I agree. And the themes have improved alot since I last jailbroke my iPhone.
- Fox
Great app and review!! You da man Patrick! ;o)
- Ron Thompson
Ha - thanks Ron. This one really is an outstanding app - one of those 'never give up your jailbreak' types :)
- Patrick Jordan
I'd like to note that ProSwitcher was a memory hog on my iPhone 3G. Not sure how it works on the 3GS but this app ate up a lot of memory. Previously I tried Multifl0w, didn't notice a memory issue with that so I might return to it. Haven't done so yet because I want to try out Kirikae first.
- Corvida
If you like these apps you should also check out Backgrounder, Orbit (Expose-ish) app, and SnowCover
- Corvida
This one relies on Backgrounder for enabling the background-running of apps. All the app switchers I've seen so far rely on Backgrounder for that part.
- Patrick Jordan
It seems more and more that the JB community has some great apps/ hacks for these devices... Slowly but surely some of these are making it into the Apple's sanctioned "app store" Video on 2G and 3G's...? What's next? "Backgrounder, ProSwitcher" Only time will tell? I hate to think 'the Android invasion" has anything to do with the sudden "openness" from the app store?
- Ron Thompson
Yup - I think for some time now - ever since back in 1.x firmware days really - a lot of innovation and improvements are driven by the great work of jailbreak devs. I guess this is far from shocking, since Apple ties things down so tight on the App Store side (though it's loosening a fair bit lately). Even something as simple as search within Contacts was done on the jailbreak side a good year before we ever got it within the 'legit' app.
- Patrick Jordan
And normal people do this kind of stuff over on Facebook (I watch my wife talk to her elementary school friends there).
- Robert Scoble
While the "pros" have figured out you can't get paid for doing work online here or on Twitter, so they just put links to their blogs.
- Robert Scoble
"I think we're just tired of all online socializing" I do it every minute of everyday on FriendFeed.
- Johnny Worthington
Twitter isn't that good for conversations. I use Facebook for conversations with my "IRL friends". For social conversations I've recently come back to FriendFeed (it IS better than Twitter when it comes to conversations), Google Talk, Google Reader and in some extent...yes Twitter. But as you said, Twitter has been populated by people that only posts links to their blogs...and often never answer their replies.
- Patrik Johansson
Johnny: the world isn't like you and me. And, anyway, even though you and I do it here, most normal people do it on Facebook.
- Robert Scoble
Most normal people do it on email. Facebook is still a distant 2nd.
- Bruce Lewis
from fftogo
Bruce: I don't think so. Almost all of my friends have Facebook (no Twitter, no FriendFeed, no Google Reader, no Flickr, no Last.fm etc etc). And most of them check their email once a week, Facebook 3 times a day. I'm talking about personal use here, not work mail.
- Patrik Johansson
Most plans and communication is still happening over SMS and phone calls. I understand I'm not normal. I sat around a table with 9 people last week. Everyone had a computer, 4 had an iPhone, no one knew what Android was, 7 had a Facebook account, 3 had a Twitter account (2 only tweeted less than 5 times) and everyone knew of FriendFeed because of me doing the podcast. We're niche.
- Johnny Worthington
from iPhone
The elite players are having secret walled off conversations in Google Reader.
- Louis Gray
I agree Johnny. SMS and phone are by far the most popular communication tool. Most people I know know about iPhone but not Android. I don't think that communicate on the web is so big that we think it is.
- Patrik Johansson
Louis: exactly why Google Reader is dead. :-)
- Robert Scoble
Google Reader isn't dead Robert. I've tried to follow your tip, about getting the news from Twitter. It doesn't work. The biggest problem is that the company/website/blog need to have a Twitter account and update it...well, that may be the case in the U.S. But if I want to follow any Swedish newspaper or something, they don't have Twitter...but I can subscribe to their sites through Google Reader. That's why RSS isn't dead, and is still beating Twitter.
- Patrik Johansson
Robert you're awesome for starting this thread. As for your first comment, I'd have to disagree because we're no longer socializing. We're marketing and the shit is about to hit the fan. I can just feel it coming down my Twitter stream.
