Developer: Dirk Holtwick
Price: $2.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
Device Reviewed On: iPhone 4
How frequently do we reach for the “like” button or “favorite” button within a social networking tool? With that swift click or tap, we immediately communicate to others exactly what we enjoy so much. It also provides a great resource for the individual to consult at a later date, in the case of Twitter favorites. New app Favs consolidates all of this information in one easy to use place.
The benefits are quite clear. How many times have you liked an article on Facebook then forgotten to keep it aside for safe keeping? Now imagine this spread over many different social networks. It gets baffling.
In the case of Favs, it takes seconds to setup an account to work alongside it. Some services don’t even require password details, such as Twitter and YouTube, enabling users to track friends rather than just themselves. Once collated, each service is listed with a number denoting how many likes, favorites or bookmarks have been made through the network. Tap the relevant name and all the ‘Favs’ are there to check in with.
In each case, tapping on something that has been added brings up the text as well as an appropriate preview. For instance, in the case of Instagram the image is displayed under the text while a Twitter Favorite, with link included, displays that link. It’s simple yet reasonably effective. Search functionality ensures that it’s easy to find something amongst the potential thousands of Favs.
Favs covers a large number of popular social networks such as Delicious, Facebook, Flickr, Google Reader, Instagram, Instapaper, Pinboard, Pocket/Read It Later, Twitter, Vimeo and YouTube. This makes it the favorite equivalent of an RSS reader to some extent, although there is the curious omission of popular blogging platform Tumblr which may put off some users.
Favs isn’t the cheapest of apps out there. At $0.99, it’d be a must buy for regular social networkers. At $2.99, it’ll take a few extra moments thought but it will save its users time. Much like an RSS reader for news, this one’s a great way of checking in on what’s being going on across a day, providing you remember to tap like earlier in the day.