Version 1.5 has been submitted and should be in the App Catalog soon.
Bugs
- Load More showing gaps in home timeline ( see below)
- Links causing app to freeze
- Notifications not clearing on loading the timeline
- Wrong (and really big) notification counts in dashboard
Forward Gesture/Compose is still broken -- seems to be problem in webOS 1.4 update. (This seems broken in web browser application as well)
Features and Changes
- basic/beta TwitVid integration for uploading video
Load More
Before 1.3, some users had gaps in their home timelines when clicking "Load More". We tried to fix this in 1.3 and probably made things worse.
We are going back to the previous methods we had in 1.2. While users may still see gaps, the problem seems to on the Twitter side. In more expansive testing, it seems that the Twitter API occasionally return the wrong tweets for Load More. We are trying to find out more from Twitter
While we think the Load More behavior will be better, we don't think this is fully resolved and might be outside our control.
Opening Links and Frozen App
This is a bit complicated. We thought our update to 1.3 fixed this. It did, for some users, it didn't for others.
Apparently there are some bugs in Palm's installer that have led to some files not being overridden, even though they changed. Upon testing, we've discovered version 1.3 installations that still have some of the 1.2 files.
We are hoping this update forces an overwrite of the files in question, but it may not for everyone. For those that still have trouble with links freezing the app:
- try deleting Tweed first, then re-install -- this should clear out old files
- if it still doesn't work, please email us at tweed-support@pivotallabs.com
Video Beta
We have integrated TwitVid uploads with Tweed. We consider this a beta and expect users to experience some problems. Honestly we wanted to let people experiment sooner than later.
The largest problem is upload stability -- video files can be sizable and the upload may fail, especially over cell. We suggest using video with wifi only.
There are some webOS challenges unfortunately to making this integration more robust. The file upload mechanism in webOS doesn't allow for resuming a failed upload: it is all or nothing. For larger files (like video), this is a bit fragile.
We are hoping Palm will provide other upload mechanisms that will allow us to make this more robust, but honestly, we are a bit stuck unless they make these changes.
We plan to make add features to Tweed to provide better feedback about progress and help make retries easier.
Free Version
As we announced some time ago, we are no longer continuing development on the free version of Tweed. We haven't the resources to continue developing two versions of the application.
Unfortunately, webOS 1.4 has broken Tweed and this is something we weren't expecting. However, we still aren't in a position to support both versions (free version is no longer in US catalog), so users of 0.9.x won't be getting an update. We are sorry for this and understand it will make Tweed unusable for many/most users of this version.
To make it easier for free users to upgrade to the paid version, we are going to reduce the price of Tweed from $2.99 to $0.99 for the next few weeks. As with all Palm apps, updates are free.
Version 1.3 has been submitted and should be in the App Catalog soon.
Bugs
- Load More showing gaps in home timeline
- TweetPhoto: upload and in-app photo viewing restored
- can remove account if username changed on Twitter
- RT's now show timestamp of RT, not original tweet
- webOS 1.4 issues are fixed (for upcoming webOS update)
Features and Changes
- specify RT style: old, new or prompt (per tweet) tions
In the past, we've been asked if we planned to charge for Tweed. Until recently, we hadn't made a decision. Tweed began as an application we developed to learn Palm webOS, and it grew into something we started to depend on, so we decided to release it to the App Catalog.
At this point, Tweed has a thriving user base and continues to grow in its maturity and capabilities. However, this does come with considerable costs to Pivotal Labs and we can't indefinitely subsidize the entire cost of development. So, we've decided to make Tweed a paid application in the App Catalog.
We are committed to continuing to develop and support Tweed. Charging for it will let us keep bringing you new features, like the ones in the 1.0 release.
Existing Tweed users can continue to use the current version, (0.9.16) and you can still grab a copy until the paid apps are available; it will not timebomb and we're happy for you to keep using it. However, it will be removed from the App Catalog when the paid version replaces it. Hopefully you'll find the new features compelling enough to upgrade. (Unfortunately it will install as a new application, so you will have to re-enter your accounts and you will lose existing timeline markers and bookmarks. Sorry, this is a consequence of the new App Catalog and we have no influence over this.)
