It’s been a while coming, but Twitter has finally gotten around to launching its native app for Windows 8 and RT devices.
Twitter’s Mike Kruzeniski announced the news on the microblogging site’s official blog on Wednesday, noting in his post that the new app brings with it some new functionality that makes the most of the Windows 8 platform.
So first up, alongside the usual Home, Connect, Discover and Me tabs, the San Francisco-based company has introduced Snap view, which allows users to operate another app alongside Twitter by adjusting the size of the (Twitter) app’s interface.
“Snap Twitter into the left or right side of the screen and then start using another app,” Kruzeniski explained in his post, adding “You’ll be able to keep up with the conversations that are happening on Twitter while you watch a streaming video or read a news story.” Snap view also lets you change the size of the app to one-third, two-thirds or full screen, a handy feature that’ll allow you to make the most of your screen real estate.
A new Share charm allows you to easily tweet from any app – a swipe from the right side of the display pulls up the Share charm at which you point you simply select the content you want to share via Twitter.
There’s a Search charm too, to help you more easily find an account or see tweets using a particular hashtag. Again, swipe from the right side of the screen while in any app to bring up the Search charm.
You can also make sure you keep up to date with everything happening on your Twitter feed by enabling Live Tiles and notifications.
Photos come with an all-new landscape view, while a horizontal swipe brings up a selection of images from the Discover tab or user’s profile.
“Tap a photo to view it in full screen, which showcases large photos in the center of the screen, or view the photo gallery from your favorite users,” Kruzeniski said.
The new app was promised back in October, so hopefully the wait will’ve been worth it for Windows 8 and Windows RT users.
It’s available in 22 languages – including English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Korean – and can be downloaded from the Windows Store here.