- Corvida
The (read: my) problem is that with Facebook it's too intimate. People wouldn't understand the things I talk about at home and on a personal level because it's usually race related and people of a different race would feel some sort of way about engaging in such a conversation. Either way, that's not what I want to talk about online.
- Corvida
I use all four things. I use Google Reader for news articles. I use Facebook for communication with Family. I use Twitter for people who are in subject areas that I'm interested in such as farming. I use Friendfeed for discussions (or sometimes arguments).
- Judy Jones
I want to go back to talking and sharing the topics we're all interested in. I want to go back to discussing the cool little gems we find around the web. I don't want to just review them. I want to DISCUSS them. We used to do that a long time ago. Myself, Louis, Steven Hodson, Jeff, Rahsheen, Sarah Perez, Shey, Frederic and a host of other people. We DISCUSSED Friendfeed. We DISCUSSED Twitter. We DISCUSSED RSSmeme which half the world no longer knows or cares about....
- Corvida
We discussed everything topic related and we loved it. We built our own hype instead of getting sucked into major blogs and what the rest of the kool-aid drinking web was saying. WE did that and it felt good. It felt like a community. Now, I really do feel like I'm screaming in a crowded room...and no one really gives a fuck.
- Corvida
Johnny, we're niche, but not invisible. I want to have conversations with people who have related interest. I don't want to talk about dogs, cats, what your kids did. Fuck that, I hate kids, dogs, and (usually) cats. I want good tech conversations 24/7. That's what the old days used to be like. That's the FriendFeed and Twitter I remember instead of all this marketing BS
- Corvida
This thread remember me the reason why I've started following Robert Scoble or Corvida: not because they were famous or glamour or something like that but because they were able to create deep and brilliant conversations...
- maxilprof
Hrm. I think I have to agree with Corvida here. I was attracted to this whole thing by learning about Twitter on her blog, which led me on a journey to becoming a writer for BlackWeb 2.0. Everything has definitely taken a marketing turn that is kinda disturbing. Even those in the field that are not really marketers still have a marketing approach to it all. Twitter, for instance, is mostly a link farm. I think this is part of the reason I got hooked on FF. People were actually discussing stuff here.
- Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah
Patrik: yes, San Francisco is often two to five years ahead of the rest of the world. For fun I just checked into Feedly again. ALL I saw was stuff I've already seen on Twitter. So, for me (and anyone who cares about the tech industry) Google Reader is showing dramatically less utility than it did a year ago, especially if you've put any time into organizing feeds into lists over on Twitter.
- Robert Scoble
Rahsheen: funny, I tried to get the rest of the industry over here and failed. Why? Most people don't want to have conversations. Tim O'Reilly, for instance, told me he doesn't have time for that.
- Robert Scoble
I agree Rahsheen. The discussions is what got us going on FriendFeed. Too hard to do them on Twitter. How do we get back to those days people?
- Corvida
But isn't all that discussion just speculation until you get a critical mass and some time behind it? I love what Facebook and Twitter have done for me, but feel a great deal of fatigue after only a couple of years. Talking to people IRL is very attractive these days. We've gotten ahead of ourselves.
- John Kress
John: exactly. Plus, now that blogs have real time conversations thanks to Disqus and Echo we can pimp a URL and have conversations over there.
- Robert Scoble
Robert: Yeah it seems that SF is ahead of the rest of the world. For now, I'll use Google Reader for my news source. But sure, if Swedish news, blogs, websites etc. started to use Twitter I may change my mind,
- Patrik Johansson
I remember that, Robert. You used to link FF convo's on Twitter a lot. While you're probably correct that some of the big wigs don't have the time or desire to talk, there are still those of us that enjoy discussion. Am I going to notice that people like Tim aren't present? Absolutely not. Just like I don't expect P. Diddy to take the time out to chat with me when I want to discuss the music industry.
- Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah
Rahsheen: funny, P Diddy is probably over at MySpace having conversations with his fans. I know a lot of musical groups do that. Why there? Because there's money there. Fans buy music.
- Robert Scoble
Patrik: yeah, eventually you'll see that Twitter takes over the world. Even in France most of the entrepreneurs were on Twitter and the media was talking about it a lot.
- Robert Scoble
Rahsheen: the reason I don't link to FF much anymore is because I can have real time conversations back on my blog now. A year ago I couldn't.
