Twitter Gets an Unofficial App Store [INVITES]

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The only problem with having such a robust developer community is that finding the right add-ons and find out what works -- and what doesn't -- isn't always easy.

Other platforms with strong third-party ecosystems like Facebook and the iPhone have an advantage because there is an official, centralized database of information. Twitter doesn't have that, so members from the community have decided to create it. The result: Oneforty, the app store that Twitter forgot to build.

Founded by uber-Twitterer Laura Fitton (@pistachio), oneforty has created a marketplace that offers up more than 1300 tools and services, complete with user reviews, descriptions, screenshots, links to more in-depth features, and live Twitter comments going on around the web.

When you sign-up for Oneforty, you use Twitter OAuth to login. All of your profile information and avatar information is pulled in, and Oneforty will even analyze the apps it sees you using or tweeting from to your profile. You can add other apps to your profile and rate or leave comments on other tools.

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Oneforty has several different methods of helping users find apps. You can browse by category, tag, direct search, or by what apps/services are most popular. There are also "essential" apps in a variety of categories.

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You can see who is using an app on the app page, what (if any) reviews exist, and get a link to the site so that you can try the app or service. Oneforty will get a commission for each app sold through its marketplace.

Invites

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Oneforty launches in beta today, but you need an invite code to get started. Mashable has you covered. Just visit this link and fill in your e-mail and Twitter username to get started. You'll soon receive a message saying that you can login to the store.

Twitter has needed an App Store-like solution for quite some time. Oneforty seems to have both the interface and the people behind the scenes to make this sort of idea really work.