Which Twitter App?Reviews and Recommendations for Twitter Apps

GeoChirp lets you keep track of people tweeting in any local region. This mashup was created by combining Google Maps and Twitter.

Google Maps + Twitter

Initially it loads your current location on the map and draws a radius of 20 miles, which you can adjust using the slider below the map. The other slider lets you control how many tweets you see at a time. There's a search box within the map which lets you center on a different location, just by typing a city name, zip code, or any other information that Google Maps can pinpoint. Below you see all the tweets that fall inside the blue circle on the map. It updates automatically whenever you adjust your map settings.

GeoChirp pops up a Growl-style notifier in the top right corner when new data comes in, but you have to click the Refresh button in the right column of the app (not the browser refresh button) to actually see the new tweets.

Twitter use

In addition to the display of local tweets, GeoChirp offers enough features to be a decent Twitter app on its own:

• Log in using OAuth, a secure service offered on Twitter.com.
• URL Shortening is supplied via bit.ly
• Reply or Retweet directly from the GeoChirp stream.
• Translate tweets into a large number of languages. Unfortunately it does not happen automatically. To translate, first select a language in the right sidebar. Then when you find a tweet you'd like to read in the other language, you hit the translate link inside each individual box. You can also revert back to the original language.
• Search the public timeline by toggling "Universal Search" in the upper left just above the map area. Trends are available, but you cannot filter or save your searches.

Final Verdict

GeoChirp gets 4/5 stars for providing a quick and easy way to get connected with people in your area (or any local area), along with a decent set of standard twitter app features. Follow the GeoChirp team on Twitter @geochirping.