Flamingo is not your run of the mill Twitter app. It is probably one of the better third-party clients I’ve used in a very long time. Sure, there are others that have a ton of features; but this app deserves an award for simplicity and design.
The Problem With Complicated Twitter Apps
The issue I have with really complex apps that require a ton of setup is that they take forever to actually use. Some of the features are in the way in those apps. Don’t get me wrong, I love customisation in an app. I just don’t care for the extra setup that brings. I’m definitely more of a simple person when it comes to twitter apps. I want them to work and work well. I don’t want to spend the majority of my time trying to sift through multiple menus and features; that takes up my precious Twitter browsing time.
The Good
I said I love how simple and fluid Flamingo is, but that isn’t everything it offers. If you wanted, you could just not set the app up at all. You can use it right after you log in to your Twitter account with no setup. I prefer to change a few things, but you certainly don’t have to.
There is also very fluid navigation. It uses the left side for a swipe-out menu, and the top is dedicated to the old fixed tabs style menu. The fixed tabs were a feature that first appeared in Android version Ice Cream Sandwich, if i’m not mistaken. If this is incorrect, let me know in the comments.
You can view your activity, which is essential for me. The only reason I stay with the official Twitter app is so I can see my likes, quotes, and retweets; this feature makes me very willing to use a 3rd party client. I know other apps can do this, but I like the material design way they did it.
As partially hinted above, this app is totally material design from head to toe. It is absolutely my favorite style android has ever had. Flamingo makes sure to utilize this in a beautiful way. Browsing my timeline has never looked so good!
The Okay
Before I say this, I want you to know that I already know other clients add the link after a quote. I think this is simply a 3rd party client limitation Twitter has put into place. I’m not sure why apps are required to add the link to a tweet to get the new style of quotes working; I’d rather not have to limit my characters because of this when I quote a tweet. I know this isn’t the fault of the developers, though. That’s why I’m listing it as just “okay”.
The Bad
While I don’t like too much complexity in the settings, I do like certain things. Changing the interval to fetch tweets is one of them that this app doesn’t have. I’m sure they’ll add it later, but for now it is non-existent. You can only select an option that allows the app to fetch activity and mentions at a later time to save battery. I’d rather have seen only limited theme rather than no fetch time intervals.
Conclusion
Get it. You simply have to try this app to see how great it is. It’s still in beta, but it only costs $0.99, so it’ll be worth it. I hope they don’t release another app and charge more for it, but it has happened before. Check it out in the Play Store, and get yourself some Twitter goodness today! Also, leave a comment on whether you like or dislike the app if you already have it.
