KinTweet the movie

Ok not exactly but it is a video done by Jamie (@raegar on Twitter) showing off the rather amazing Kindle web app he wrote called KinTweet.

My Thoughts On The Blackberry Playbook and Ipad Comparison Video

I’ve embedded the new video from Blackberry comparing the (yet unreleased) Playbook (their vapourware slate, well until it is in the shops it is not really real) to the iPad.

Now these videos are interesting to me for a couple of reasons. The first is that it gives us a sneak peak at what may be coming our way. But it doesn’t really give us any really useful comparison between the two devices. Basically what we are seeing in the video is a comparison between a prototype and a version of the iPad that will no longer be valid by the time a final version of the prototype hits the shelves.

And that is the point, already the iPad has moved on to version 4.2.1 of iOS4, by the time the Playbook hits the shelves of stores the iPad will be on it’s second hardware iteration.

Now I don’t know what the spec of the next iPad will be. All we do know is that it will be better spec’d than the current iPads. Maybe faster processor, more operating RAM, front facing camera, who knows? I can only speculate, or try and make logical guesses.

Why do I call the Playbook in the video a prototype? Well it can’t be a final production model, or it would be out in the shops. So Blackberry must be doing some final bits and pieces to the Playbook. Even at the launch, sorry announcement of the intent to release the Playbook no one could get a hands on. Which would imply that it isn’t at the moment in a usable state to let press and public get their hands on it.

And between now and when the Playbook finally hits the shelves things can change dramatically in what was shown and what is released.

So while interesting I’ll wait until I can see a true comparison between the two competing devices of final off the shelf products. Until then take these sort of videos with a pinch of salt.

KinTweet – A Kindle Twitter Client

A bit of disclosure to start with, I don’t have a Kindle (yet) and I am good friends with the author of Kintweet Jamie Myland. In fact we work at the same place, in the same place, and totally just talk geeky stuff in our spare time.

Now with that out of the way I want to tell you about this great web app for the Kindle called by KinTweet.

So some of you Kindle owners out there are thinking “how do I access the web on my Kindle to get to KinTweet?” Well if you look in the experimental area of your Kindle (I love that they have something like this) you will find a basic web browser.

Using this “”experimental” basic web browser navigate to http://www.kintweet.com . Now using your Twitter id, login to Twitter approve the apps access to Twitter via your account, and away you go using Twitter.

Now unlike Twitter clients on other platforms the resources available on the Kindle are even more restrictive. So what functionality Jamie has been able to include is truly remarkable.

Take a look at the main menu on the left and you will see the functionality that has been implemented. It’s most of the things you would want from a Twitter client. Plus instead of struggling with the little cursor pad thingy (for want of a better description), you can also use keyboard short cuts to get fast access to the options.

If I remember correctly so far Jamie has taken maybe 4 or 5 weeks to write this in his spare time. So what we have here is a great web app Twitter client for the Kindle, that shows some amazing UI design for a limited resource.

Here are some more screen grabs from a little session I had using KinTweet on Jamie’s Kindle.

Don’t forget that if you have the 3G version of the Kindle 3, then your web browsing is free. Which means so is your tweeting using http://www.kintweet.com . And best of all KinTweet is also free.

It’s been great seeing this develop over the weeks, and a joy to see Jamie show off the new functionality he has added. Plus I get to have a play with KinTweet when I am shown it.