- Robert Scoble
Robert: So when does the big backlash come, and what does it look like? (Online vs real life)?
- John Kress
John: a good percentage of divorces are already mentioning Facebook. How do you know the backlash isn't underway?
- Robert Scoble
Corvida, I don't think there is any turning back. Ashton, Oprah, Brittany, and all their minions have invaded the space. Eben Pagan, Mike Dillard, Steve Kern and the like have all discovered social media and are making money off of it. I think it's a lost cause in that regard...
- Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah
Corvida: those conversations have moved over to blogs like those from Louis Gray and Jesse Stay for the large part.
- Robert Scoble
Hrm...I guess most bloggers should be happy about that. There was a time when comment fragmentation and losing the discussion was a serious concern. I wonder what everyone thinks about that now.
- Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah
Robert: I think the backlash is underway. But, naturally, the whip has a long tail.
- John Kress
Robert: Or a short head in this case.
- John Kress
lol @John. Rahsheen we're happy, but that doesn't mean we didn't adjust to the way things have been for the past 2 years before Disqus and real-time web stuff. Twitter WAS the only real-time web, besides FriendFeed, last year. I like that they've moved back to blogs, but I don't talk about every tech topic that comes to mind on my blog. I like the random tech convo's across the web, where either you're there to participate in the convo or you're not.
- Corvida
True, I can't say that I've caught most of the convo going on on blogs. I have definitely become used to the blogs being discussed on places other than the blog itself. Maybe I need to change my strategy...again.
- Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah
Rahsheen: Exactly! Plus, I don't want to crowd my blog with too many discussions in one day.
- Corvida
I'd settle for the days of acknowledging one another.
- Kelli Schmith
I don't have conversations on Facebook and I am normal! (as I am not a professional, just a retired Granny) TBH I hate Facebook! Only on there because family asked me to be on there. I'd rather have a conversation on here or a live chat facility. Its better to discuss things on here or in comments on your blogs. I love blogging
- Sandra Large
Robert: you are a couple of years ahead. But you also have a different behavior when it comes to news consumption: we are building feedly for people who have the time to check their favorite websites, topics, brands one or two times a day and want to do it through something that looks like their own personalized magazine. Regarding this discussion I agree that the internet has lost a little bit of something since most people moved to twitter and the conversations on friendfeed dried up.
- Edwin Khodabakchian
This is clearly not my cat. If this was my cat he's have one arm shoved down into the printer trying to tear up all the internal whirling bits with his bare claws.
- Soup
Too Funny! Reminds me of the San Mateo Cat Shelter where one of the cats loves to sleep on top of the laster printer where the paper comes out...
- Greg Lato
1600+ to beat the FFundercats live chat thread. I think with this real time now on all threads we're going to see some truly epic comment numbers.
- Simon Wicks
Ivan, no the picture speaks for itself. ;-)
- Kol Tregaskes
Petr, I have no idea what you mean, but thank you. :-)
- Kol Tregaskes
@Kol .. :] that, partially, might have been the purpose.... I don't know it exactly either. :] .. was I reflecting on a cat under the fax, and that it is hard to fax that way ... /?:] ... "underfaxing at its worst" ..
- Petr Buben
there ya have me ! :] .... see, to be honest with you, i saw this pic couple days ago, but i let it go, without posting it ..... what does that make me? :]
- Petr Buben
even a flat cat... faxes just can't handle the hair. You'd have to shave the cat first, else the hair will burn and stick to the drum... a mess! (I am extrapolating from transparencies, mind, i don't have access to a cat to test)
- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
Hehe, Joelle. This is now tied for the 'likes' top stop. One more then, hehe. :-)
- Kol Tregaskes
Hehe, Greg. Blimey! Erm, is that not far from 500 likes now? ;-)
- Kol Tregaskes
Bloody marvelous, Kol. Wish I could like it again... too cute (and help u to 500 likes).
- Roberto Bonini
I couldn't believe it when I logged on from the morning over posting it and saw it was at something 200 likes! You all have a strange fetish with cats and fax machines, hehe. ;-)
- Kol Tregaskes
Am I the only one who saw this and their first thought was - My goodness did someone break that cats neck? It still freaks me out a little
- Steve C
Steve, it does look a little out of place, but cats are pretty bendy. ;-)
- Kol Tregaskes
They fax much better if you flatten them first. What?
