Receiving the iPod Touch as a gift is going to be life changing. It’s not just the plethora of applications nor their diversity.  The key is the interface rethinking; applications are no longer designed around a full size screen and a keyboard.  Flickr has given us an app that has adapted well to the platform.

See the screenshot of the Flickr application for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Starting the app places you on a screen where a stream of your contacts recent uploads fades in and out.

Along the bottom Recent, You and Contacts are just a click away. Each takes you a viewing screen designed around those specific items.

In the upper right corner you’ll notice a camera. That’s the ‘just a click away’ uploader function of the app., Just click, pick and upload. Optionally the title, description and tags can be edited before upload.

The application allows favoriting, commenting and forwarding. Forwarding can only be done via email and requires email already be set up for the device.

Viewing on the iPhone or Touch is done in groups of 40 photos. Viewing one’s own photos, the app selects the 40 most recent. The same is true when Recent and Contacts are chosen.

Within a group of photos, sliding works well but there are no ‘pinch’ and ’swipe’ gestures that work.

The overall layout is usable but is slightly finger unfriendly. Some of the links are quite close together and not buttons but direct links.

Quality:  4/5

Usability: 4/5

Continued use/re-use: 5/5

Value/cost: 5/5

If you use Flickr and have an iPhone or iPod Touch I’d rate this as a must have app. The link at the beginning of the article should take you straight there.

Find me on Flickr.

Future apps I’ll be reviewing: Sudoku apps, News apps, other games. Suggestions welcome.

Robyn provide a tip on taking a screenshot or screen capture of the iPhone or iPod Touch screen.  It’s simple, just hold down the Home button, the one at the bottom, and then push down the Sleep button at the top. You’ll hear a picture taking sound and it’s done.

The picture is saved to the the Saved Photos folder under the Photos app.  You can then use it the same as any other image stored on the iPhone or Touch.

Full screenshot tip on Robyn’s Online World.

Here are a couple of images to help you locate the Home and Sleep buttons on your iPod or iPhone.

iPod iPhone Home Button

iPod iPhone Sleep Button

This is one of the new messages you’ll see when you visit a friend’s restaurant. There are a variety of calls for help as well.

Here’s the leak.

So there you go, you’ve got a leak to fix. It’s a no brainer though as you simply click on any of the leak spouts in the restaurant.  A click activates a small timer over the top of the leak or other issue. Once the countdown is done, away it goes.

You’ll receive a message box like the one above.  Your friend rewards you with either 5 or 10 coins. This doesn’t replace clean up coins you earn for picking up pizza slices and discarded soda cans. It’s an additional way to get some coins.

The nicest thing about this feature? It’s redeemable in all of your friends’ restaurants.  I was able to claim over 100 coins today in this feature alone. Not a windfall but it pays for those cups of water.

My personal favorite is the penguins.

Yeah, cute little guy. Apparently he’s equally annoying to leaks, a sleeping bear, giant mushrooms, and skunks. Honestly PlayFish, picking on penguins.

This is a fun feature addition to a pleasing casual game.  PlayFish continues to add nice little features.  Upcoming are new themes as well.

You can find Restaurant City on Facebook.

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Assassin's Lair Restaurant City

When you have to blow off a little steam, why not use it to make vegetables?

Screenshot from the game Restaurant City on Facebook, game by Playfish.

Seesmic’s team has released a new Twitter desktop client. It supports several much requested features.

Feature Highlights

• Multiple Twitter ID support – reading and posting
• Multiple column
• Easy search – converts to column
• Closing columns is not the same as deleting – searches and other columns saved
• Easy to generate user lists – become columns
• Adobe Air application – runs across platforms

These aren’t unknown across other Twitter clients, but it’s a total revamp of Twhirl, the previous Seesmic client.  Mind you the version I’m trying out is a ‘preview’ release and some or all of the features may change.

First look

• Seems smoother than other clients – might just be perception, but I’m not seeing the spinning disk on my Mac
• Color scheme could use some work or themes
• Easy to form user lists and searches.  Doing a search instantly forms a column and places it out to the right.  Same for user lists.
• Seems to grab all available friend updates – was never sure about this with clients before
• Includes easy short URL and image support, including built in web cam shots. <- fun bonus

All in all, I’m not sure it’ll replace Tweetdeck as my preferred client.  It doesn’t have integration with Facebook or 12Second.tv, both of which I use.  If you don’t care about that integration then I recommend giving this a try.

Since it’s preview, you’ll have to register at the Desktop site. You’ll receive an email shortly after that to download it.

If you aren’t using a Twitter client, then you aren’t really enjoying Twitter.

Yours,

Todd

@tojosan

MuthaMae is one of my favorite local twitterers. She’s always sharing funny stuff.

Yours,
Todd
@tojosan on Twitter