Let's take a look at the update Twitter – a client that you can try for free for now.
It so happened that for iOS there is an official client Twitter, Tweetbot and all the others. For Android, everything is a little more complicated: Falcon Pro, Fenix, Talon, Tweetcaster, Plume – these are the ones that can somehow be called famous. And there are also a bunch of other unpopular applications, so the choice is very difficult. But the main problem is that Twitter – clients do not differ much: they perform the same functions, look alike and borrow 'chips' from each other. So the choice becomes even more complicated.
I opted for Falcon Pro 3. The fact is that I rarely go to Twitter, so I'm a very undemanding user. But the official client is too unstable – the tweets in the feed start to crawl over each other, then the application will close. And Falcon works stably, probably because the application has not been updated for a long time.
I also bought Talon and Fenix apps. I didn’t like the first one at all, but Fenix seemed like a good client, but I didn’t like it externally, so I forgot the agony of choice and stayed on Falcon. And so I stumbled upon the Fenix update, called the second version of the client, and decided to familiarize myself, at the same time I will share my impression with the readers.
Cosmetic changes
The first thing that catches your eye is that outwardly different versions of the application are very similar, especially when compared directly. Even the general layout of the app hasn't changed. We moved the settings menu to the side curtain, added a strip of unread posts to the right, and added a little more themes. The old Fenix has light, dark, black, and the new one has 7 themes with different colors. The app looks a little better.
Old and new Fenix interface:
But the layout of posts has noticeably changed. The new version composes tweets worse and less information fits on the screen, even if you choose a compact message format. This is not critical, but I do not understand how the main function Twitter – the client – displaying tweets could be worsened.
We also removed the video preview from YouTube: in the old version, you could click on the video and watch it directly from the client, in the new version, the YouTube application opens immediately. Also a strange decision.
The interaction with tweets has not changed. You can set actions for single tap, double and hold – open a tweet, open a quick action menu, reply, quote, retweet, and like. The tweet window hasn't changed dramatically either. But there is a cool Compose function that makes a small delay before posting a message – from 5 to 20 seconds, during which time you can re-read the message and delete it until no one sees it. It will be useful in especially emotional verbal battles on social networks.
We've done a lot to optimize the application. The old Fenix wasn't slow, but the newer version is faster. The tape does not slow down even with fast scrolling, all menus open instantly. It is commendable.
Otherwise, this is a normal client for Twitter. He knows how to work with multiple accounts, there is an automatic feed update, position synchronization via Tweet Maker and all other basic functions.
More work needs to be done
The new application has become simpler, a little nicer in appearance, a little faster, but it spoiled the tweet feed and removed the YouTube preview. Perhaps the problem is that while Fenix 2 is at the testing stage, but I could not find the old version on Google Play, it can only be opened via a direct link. But while there is no stable version of the application, you can download it for free. Upgrading to the stable version will be paid, the developer warns. And, yes, there is no Russian language yet.
All the same, I am glad that the developer has not abandoned his application and is trying to develop it. The same Falcon Pro 3 has not been updated since December 2016. But you need to understand that the third-party client does not have some of the official functions Twitter. For example, there are no polls. On the other hand, there are no ads in third-party clients.
Fenix 2 on Google Play
It remains to wait for the final release of Fenix 2 and find out how much money the developer will ask for the new version. In the meantime, recommend your clients for Twitter in the comments, maybe there are good free apps.