Developed by Digital Garage, makers of the free Japanese Twitter client Tappit, Hello Kitty on Tappit [iTunes link] is a fully skinned Twitter client featuring everyone's favorite mouthless cartoon cat. The images are all licensed by Sanrio and the app works in both English and Japanese.
We'll admit, we originally purchased this $3.99 app for the novelty factor. I mean, come on, a Hello Kitty Twitter client is the sort of thing three-year-old Christina would go completely crazy over. At 27, I still squealed like a little girl.
Here is where it gets interesting: As a Twitter client, Hello Kitty on Tappit is actually pretty awesome.
Advanced Features Plus Hello Kitty
The interface for the app is almost identical to that of Tweetie. The layout of the bottom menu is the same, and the compose menu and multiple account support work the same way.
In addition to being able to upload videos and pictures and shorten hyperlinks, Hello Kitty on Tappit lets you embed what are called "deco-images." These images are basically little animated icons that can be viewed natively in any Tappit Twitter client or via a hyperlink for users of other Twitter clients. 40 of these deco-images are available in the app.
You can also choose between four different backgrounds for the client itself. We wish we could also change the color of text, as it is difficult to read on certain backgrounds.
Retweets are handled the same way the official Twitter app handles them. You can also use and search by geolocation, and view the latest trends (powered by What the Trend) and user profiles. The only feature that this app doesn't have is Twitter List support.
Additionally you can customize gesture controls in the app for designated actions. By default, a swipe to the right will create an @reply. You can customize swipes to the left or two finger swipes to perform other actions, including favoriting a message and sending a direct message, retweet or quote.
For kitschy fun -- or for users that want a Twitter client with superb Japanese language support -- Hello Kitty on Tappit manages to be both adorable and functional.
[via Recombu]