Software review: Double Twist

There is no shortage of syncing clients for your portable device however I thought I’d bring this one to your attention as it combines usability with a familiar interface.

iTunes it the leading example of how easy it could be to sync your phone. However, unless you have an iPhone (or depending on the month and Palm Pre) then you are out of luck when it comes to utilising the all the syncing features of iTunes. Instead there is a lot to recommend when it comes to Double Twist. A client that replicates iTunes’ media hub and online store as well as possible right now.

When you install the client you are prompted to setup an account. This seems to be for the Amazon MP3 store integration.

The client likes to communicate with a great many platforms. From Windows Mobiles and Blackberry to PSP and Android. It seems to recognise each model of phone/portable media player itself.

As you can see from above, Double Twist has detected I have plugged in a Nexus One and the display is much the same as iTunes. You can pick what you want to sync and keep an eye on just how much space you will be using. Whilst not as advanced as later versions of iTunes there is still enough to go one.

Like iTunes, syncing content couldn’t be easier. You can let it go automatically or pick and choose yourself. Personally, I have never been a big fan of this and whilst I haven’t had much time with it I know my girlfriend has tinkered with syncing this way and been left with nothing on her iPhone after a long sync. I’ve used Double Twist a few times now for micro managing syncing and it’s worked nicely.

It’s worth mentioning that I have thrown a number of different video formats into this and watched it happily convert and pump it out onto my phone for watching. Smooth and perfectly sized. There quality is fine but there are no options to muck around with video settings.

You can publish media to Flickr and Youtube which is a nice little option.

One of the big things that sets this apart from the rest is the Amazon MP3 store. Nicely presented like and older version of the iStore. It loads quickly, thanks to a less ambitious layout and the content is almost as expansive as the iTunes store itself.

You can add profile information however this seems like it is there just for the sake of it as it doesn’t really serve much of a purpose.

Podcasts are a big thing in iTunes and thankfully Double Twist hold it’s with as much a high regard. I checked for most of my favourite ones are it found them all. There was one podcast that was fairly obscure that I couldn’t find but that didn’t surprise me. You can import feeds so there are no problems worth noting here.

You can also import your media from the device, any pictures you might have taken and any tunes you have acquired from elsewhere, voice notes or videos.

Double Twist brings with it all the typical customisation you’d expect from an application. You can customise where content is downloaded to and whether or not Double Twist interacts with iTunes and Windows Media Player.

How Double Twist starts is always going to be an issue. If you are like me and plug the device in daily then you might want it to sync without issue or if you connect for a little development you might want to turn it off.

I guess in this day and age it’s important to be able to turn off updating in case you are roaming on a Data Network.

I like Double Twist. It is nice to have the option on non-Apple devices to have a similar setup. There are those out there who like to have total control, those how like to drag and drop into folders and those who just want to plug in a walk away. Non-Apple devices have that luxury whereby you can change your mind, but it’s hard to find a client that does the third option, and does it well.

In the future I would love to see a bit of in the way of publishing options, Picasa for one. Also the ability to change media quality would be nice. Perhaps backup of contacts and messages.

Double Twist is still in Beta and has recently received a larger development grant. It’s something you should have a look at if you need a sync client. If you are happy with the one you have then unless you are wanting iTunes there isn’t a whole heck of a lot to drag you away, but it might just manage to!