Twitter announced on Wednesday that it would be launching its own official application for Google Android devices.
At the moment, there’s no telling whether the company will build its own Android app from scratch or purchase an already-established Twitter client like Twidroid or Seesmic. If it follows precedent established just recently, the company will opt for the latter.
Twitter acquired Tweetie last Saturday and confirmed that the app would be renamed “Twitter for iPhone,” making it the company’s first official iPhone app.
CEO Evan Williams explained at the Chirp developer conference that the company’s decision to purchase Tweetie was motivated by the need to make the mobile Twitter experience more ubiquitous. As of now, a user searching the App Store for Twitter will encounter tons of different apps–many of top-notch quality–listed under varying prices and offering varying core experiences. Tweetie, Twitterific, and Echofon are just three of the most well-known Twitter apps.
Once Twitter re-releases “Tweetie” as “Twitter for iPhone” and erases the $2.99 price tag, however, iPhone users will be far less confused about where to turn for their essential mobile Twitter needs. Unfortunately for some third-party developers, however, this means that it will be much harder to reach new users and retain previous users.
Last Friday, Twitter confirmed that it RIM’s new BlackBerry app would be considered the device’s official Twitter client. That’s three confirmed official mobile Twitter clients in less than one week; it’s apparent that mobile will mean a lot to this company going forward.
