
• Options to receive notifications for tweets, mentions, and direct messages in the Android notification bar
• Arrange contacts by lists
• Geotag your Tweets and see Tweet locations on a map
• See Tweets from your contacts in your phonebook, Google Talk, or other apps that use the Android QuickContact bar
• Upload images or take a picture with your camera

The tight integration with the Android contacts and notification bar are standout features that really make this Twitter client stand out — although I would probably find it incredibly distracting to get constant updates of new tweets — that’s the reason I’ve already turned off notifications for new email messages.

Now for the bad news. Twitter’s Android app will only work with Android 2.1 devices such as the Google Nexus One and Motorola Droid.

You can find more screenshots at the Twitter blog. Twitter for Android is available as a free download from the Android Market, or you can start the download by scanning the barcode to the right with your Android phone’s camera.