- Kevin Pedraja
So we can put this post to rest now. :-) 505 likes final count, wow! :-D Good night all!
- Kol Tregaskes
My like is the last one so far :) - 509 afaik
- getalifejerk
did 3 people really un-like this? now at 506. wtf (edit: uh, oh, yeah, me and 2 + 506 others makes 509. dammit, jim, i'm an artist, not a mathematician)
- ɐ ɯıʞ sıɹɥɔ
One of the best funny cat pictures I've seen! :-)
- John Collis
Kristian, it appears to be. Hehe, John.
- Kol Tregaskes
ای بابا این پیشول بی خیال نمی شود، بابا پاشو برو دنبال یه بازی دیگه ، از هفته پیش تا حالا تو فکس ولو شدی حوصله ات سر نرفته، پاشو اقلا بپر رو کیبوردی چیزی
- Maryaminaa
It's really only social convention which regards it as inappropriate, same with Xeroxing it, like one does with their b__tocks. Wait are we still talking about cats cats here or...
- sofarsoShawn
OMGosh 700+ likes now!! LOL. Thank you all 702 of you. :-)
- Kol Tregaskes
Yeah. LOL. I just made it official, like in the Thriller video...except that I didn't turn into a werewolf and chase her through the woods....
- Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah
Not fair that the lady gets to wear a fancy ring before we even do the church thing. What's the point of being engaged if you can't flaunt it? LOL. Thanks everyone :)
- Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah
Congratulations, Rahsheen! I had a similar thought for Harold when he gave me my ring: "Gee, kind of unfair the guy doesn't get to wear something too until the wedding."
- Kamilah Gill
Of course that message could also go to Facebook: "Hey Mark, want inclusion in our Social Search? Approve Facebook in Friend Connect." :-)
- Jesse Stay
Sigh. You guys are really making me want an Android device now.
- Corvida
Isn't it Steve Jobs and Apple who's making you want an Android device?
- Andy Bakun
It really bugged me that cellphones are a zero-sum device. If I want an Android 2.0 device I need to give up my iPhone. Then I remembered the iPod Touch (or an iPhone without a sim card that's nearly the same thing) and I realized that maybe I can have it all...
- Kevin Fox
And maybe some people just want a cool phone... The needs of the many outweight the geeks of the few
- Johnny Worthington
from iPhone
Seesmic, Friendfeed and Twitter next to each other in a test version of Twhirl. Adding tons of Friendfeed experience improvements in there, Marco rocks.
Is twitter's api actually back up at 50 req/hr?
- Shawn Farner
The old Twhirl works for me in linux for me, it just won't remember my password.
- Daniel E. Renfer
from twhirl
Yes Marco does. Twhirl is becoming my info hub. And if Twitter dies, who cares I'm sure Pownce, Jaiku or whatever could be swapped in
- Tris Hussey
from twhirl
Let me know how it goes :) It's pretty exciting. I am looking for apps which would do only specific kinds of feeds : like weather. Instead of reading a message, I'd love to have icons... etc...
- Julien
Very cool. I just tweeted a few weeks ago that I wanted an app like this. Psyched to see that one exists.
- Curtiss Grymala
Excellent. If you remember, last year, I needed to get rid of my Blogging While Brown ticket and you hooked me up with Corvida. I think this is a topic that the BWB conference would love to have presented.
- Admiral Anika
Thanks, I really try to stay away from talking about race or anything controversial but oh well.
- Wayne Sutton
as i commented on Anika's post of this piece, I can't believe something like this got further on Twitter than a few ignorant people. I used to think the Twitter community was, by and large, a more aware subset than most. I guess that aspect shrinks as the Twitter populace grows.
- edythe
I don't keep up with the trending topics often, but this is ridiculous. I hate people sometimes. That's about as deep as I can get.
- Eric @ CSTechcast.com
I TOTALLY agree with you on this. I'm SO sick of the pointless trending topics that I've been ignoring them. So I didn't even know this was going on til reading your post. This is very sad indeed.
