Why A Twitter DM Is Better Than A Text

It’s the numbers. Numbers never lie. They are ingrained in fact.

So what are the numbers?

The numbers of places you can check for new Twitter DMs (direct messages) versus the number of places you can new texts (SMSs).

Let’s break it down.

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iPhone or Android? iPhone… no.. Android

I had an interesting moment today. I felt an extreme and sudden desire to go back to using my iPhone after using the Nexus One for almost 3 months.

It wasn’t that I was dissatisfied with my Nexus One or that I was frustrated with the Android operating system. It was purely missing the enjoyment of playing around with apps and I also had the feeling that some of the apps were superior.

I quickly hurried to recharge my iPhone and unlock it to work with T-Mobile. I set it all up and updated my apps. I installed Brizzly and was impress by the pretty app with the slick UI that makes up the iPhone OS.

But then it hit me.

• I can’t use the Back/Undo button.
• The apps can’t hide the menu items because there is only one button and there’s no easy way to search or access the main text box.
• There’s no widgets. There’s no easy integration between apps. There’s no multitasking.

I know this article seems to be the purpose to slam the iPhone but not at all. The iPhone is a great smartphone. It limits you into a very simple manipulation of the interface. This sounds bad but is a great advantage for Apple products. That’s how Apple products sell.

I just learned today that there are many great Android apps and features that make it a viable alternative to the iPhone.

What Twitter Has That Google Buzz Doesn’t

Retweet. I am a huge fan of retweeting. I love sharing news with people and give credit to the people that initially posted it. In Google Buzz you can share links, which is similar to how you do it on Facebook. Twitter is a little bit different and makes having a constant stream a news a little bit easier.

Trends. Some people love this, some don’t. I love being able to see the top things people are talking about. It really gives me a sense of what’s currently happening on the Internet.

More Available Public Identity. Twitter makes it easy to show you what other people are talking about. Even the search is for all tweets. Twitter is understood as a public domain, while I feel like Google Buzz will be expected to be a little more closed off.

Easier Concept. What’s easier than a 140 character text message? Nothing. Some people will likely get confused what Google Buzz is and how to use it.

• Easy URLs (ex. http://twitter.com/jsteinka)

Why I Like Google Buzz More Than Twitter

Because Twitter can’t do any of this:

• Allows you to edit your post after you’ve posted it.
• No post limit
• Built-in picture and link posting
• Comments (Or Replies) become attached to the original post
• Integrates with many services (Twitter, Flickr, Google Reader)
• Completely integrated in Gmail, like Google Chat
• Integrates with you Google Contacts, which are mostly people you email – making the people you are likely to follow people that you actually care about
• Can Comment on Buzz post through Gmail (meaning when reading an email)
• When you reply to someone in a post (@name) it goes by their name

Google Buzz basically combines Twitter and Facebook. It takes the somewhat personal aspects of Facebook (having friends and such) and simple posting provided in Twitter.

If I was Twitter, I’d be shaking in my boots. Not to say Twitter has lost all purpose but this is a big blow. To me, Google Buzz fixes nearly everything wrong with Twitter with the above features.

Manually Update Your Nexus One – First Update

1. Download the update from the Android Community here.

2. Rename the file to “update.zip”

3. Copy update.zip to the root of your Nexus One’s SD card

4. Shut off your Nexus One and then turn on while holding the trackball pressed down (boot into bootloader).

5. Select “Bootloader” by hitting the Power button

6. Hit the volume down button, then Powerbutton to select “Recovery”

7. When Android icon with warning icon, hit Power button + Volume Up

8. Lastly, select “apply sdcard:update.zip”

The update will proceed to run (It takes about 2 minutes). You can then select reboot. You’ll screen will flash up with a box and the Android icon – that’s just it finishing the update.