Boid for Android (Alpha) – superb Twitter app for Android 4 ICS devices
by Paul Wilks
Apr 4, 2012 9:15 AM –
Install
Boid for Android (Alpha) is a superb Twitter client for Ice Cream Sandwich devices. It is only at alpha stage of development, so I’ll be certain to update the review as it moves forward, but it’s such a brilliant little app, it’s well worth your attention now.
Price: Free
Tested on: HTC Desire HD (running a ICS ROM)
Content Rating: Low Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Beautiful ICS themed interface!
- Smooth and slick to use!
- Supports multiple accounts!
- Lots of coloured themes!
- Customised columns!
Cons
- I found it didn’t always load pictures.
- Occasionally crashes on start.
- Doesn’t automatically shorten the URLs of link for sharing.
Features:
Despite Boid being only an alpha release, it’s definitely worth checking out if you have a device that runs Ice Cream Sandwich. The design of the app is heavily influenced by Android’s latest software version so the app almost feels native and very intuitive to use. The interface is incredibly smooth and feels great as you scroll from side to side in the customisable columns. Like other popular Twitter clients such as Tweetdeck, you can add columns to your screen such as specific lists.
One demand that is always made when a new Twitter client is released is the ability to use multiple accounts. This is also included and it’s simple to switch between accounts via the tab at the top- not wholly dissimilar to the ICS Gmail client where you can toggle email accounts.
While being a serious homage to ICS in its design there is still room for more personalisation. There are 6 different colour settings available: turquoise, blue, dark, MIUI orange, red and dark red. This should be plenty for the time being and I’m sure one will fit in with whatever theme you might have on your device.
As far as I could determine, Boid is pretty advanced for an Alpha and I see no reason why it shouldn’t be soon upgraded to Beta, it’s that good. I did have a couple of issues trying to get it to post pictures and I did find that about 50% of the time it crashed on launch (although fine when relaunched). I’m aware though that my device is running only a modded and customised ICS ROM, rather than a proper one, so these might be contributing factors in these small issues… or not. I think if these were rectified and a widget was added it would be pretty much complete. It’s incredibly slick and very simple to use. It might not quite yet replace whichever Twitter app you currently use, but it’s really really close.
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Boid – Personal timeline
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Boid – List scroll-through
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Boid – Timeline
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Boid – Trends
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Boid – Lists
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Boid – Search
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Boid – Daily, weekly and local trends
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Boid – Manage columns
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Boid – Theme chooser
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Boid – MIUI Orange theme
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Boid – Blue theme
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Boid – Preferences
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Boid – Help
Usefulness:
If you tweet a lot, this is a superb Twitter client that works really well with your Ice Creamed Sandwich-ed device. It’s very polished already, despite only being an alpha product, and compliments the look and feel of ICS. The ability to have numerous columns and multiple accounts also make it perfect for a heavy Twitter user. I did have a couple of issues as listed above, but these will surely be ironed out in future updates.
Ease of Use:
Opening Boid from using an ICS ROM feels almost natural, like it’s a native app. It’s smooth, familiar and works really well. It’s incredibly easy to use and highly intuitive, assuming you’re not brand new to Twitter. When I shared links I found it didn’t shorten the URLs, meaning you have to tweak the post a little yourself, but this aside it’s very straightforward.
Frequently Used:
This, of course, depends on how much you tweet. I find myself more and more on Google Plus these days, but still like to post Twitter updates sometimes several times a day. I’m not sure if this will immediately replace whatever Twitter client you are currently using- it still has a few bugs, but if you only tweet occasionally and only post links and pictures infrequently, Boid is easily something you could use on a daily basis.
Interface:
The interface feels like a purely ICS experience and a lot of thought and careful design has gone into making the transition from your ICS device interface to Boid almost seamless. Very responsive and smooth, the UI looks and feels superb.
Tags:
Android 4.0,
Android App,
Android Apps,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Boid,
Boid for Android,
Ice Cream Sandwich,
Social Media,
TweetDeck,
Twitter,
Twitter App
Categorised in: Social
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