Tweenky Brings Gmail’s Good Looks To Twitter

Twitter may be experimenting with a new design, but even its new interface still leaves something to be desired. Tweenky, a new mashup that launched in private beta last week, is looking to offer Twitter users an alternative. The site sports an AJAX-heavy design that borrows heavily from Gmail (which isn’t a bad thing), and integrates a number of features that should appeal to Twitter powerusers. To get one of 200 invites, go here and enter the word ‘techcrunch’ as the invite code.

Users send new tweets from a form at the top of the page that includes integration with link-shortening sites snipurl.com and is.gd. The familiar left sidebar is broken into shortcuts, folders, and a list of hot topics taken from search.twitter.com (formerly Summize). Each folder represents a collapsible lists of keywords and Twitter users that you’ve subscribed to. The site also emulates Twitter’s Track function, which lets you keep tabs on a certain keyword over IM or SMS (Twitter used to have this feature, but disabled it earlier this year).

Tweenky isn’t doing anything revolutionary - all of its features are available elsewhere, either from twitter.com or TwitterSpy, which also provides Twitter’s lost tracking feature. But it brings everything together in a cohesive package that is much more intutive than most other attempts we’ve seen. For more information, check out Orli Yakuel’s introduction to the site.

(Via TechCrunch.)

Personal Solar Fan For Caps

It’s simple, and cool, literally. In theory, this would be a great way to cool yourself but in practice you might look like too nerdy. It doesn’t need any battery, since it’s solar-powered and what better place to get sunlight than a cap visor? It might kill attacking mosquitoes too… Brando is currently selling it for $10.

(Via Ubergizmo.)

Apple Store To Open In Charleston

The first Apple store in South Carolina is officially scheduled to open this Saturday, July 25th, at 10 am on King Street in Charleston.

Who else is going to be there? And the big question - how early do we need to start lining up?.

Store Information

Driving Directions & Map

(Via Tybee Guy.)

Second generation Drobo adds support for Firewire and improves USB 2.0

Today Data Robotics launched the second generation of its Drobo ’storage robot’. Drobo is a drive system that offers redundant data protection, and instant expandability allowing storage capacity to grow over time as need be. New enhancements in the second generation Drobo include an upgraded core processor, two FireWire 800 ports, dramatically increased USB 2.0 performance, and newly optimized firmware. If you held off on buying the first generation Drobo because it was USB only, this new one is for you.

Features include:

• Best in class performance
• Redundant data protection
• Hot expansion up to 16TB
• Ability to take advantage of mix and match drive capacities
• Two FireWire 800 ports (FireWire 400 compatible)
• One USB 2.0 port

The second generation Drobo is priced at USD$499 and also comes in a 2TB version for USD$899, and a 4TB version for USD$1,299. Discount codes are also available if you know where to look.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Drobo, take a video tour with Cali Lewis.

(Via MacMerc.com.)

Google Maps Adds Walking Directions [Google Maps]

Google Maps wants to help you get where you’re going on foot with a new option to switch your step-by-step driving directions to walking directions. The main difference between walking and driving directions appears to be time estimates, with Google estimating your walking pace at about 19 minutes per mile. The walking directions appear to deviate from driving directions at times, though from trying it in my neighborhood I can’t pinpoint why it’s changing for the walking route. The other main difference is the ominous warning that I should ‘use caution when walking in unfamiliar areas.’ Thanks for the dose of fear, Google. (I guess the same doesn’t apply to driving?) We’d heard some users were seeing walking directions rolled out a few weeks ago, but it looks like Google has recently unveiled the feature to all users.

(Via Lifehacker.)