TwitterFon Pro
Mobile Twitter Client
Developer: Kazuho Okui
Price: $4.99

TwitterFon, the popular iPhone and iPod Touch Twitter Client, released a long overdue update to their app that introduced several new features, the most noticeable being ad support for the free version. But if you think you can get around the introduction of advertisements by skipping the update, you may want to reconsider due to the number of general usability issues that slow functionality and often times crash the app.

Alternately, TwitterFon released the first Pro version of the app. Gone are the load time issues that accompanied Twitter’s recent change to how often API’s can retrieve information. The pro version offers the familiar interface with a few changes to accommodate new features.

The most noticeable difference between its free-version counterpart is that it removes the advertisements. Users will also get multiple accounts support, the ability to save search results, four different themes Shake to reload (who cares?), and landscape Keyboard mode. If those features weren’t enough to sell you, the Pro version has user authenticated support for bit.ly, which can be useful if you need to track statistics while on the go, and integration with Instapaper, a site that lets you save links from your feed so you can continue scanning the bulk of updates.

The Pro version is likely to give serious competition to the likes of Tweetie ($2.99) and Twitteriffic Premium ($3.99). The strong suit of TwitterFon’s previous versions has always been the way it handles the notification of new “tweet” messages displayed with a red circle for each type and also with a different shade of color in the feed itself — something neither of the aforementioned competitors acknowledge to the same degree. But at $4.99, some still might be hesitant to purchase TwitterFon Pro, despite an obvious love for Twitter. However, those looking for a paid, more complete Twitter client should keep in mind TwitterFon’s history of fixing bugs and fulfilling requests for new features.