- ChaCha Fance
That is an interesting question something that Wayne and i have talked about over the course of my short life on Twitter almost 1 year in 2 weeks it will be 1 year. I am iluvblackwomen on twitter along with whatblkmenthink, kulturefirst, urbanlitreview and other Black oriented Brands. I make money marketing strictly to African Americans and i have Major Black Brands for whom i manage...
more...
- iluvblackwomen
Really strong writing Wayne. Seriously.
- Jay Cuthrell
Pretty boring gallery- some apps shoudn't get recognition- i.e. flickr- boring design with a big name brand
- Amnon Dekel
The Convertbot app shown above looks cool but is not at all intuitive. Took me way too long to do a simple conversion!
- Herb Hernandez
Amnon: Well I think that Flickr app looks good, calm and stylish gray. Noting too fancy, but you're right about that it's noting special. EDIT: I send some good examples...
- Kristian Salonen
I have to agree with Om that Android is definitely going to replace Microsoft. The Windows Mobile platform is the crappiest of them all. Waiting for Verizon to get an android device to I can sell my Motorola Q9c. I may sell it now just because I don't use it anymore. I love the new homescreen though for Windows 7 but Apple and Nokia have spoiled me with free updates. Microsoft has some serious catching up to do.
- Corvida
Strangely, as an iPhone user i'm kind of rooting for them, because the more competitive the market gets the more consumers will benefit. I know MS is poor when it comes to real innovation so I'm curious to see how they will spend their way back to the top of an already crowded marketplace.
- Tate DA FF MVP
Maybe instead of bitching about Microsoft's platform, why not provide some concrete examples like do away with the Today Screen interface for something more touch oriented. That way if anyone from Microsoft reads this feed they'll understand what all the bitching is about.
- Jim Lavin
It would be foolish to underestimate Microsoft, as this article clearly does. The real mobile platform battle will take place next year, not this year. Tegra, snapdragon and whatever Apple has to bring to market will be the key players as it stands right now. This year everyone is idling and milking.
- Adrian
Thanks, everyone. @Pete - that's a birthday cake my mom gave me a few years ago... Just handy in my Flickr stream. We might get some gourmet cupcakes from a new store near here soon. :) (If they're open today).
- Lindsay is in 20-ten
People say Twitter is mainstream now - IMHO I think not. On any given day, half of the trending topics seem to be stories published by Mashable or TechCrunch. Until that's not the case, I wouldn't say Twitter is mainstream. Sure it's mentioned by mainstream media all the time but I'm referring mainstream in terms of user base. Agree or disagree?
Holden: To me it seems so. Granted I'm not monitoring trends 24/7 but I do read mashable and TC everday and it seems as though half the posts form each site becoming trending topics during the day
- Mike Bracco
When my mom and dad are both on I'll let you know. That's the true mark of mainstream, my folks are on your service. What that means is Facebook has made it as of July! ;)
- Brian Bufalo
Judging by the trending topics, I'd say Twitter is mainstream or just one step away from it. The trending topics are the sort of stuff you'd see on Facebook or Myspace (although with one or two hard news topics per day).
- Spidra Webster
Perhaps it's just b/c TC and Mashable readers are more apt to use the retweet button while other Twitter users who are not in that audience don't' do it from other sites they visit.
- Mike Bracco
When my Mum asks me "Why did you ignore my Tweet?", it isnot mainstream
- Andy Bold
I think Brian's parent test was a good one - my parents still don't know/understand Twitter, but at least my mom uses Facebook. Twitter is a lot more well-known than before, and it gets a lot of coverage, and people recognize the name, but most still don't know what it does or how it works.
- Ryan - @magicofpi
I agree with Andrew. The topics like #uknowusprung that make you scratch your head far outweigh the others in the top 10. It's not Facebook mainstream but mainstream for sure. So many athletes and celebs on there controlling the trending topics.
- beersage
Twitter is actually mainstream in news distribution, not news making. That was the original purpose of it and it's remaining. You can say with this bias that CNN is nothing 'cuz it's poblish only "other's" stories.
- Mike
What you need is some Cheyenne pepper in that soup!
- Joe
no, Rah... it just sounded like that pitchman saying "Stop having boring tuna, stop having a boring life"... it is for that choppy kitchen gadget.
- Yolanda