For Canadian users, Tweed will continue to be free until Palm launches a commerce enabled App Catalog in Canada. (This will be true for new Palm Pre markets as well.)
Features
There will be a variety of new features available in the initial 1.0.0 release of the paid application.
- true, direct photo upload (no more email)
- TwitPic, TwitGoo, TweetPhoto, yFrog, Posterous
- new notifications dashboards
- full-screen view of user profile image (tap user picture on user profile scene)
- preference for number of tweets on fetch
- ability to change password
- show number of tweets in user profile
- direct messages can include photos
Roadmap
While we have lots planned for Tweed, some items of note include:
- themes
- landscape support
- bit.ly / j.mp url shorteners
- Flickr upload support
- more...
Pricing
Tweed will normally cost $3.99. However, for the next few weeks, to help ease the transition, we will offer Tweed for the discounted price of $1.99.
We thank you all of using Tweed. While we know some of you will be disappointed that Tweed will be a paid-only application, we hope you will enjoy the new Tweed.
0.9.14 of Tweed is now available in the App Catalog.
Bugs:
- timeout didn't actually timeout
- re-launch app created new card
Features/Change:
- loading spinner/scrim no longer full screen -- allows for user interaction/cancel if Twitter is slow
- option to disable links in tweet list (still available from tweet popup)
- ability to re-tweet own tweets
- Nearby timeline (can search within nearby, configure Nearby radius)
- Photo View
- Support for French (for Canadian users)
- preference to open multiple cards per account
Photo Viewing
- if tweet contains photo link, icon indicator will be present
- can view photos within Tweed, no need for external browser load
- twitpic.com, tweetphoto.com (and pic.gd), yFrog.com and twitgoo.com supported
Multiple Cards
If enabled, you can tap Open from App Menu to open another card for an account. (This allows multiple timelines to be simultaneously open, similar to TweetDeck)
Today's the big day: the Palm® Pre™ has launched.
We've been happy to be partner with Palm and we've been working very hard towards this day.
We are happy to have several applications in the App Catalog:
- AP Mobile
- mobile by Citysearch
- LikeMe
- and our own Tweed, a Twitter client
When the Mojo™ SDK is publicly available, we will be releasing various open-source tools to aid development:
- Jasmine: BDD testing framework
- Pockets: various libraries and utilities for Palm webOS development
Ian McFarland and I did an interview with John Cox of Network World for his recent article on Palm's webOS.
You can read the article at:
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/041709-palm-pre-webos-lives-up-to-claims.html
Ian McFarland and I spoke to Priya Ganapati of Wired this morning about the Palm Pre, webOS and Mojo Application Framework. It was a follow-on interview to Mitch Allen's Webcast this morning. (Check http://developer.palm.com for the webcast; it will be posted soon.)
Check out the Wired blog post at:
Palm shook up the mobile world at CES 2009 when they announced the Palm® Prē™ and webOS™. And while webOS™ defines new possibilities for the mobile experience, it is the possibilities for the developer that sold us and led us to pursue a partnership with Palm.
You can create a great application with many platforms, but it can be far from easy for the developer; at times I swear I hear circus music as I jump through an endless array of hoops, in an effort to build my application.
The Mojo Application Framework is built for the developer, just as a BMW is built for the driver. (Not that the passengers get a bad deal either.) Most mobile platforms frustrate me as they seem like the state of the art in desktop development circa the 1990's. With Mojo, the development experience is more like using Rails or Django and less like using C++.
Pivotal plans to bring our practices to developing with the Mojo framework, such as Continuous Integration, and Test/Behavior Driven Development. Expect to see a variety of open source tools from us to support these efforts.
Gizmodo's Brian Lam recently wrote, "Palm dropped their new smartphone and their new operating system on us, and it is maybe the most interesting phone I have seen this decade."[1] Though the Palm Pre definitely evokes intense gadget lust, webOS and the Mojo Application Framework combine as one of the most interesting development platforms that I have seen in some time.
[1] http://i.gizmodo.com/5127040/catching-up-dear-ces-diary-day-one