The New Facebook for Android

The old Facebook app features tiles that directed you to specific parts of the social network, like your news feed, messages, notifications and places. The app would open to the notifications list if that it where you were when you closed it and this list included all “likes,” wall comments and friend requests. The new Facebook app opens directly to your news feeds and allows you to change the view to status updates only or photos, etc. The option to view specific lists is sporadically there (just like with the old app) while the pull-to-refresh function still exists, there’s nothing to specifically pull so you might forget about it.

You can quickly add a status update, check-in or photo from the home screen as well. Above these options, the main screen now features three buttons like the website that allow you to view friend requests, messages and likes/comments. However, instead of changing the page completely, these all open in little hover layers. It may be quicker than the older Facebook app but, in my opinion, it doesn’t match the feel or look of the Facebook app. Plus, it uses up spaces around the edges of the screen, squishing the content in it.

Back on the main screen, there’s a button that brings up the meat and potatoes of the app. Your news feed slides to the very right of the screen, allowing you to see just the thumbnails of users who have recently posted. The screen that slides out contains a search bar, which was more prominent in the old app. Here your name functions as a link to your profile where you can then view your wall, photo and info. Pressing the “Back” button at any time does not seem to return to the navigation screen, which is perplexing and not intuitive.

New Facebook for Android App

If you want to access Facebook Places/Nearby, Events or your friends list, you do so from the navigation menu. These are things that are generally less important than the news feed or messages, which you can get to from the home screen. The app also displays all your lists, which you should (also) be able to access from your news feed, any pages that you administer and apps that you can access on your phone like Chat and Photos. At the very bottom of this list is an option to edit your account options. It seems a bit hidden to me.

This panel, like those overlays, also doesn’t feel uniform in terms of design and function. The overall feel is that the developers wanted something that seemed snappy and modern — which it does — but it doesn’t also feel intuitive and easy to use. Everything is there, more or less, but there’s a whole lot more scrolling and tapping. The previous splash page felt a little dated and maybe could have used some modernization but it worked in a way that made sense.

On the other hand, Twitter’s new Android app is pretty cool. Immediately after installing it, it switched my picture upload settings to Twitter itself, which now offers such a service. I was able to painlessly switch it back to TwitPic, however, because I like the service. Yfrog is still listed, too. The homescreen, like the new icon, is trying to be all contemporary with gradients. It’s trying a little too hard but feels much more uniform than the new Facebook.

Twitter for Android

The navigation has changed a bit. The “Home” button mostly associates with that conversation bubble in the previous app, showing your general timeline with your own Tweets included. The new “Connect” button shows replies by default but, if you press the “Interactions” button shows recent activity in a Facebook-like way. There’s also a search bar that allows you to quickly find messages from your buddies.

The “Discover” tab is pretty awesome. It features recent news, trending hadhtags and suggested follows. For me, that’s Judy Blume and HootSuite. Neither apply but, hey, it’s a work in progress.

Lastly, the “Me” tab seems a bit like a miscellaneous grouping. It’s from here that you see direct messages. I think this belongs in the Connect tab but I don’t DM much on Twitter so I can’t see it bothering me. The Me tab allows you to edit your profile as well, view drafts, lists and saved searches. If you have multiple accounts on your Twitter app, you can switch between them from this screen. Life saver!

No matter which tab you’re on, there’s a button on the top right to create a new Tweet. I like this because it’s in the same position as it was before. There’s slight cosmetic modifications to the new Tweet screen but nothing serious. The search button next to the new Tweet button is gone but I never used it anyway.

I miss the old Twitter icon but I really like the new app. The app redesign is connected to the website redesign. Some folks are upset that you have to download the official Twitter app on your phone to use the new one on your computer. I don’t mind because I like the official Twitter app. However, I still can’t figure out how to get the new site on my computer.

The difficult part was determining what to do with Twitter. Because Twitterfeed posted to my personal account which then posted to my personal Facebook, the only way to remove that from my Facebook profile was to completely remove it from my profile so I now have a new Twitter account, too. Please follow one or both of these if you’d like to participate in giveaways and keep up to date. I have since updated the links to social networks in the sidebar to reflect this change.

Of course, you can still find me easily enough on Facebook or Twitter if you want to be my friend and I’m keeping the Twitter updates from my personal account in the footer because they’re more interesting but I think this is a great change!

Installation was easy. I think I looked it up in the store and used the “Send to Phone” feature. I clicked some links, pressed “Install” and voila. Periodically, I get an update and follow a similar procedure to download the newest version. Now typing my ridiculous Twitter name to sign in was not quite as easy.

Tweets60 shows recent updates from myself and my friends. The Twitter icons show up next to the posts, each time the user posts. I far prefer this to Echofon’s method of only showing the avatar once if the user posts multiple times in a tow. Occasionally, it takes a while for Tweets60 to load the avatar so I see a generic, animated face.

One of the features I love is that I can remove folks directly from my timeline. My Firefox Twitter app does not allow me to do that so I have to sign into the website.

However, I find the menu to be a little.. cumbersome. The two constant buttons are “Options” and “Hide.” The first is self explanatory and includes the otpions to create new Tweets, reply to others, follow/remove users, refresh the timeline, view settings, get information about the app and download more from the same maker (I also use the battery life extender). The second minimizes the app. I think it would be far handier to remove the “Hide” button and replace it with a “New Tweet” button or a “Reply” button as I use those quite frequently. Similarly, it’d be slightly easy to use if there were buttons to reply or retweet directly below the tweets in the timeline.

