Twitter ushered in the end of an era last month when it announced the company would begin developing its own official applications--a move that left the Twitter developer community dismayed, and most Twitter users delighted.

True to its word, the company just released its app for Android. The platform's multitasking abilities makes for some great integrations with other apps, making it easier to tweet while watching a video or reading an article. Unfortunately, it will only be available on phones running Android 2.1 or later.

The company's blog gives a quick rundown:

Twitter for Android is a fantastic application to use, and sharing any link or photo is super simple too – just look for the share button in your favorite application and choose Twitter.

Reading tweets is easy in a bunch of places on your phone. Quickly access your timeline with the home screen widget, view a tweet location on a map, and see your friend’s latest tweet in your phonebook, GoogleTalk list or any application that uses Android’s QuickContact bar. 

This is the company's third mobile app, having bought Tweetie, the most popular iPhone Twitter client, and having developed one in-house for Blackberry devices. 

One of the most interesting features is the integration with contacts. Seeing a friend's latest tweet really could be a big value add, as you can get a glimpse into his mind just before calling. I anticipate PR and salespeople will love that.