LiveTweet (for PlayStation Vita)

The Sony PlayStation Vita ($299, 4 stars) has numerous apps, such as Netflix (Free, requires subscription from $7.99 per month, 3 stars), Paint Park (Free, 3 stars), and Skype (Free, 3.5 stars), that expand the handheld's scope beyond gaming?the free LiveTweet for PlayStation Vita also falls into that category. This lightweight Twitter client (the only one available on the platform at the time of this review) brings the 140-character social network to the PlayStation Vita without the bells and whistles of a full-fledged desktop app like Hootsuite, but its simple nature brings an ease of use that's excellent for mobile tweeting.

Starting the Conversation
You begin by downloading LiveTweet from the PSN marketplace and authorizing your Twitter account ?for PS Vita use. LiveTweet features a clean interface that's heavy on blue hues, much like Twitter.com itself. You're taken into your Twitter timeline after logging into the app, but can quickly jump to Mentions, Direct Messages, Lists, Trends, and Settings by tapping the appropriate icon in the left column.

Bringing a finger to the message icon in the upper left corner of the screen opens a box that lets you craft a new post, either a public tweet or a direct message. LiveTweet serves up a cool, visual representation of your 140-character limit with a bar that fills as you type. The app also offers a numerical character counter for those who prefer the traditional method.

The virtual keys, thankfully, are large enough to prevent tapping other letters by accident. That said, the placement of the PS Vita's twin analog sticks impeded how I'd naturally thumb-type. As such, I had to reposition my hands into an unnatural angle, which caused some strain during extended tweeting sessions.

Tweet Options
You can't retweet, reply, or read multi-person conversations within the timeline. Instead, you have to tap a tweet, which takes you to another screen that contains the retweet, reply, and conversation icons. Some will decry the extra step, but I liked this implementation, as is keeps the Twitter feed clean. In fact, favorite-ing tweets is the only action you can perform from within the Twitter feed.

LiveTweet lets you attach images stored on your PS Vita, or snap photos with the PS Vita's cameras. You can also pull up a list of trending hashtags (for quick insertion), or people you follow for swiftly inserting their handles into a tweet. You cannot, however, add extra columns or set up a second account. The former prevents you from having a stream dedicated to, say, a particular hashtag of interest. The latter, unfortunately, keeps you from tweeting under multiple handles?a limitation in an age where some users tweet under both personal and professional handles.

Something to Talk About
LiveTweet is currently the only PlayStation Vita Twitter client, which makes it the platform's best by default (you could use the awful PS Vita browser to check Twitter, but I wouldn't recommend it). That, however, is no knock on its quality. LiveTweet does mobile tweeting extremely despite my personal grip issues. I would like multiple Twitter account support, but even as is LiveTweet for PlayStation Vita is a very solid Twitter app.

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