TwitterFon Pro was already my favorite app, but an update and a new name has taken the app to perfection. The now named Echofon (née TwitterFon) is useful, but the Pro version capitalizes on its smart user interface while removing ads and integrating key Pro-only perks.
The best perk is its new support for push notifications, which offers the typical sounds, alerts and badges. But the smart developers at Naan Studio took push one step further by allowing users to put the feature in sleep mode when they are. That means you can turn off push from midnight to 8 a.m., with no chance of a 4 a.m. wake up call when a spammer retweets you.
Coupled with this long-awaited addition is the ability to sync Echofon Pro with Echofon for Firefox (formerly TwitterFox). If you’re using Echofon for Firefox, tweets you read on your desktop will also appear read on your phone and vice versa. You’ll need to upgrade your TwitterFox plug-in to Echfon to enable this feature. A note: You won’t receive push notifications if you’re running Echofon on your desktop and are not idle. Echofon checks the server every 10 to 15 minutes for @mentions, but I’ll take that over no notifications at all.
Everything in Echofon Pro opens inline, one of the best features about the app. You can access links directly from the timeline or by expanding tweets, depending on how nimble your fingertip is. Photos open inline, YouTube opens inline—even e-mail for links opens inline. Plus, if you tap and hold TinyURLs, Echofon Pro will convert the URL to its full address so you can see exactly where you’d be directed.
Echofon Pro supports TwitPic and TwitVid for photos and videos, but also offers users the option of uploading to Flickr—nice if you’re tired of having accounts all over the Internet.
Echofon Pro supports multiple accounts and is easy to switch back and forth. Tweeting is a breeze (you can flip into landscape mode for typing) and adding photos, location links or friends’ @usernames is a matter of tapping a button. From your timeline you can tap user photos to reply instantly. But be careful. If you want to send a direct message, make sure you’re in the DM tab or you’ve tapped “Send a DM” while you’re viewing an expanded tweet.
Echofon Pro’s usability, intuitiveness, clean design and coveted push notifications support make it deserving of a top rating and your $5.
