One of the most popular Twitter clients for the iPhone, Tweetie, has been translated for the Mac OSX desktop. As a competitor of TweetDeck and Twitterific, Tweetie brings a slick interface and many new features to the table.

Similar to the iPhone client, Tweetie for the desktop allows you to post and read tweets from multiple accounts. For each account, you can view the tweets of followers, see @replies directed towards you, read direct messages, and perform searches.

Clicking on a user’s picture will display their tweets, allow you to see their @replies, favorites, and more information. The information screen allows you to see numbers regarding followers, updates, and favorites, as well as the location, link, and bio of that user. Under the user’s pane in Tweetie, you can also follow someone, see if they are following you, and send an @reply or direct message.

On the other hand, clicking on a tweet will show the conversation associated with that message. In simpler terms, Tweetie will find the @replies between the two users and group them into a conversation. Each tweet also states when the message was posted and has a reply button.

Some of the other nifty features of Tweetie include drag-and-drop uploads, keyboard shortcuts, a menubar icon, and built-in URL shortening. When posting a new tweet, images and videos can by added by either recording a video, or simply dragging and dropping an image into the tweet. It’s in the new message box that URL’s can be shortened within the app.

Tweetie is one of the most advanced and well-executed Twitter applications available. In fact, the only major flaw that I’ve noticed is not being able to see the “Twitter Trending Topics”, a task that you can complete in the iPhone client.

Taking a page out of the Twitterific playbook, Tweetie is offered in two versions, one free and one paid. The free version is ad-supported, and the paid version costs $19.95. Go ahead and download it now from atebits, it’s worth it!

Brushes, by Steve Sprang, made headlines a few weeks ago when the cover of The New Yorker was illustrated using the iPhone app.

Unlike most other drawing and “painting” apps available for the iPhone, Brushes introduces more high-end and quality features. It doesn’t come with built-in clipart or gimmicky, fun features, but with more artist-centric capabilities.

This functionality includes a brush editor, undo and redo, eyedropper, color picker, and paint bucket. Similar to most desktop apps, the paint bucket tool fills the entire canvas, and the eyedropper tool helps select a color from the canvas. Brushes also comes with pinch and spread support for zooming in on your canvas.

The mistake that I made was assuming that better tools would produce better artistic creations. When it comes down to it, artistic talent will dictate how well a creation turns out on Brushes. This app does help the artist by introducing typical and easy-to-use tools that mimic physical art, but it doesn’t improve the user’s artistic ability.

It is my favorite illustration apps for the iPhone, and you can give it a try by downloading it for $5 from the iTunes store.

[This post originally appeared on iBAM]

In a move that many consider belated, AT&T released an iPhone application entitled AT&T myWireless mobile. The application aims at dealing with different functions of managing your AT&T account.

Previously, you had to use the full-web interface and Mobile Safari to access your account information by way of www.wireless.att.com, which was a huge pain in the neck. Now, you can view/pay your bill, view voice minutes and data usage, and add/remove/edit features on their plan.

One annoying downside to myWireless mobile is the fact that you have to re-enter your password each time you launch the application. If you’re using a secure password stored inside of 1Password, this task is not simple. Hopefully, once copy and paste becomes available, a workaround will become much simpler. Once you do get into the app, the interface is simple and intuitive and does everything you ask it to do.

myWireless mobile is not a revolutionary app, but it’s one that needs to be available on the iPhone. Plus, it’s free and a great way for any AT&T customer to see their bill, look at usage information, and edit the features of their plan.

AT&T myWireless mobile is available for free in the app store.

Photoshop is undoubtedly the most well-known image editor for both PC and Mac, yet it is often too large, expensive, and complex for the average user’s day-to-day tasks. One of the simpler and cheaper applications for the mac is Acorn from Flying Meat Software.

Acorn’s interface is composed of an editing canvas and tools box. The editing canvas will be a familiar sight to anyone who uses Photoshop, for it holds the same purpose of holding the document you’re working on. The tools box allows you to choose such functions as move, select, draw, erase, flood fill, gradient, text, shape, and choose foreground/background colors. You will also find the layers section in the tools box.

Along with the basic capabilities provided in the tools box, Acorn also allows for applying filters, colors & level adjustments, a screenshot assistant, brush designer, and many web export options. You can even build on Acorn by developing plugins using the Python and Objective-C scripting languages.

Compared to Photoshop CS4, Acorn holds its own very well. It loads faster, is quick to learn, and helps you accomplish tasks quicker. Sure, there are many functions that Acorn lacks from Photoshop or any of the other high-end editors, but in my day to day tasks, Acorn takes care of about 95% of my needs. Plus, at $50, the price can’t be beat.

If you’re considering taking the plunge to purchase Photoshop because you want to get into image editing, I’d encourage you to try out Acorn first. It’s a lot less frustrating and complicated to pick up, and it comes with a free trial. Find out more by visiting the Flying Meat website.

Here’s a look at this week’s top Apple-related headlines:

• Check iPhone 3GS availability online
• Apple responds to controversy over porn in app store
• White iPhone 3GS overheats, turns colors?
• Javascript benchmarks: iPhone vs.T-Mo G1 vs. Pre
• AppleTV update allows for gestures on Remote app
• iPhone 3GS costs $178.96 in parts?
• Apple updates Time Capsule, Airport firmware, Final Cut Pro
• Steve Jobs had liver transplant, back at Apple?
• New iPod Touch referenced in 3.0
• Macbook Pro and iMac firmware updates released, fixes slower SATA speeds
• Apple sells 1m+ iPhone 3GS in first weekend
• Apple gives $30 iTunes credit for faulty iPhone 3GS activations

This week’s iBAM posts:

• iPhone App Spotlight: Ambiance
• Pilot Episode