One of the big things missing from Windows 8 has been a good Metro-style Twitter app. Now, after promising it in October, the official Windows 8 Twitter app finally launched Wednesday. Available for free from the Windows Store, the Twitter app offers a decent Windows 8-style experience while still maintaining Twitter’s look and feel.
New features exclusive to the Windows 8 app include integration with the Share charm, allowing users to Tweet from any app using the Charms Bar, search charm integration that allows users to search for accounts, tweets, or hashtags, and live tile and notification support.
When first launching the app, users will likely notice the poor use of screen real estate. A single column of tweets runs down the center of the screen, leaving the sides blank with too much white (or gray) space.
But snap the app to the side of the screen alongside the Desktop or another Metro app and Twitter on Windows 8 suddenly becomes useful and efficient.
Like other platforms, Twitter’s official app is far from perfect, but on Windows 8, it’s the best option thus far and, considering the company’s draconian new API limitations, it may be the best we’ll ever get.
