Osfoora 2 for iPhone has finally dropped and anyone who has been using Twitter long enough probably remembers the original Osfoora. For a long time it was one of the most popular Twitter clients on the block. Now Osfoora 2 is available and is fully compatible with iOS 7 including background app refresh capabilities, a gorgeous interface, and more.
Upon launching Osfoora 2 on my iPhone, I was pleasantly surprised to see the interface is darker. A quick way for a Twitter or news app to get deleted off my iPhone is to have no dark theme option. I always prefer dark over light if I can only have one. This preference strictly comes from the fact that many of us like to read news and tweets in the dark at night. It's just habit for a lot of us and the option to only have a light theme is hard on the eyes.
When it comes to design, Osfoora 2 uses colors to mark where conversations are happening. Anyone familiar with the old version of Osfoora will already be familiar. Only this time you've got a colored bar off to the side of the tweet instead of the tweet background being colored. I actually prefer this as it doesn't distract from the actual timeline. Osfoora 2 also supports gesture navigation so you don't have to reach into a top corner in order to tap out of menus or go to a previous menu. Just swipe to the side in order to pull out the main menu or return to your timeline from tweet views.
As for interacting with tweets, just swipe to the left on any tweet to pull on the interaction menu which contains your basic retweet, reply, favorite, and conversation buttons. You can also use the more option in this menu to delete your own tweets, send other's tweets to a read it later service of your choice, and more. Osfoora 2 currently supports Pocket, Safari Reading List, and Instapaper where read it later services are concerned. For opening links, you can choose between either Chrome or Safari in settings. To access the settings panel, just pull out the main menu and tap on your avatar.
Osfoora 2 does not support native push but it does have support for background app refresh under iOS 7. This means that as long as you have the option enabled in settings, Osfoora can update your stream even when the app isn't active, and that includes sending notifications to Notification Center. I've been using it with local notifications with zero issues.
The good
- Great interface that's easy to navigate and takes advantages of swipe navigation the way iOS 7 intends it to be used
- Local notifications and background app refresh support
- User customizable font sizes
- Support for opening links in Chrome
- Now playing support, for those that like that
The bad
- No native push, but for most of us, local notifications are more than sufficient
- No tweet translation support
- Would like to see image and video support for Droplr
- No ability to edit and create new lists
The bottom line
I've been waiting a long time for Osfoora to receive an update and Osfoora 2 definitely doesn't disappoint. With a gorgeous interface, amazingly convenient swipe gestures, and background refresh support, it's sure to become a crowd favorite. If you're in the market for a new Twitter experience, I'd highly recommend giving Osfoora 2 a closer look.
- $2.99 - Download Now
