In the micro-messaging space there is Twitter and then everyone else. But Plurk is one of those “everyone elses” that is somewhat interesting because it at least attempts to look different than a straight-up Twitter clone. Unfortunately, a new iPhone app for the service fails to take advantage of that differentiating factor.
Plurk, to me, is interesting because of its unique look with a timeline view for status updates. Rather than your standard vertical stream up updates, Plurk turns it on its side — literally — by giving a horizontal view (see the screenshot below). But the new iPhone app, iPlurk (which is a third-party app, not made by Plurk), takes things back to the old vertical view employed by Twitter and others. And that’s a problem because Plurk as a straight-up Twitter clone isn’t nearly as popular as Twitter and won’t be able to compete.
Still, I suppose iPlurk is nice if you’re addicted to Plurk and need a native app to update your stream. The app supports Plurk’s other defining characteristic, update verbs. That is, it allows you to choose from a set group of verbs to define what you are doing. For example, one might say, “username hates going outside in the cold.” But oddly, these verbs are only given the Plurk-style color outlines in the “Plurk Responses” area of the app, and not on the timeline itself, another way the app makes the service more bland.
The bottom line is if you’re addicted to Plurk and own an iPhone, it may be worth it for you to drop the $1.99 to get iPlurk in the App Store. But for the rest of you who either only use Plurk in passing, or were waiting for a killer Plurk app to get into the service, keep waiting.
Find iPlurk for $1.99 in the App Store here.
Reprinted with permission from VentureBeat. Story copyright 2009 VentureBeat Inc. All rights reserved.
Saying iPlurk is bland jumps the gun a bit.
Firstly, the main Plurk site is a iPhone nightmare. Timeline scrolling doesn't work, you can't seem to get to the Plurk responses at all. The mobile page on Plurk works, but it's *too* simple for constant use and is more designed for mobile browsers not nearly as powerful as Mobile Safari.
iPlurk is trying to move it on a step further, giving iPhone users a richer experience tailored for them. It's only in its infancy, with updates I'm sure to follow. It's infinitely better than the mobile version designed to be more user-friendly for those using fingers rather than buttons as the control format.
Agreed, $1.99 is a bit high for the app as it is now, but give it a chance, and it'll grow into something Plurkers will love.
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