Hands on: Twitter apps for iPad

Though I have no proof, one would assume that social media use must over-index with iPad owners. How could it not, the iPad is one of the best social media browsers out there. With additional screen space, being able to literally touch the social graph, and the ability to hop between programs, the iPad is the home portal for sites like Twitter, Facebook, and others.

Here are my thoughts on three of the more popular Twitter apps, optimized for the iPad.

Twittelator

Twittelator ($4.99) takes a very unique approach to their app. On the left side you have your full “home” stream of tweets from those you follow. Then, on the right is a postcard-like content box that changes based on the “section” you are in. With just one tap, you can switch between @mentions, DMs, channels, search, lists, drafts, and more (it’s called more, I’m not just saying there is more, including my profile, retweets, trends, and everyone). There are conversation threads, clean pictures, great use of the iPad’s pop-up menus, and a super-clean layout.

On the downside, you can’t change what shows up in the left window (seems like an easy fix for a future version) and the overall look and feel is a bit quirky—not as sleek as I like my Twitter experience to be.

Buy Twittelator for iPad

Twitterific

Out of the three apps I tried out, Twitterific (free or $4.99 for Pro account) is definitely the best app for the iPad. The left column is used for menus, while the content sits on the right. Both the portrait and landscape layouts are clean (I prefer landscape).

There are great pop-ups when you select a tweet, as well a when selecting a user (something the other apps are missing). You loose multi-column breakout that you have in the other apps, but it is a cinch to hop between them.

Download Twitterific for iPad

TweetDeck

If you have used TweekDeck (free) before, you will have the same experience. It is laid out very similar to the Mac version, with the only major changes from the iPhone version being screen real-estate. It is super-simple to move between columns, and they scroll independently.

TweekDeck probably offers the most seamless experience, as it syncs your columns between your iPhone/iPad/Mac. Out of the free versions, it is the best there is.

Download TweetDeck for iPad