When I am posting a new tweet or a reply with Tweets60, it changes to a “compose” screen. I type in my message but unlike texting, I actually have to press the green checkmark to confirm the message and go back to the compose screen (when texting, I can just press the green button on the phone to send). This is probably just the way it works with apps but I find myself pressing the green button and bringing up the dialer pretty often. I have to press options and “Send” to actually publish my Tweet, yet there is a “Cancel” button next to options (it replaces “Hide” on this screen). It seems to me that “Send” would make much more sense.

Let me recap. To send a new Tweet I click on the Tweets60 icon, click Options, click New, tap to type, enter the Tweet, tap the green arrow, open Options, click Send. That’s a lot of fucking work compared to just sending a text to my Twitter number. In fact, I usually do it that way despite having this app.

But let’s talk about the pluses. At the op of the Tweets60 screen are arrows so I can switch to an “@anaesthetic” tab to view my replies, a direct message received tab, a direct messages sent tab, a favorites tab and an updates tab–which just shows my recent updates. I have to press the arrows all the way back to return to the main timeline, however.

With this said, the features of Tweets60 are still pretty bad ass. I mean, you can insert pictures or shortened URLs when crafting a message. And there’s a forum that I am about to join so I can post some feedback. The updates are frequent, which makes me feel like the developer(s) are actually working on the app and I know they don’t have to. It’s not like I’m using the premium version.

And the icon is totally cute, too.

Overall, Tweets60 is a winner.

So I went on Etsy, which I’ve been loving lately and posted a call for sponsor and I had two really awesome sellers contact me. I’m thrilled to announce torik2009 and Petite Paperie will each be providing some awesome wares for this contest.

First up, torik2009 offered a Halloween themed banner for your Etsy shop (or blog). If you swing by Tori’s place, you’ll see a sample of her work as well as links to Etsy user’s currently using it (She also offers accessories like earrings). Her banners typically run for $6 but, if you hurry, you can snag a Halloween banner at $5. All banners are fully customizable, and include a free avatar. What better way to show off your Halloween spirit? If you’re a fan of Tori’s work, follow her on Twitter!

But that’s not all!

Petite Paperie answered my call and is offering not 1 but 4 sheets of Halloween themed seals/stickers. These sheets include crows, black cats, skulls and a Halloween mix. These are great for all sorts of things from putting them on gift tags, Halloween crafts, decorating snail mail and, of course, sticking to the cat (parental discretion advised). Aside from these seals, you can find other paper products like notecards, gift tags and labels plus digital collages by Petite Paperie.

But, wait! There’s more.

Nothing says Halloween more than a fuzzy, stuffed monster, right? Which is why I’m so excited to be giving away one of AMP Design’s FiddleFoot Family members. The FiddleFoots are adorable, plush alien-type monsters great for you, me and everyone in between. Each FiddleFoot has its own design and unique personality, or so I imagine. Lots of attention was giving to the creation of these plushies and while they’re crazy enough to be called monsters, they’re not scary in the least.

As described on the product page:

The FiddleFoots are a family of furry folk that fell to earth from the galaxy of Farsiris four or five hundred years ago. They were recently discovered flocking in foliage forts in the forests of Fatu Hiva where they had formed a fellowship. They are friendly, fuzzy and faithful friends famous for their fidelity. They most enjoy french fries and farm fresh fruits!
In the FiddleFoot family tree you will find fascinating fraternities…the FiddleFoots, FiddleFlirts, FiddleFreaks, and FiddleFarts.

You can view all the FiddleFoots here and check back frequently at AMP Designs for other plushes; more Grumbelly monsters are coming soon and they are just as awesome as the Fiddlefoots! There isn’t a single item in this shop that I don’t adore. It’s nearly impossible to pick just one .

Because I’m so impressed with this shop, I’ve asked the seller to participate in an interview, right here on Reviews by Cole. You can, hopefully, look forward to seeing that in the next week or so because I know you’re dying to know “Just what kind of person makes these awesome fuzzy things?”

In the meantime, please see the giveaway rules below and get to earning your entries!

• Mandatory: You can earn one point by commenting on this giveaway post. Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the comment field so I can contact you. (It will be private.)
• You can earn 1 point each, up to 5 times, by leaving relevant and thoughtful comments on any other post in this blog.
• You can earn 1 point each, up to 5 times, by Tweeting about this contest between now and the ending date. “Join @anaesthetic’s Halloween giveaway to win awesome things from Etsy! RT or click for info: http://bit.ly/28eWMT #HalloweenbyCole”
• You can earn 5 points by blogging about this contest, making sure to link back to this contest post as well as each of the Etsy sellers: AMP Designs, torik2009 and Petite Paperie. Please leave a comment on this post if you blog about the giveaway.
• And, last but not least, you can earn 15 points by purchasing any 1 item from this giveaway’s Etsy sponsors. If you make a purchase, please inform the Etsy seller that you are doing so to earn extra entries into my giveaway.

That is a total of 31 points you can earn for this giveaway! Winners will be chosen using Random.Org.

This giveaway will run until October 26th and is only open to American and Canadian citizens (sorry!) as I’d like to try to have the prize delivered by Halloween! You must be willing to supply me your postal address. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be picked.