Twitter is becoming a platform, and GeoTweeter is the latest proof of that. It’s the new iPhone app from Schmap, the creators of the iPhone-friendly interactive travel guides and the Schmap.me location sharing service, and it’s a free download from the App Store.

GeoTwitter adds the “where am I?” to the “what am I doing?” of Twitter. Its tweets automatically include a “schmap.me” link, which uses the iPhone’s GPS ability to show your followers your current location. My tweet looked like this:

GeoTwitter also lets you save places and name them, so that you can tweet from them later (I’m not sure I understood this – why would you tweet from somewhere else? Is GeoTwitter aimed at adulterers and malingers? Maybe – I’m sure it’s a sizeable market.)

You can give your place a photo (tap the thumbnail for a larger version), a rating and notes, and you can even change the pin in the map to show your mood.

Following the link in my tweet above, you’d find this (click for bigger):

You might guess that I like Turkish food. You might be right.

Did I like GeoTwitter? Yes, but it needs to do a little more before it becomes a really useful, self-contained iPhone app. The first omission, and most obvious, is that you can’t read tweets from the people you follow or check on your followers. OK, GeoTwitter isn’t a mainstream Twitter client – but an application that is all write and no read isn’t much fun. GeoTwitter should let you read the tweets around you (like Tweetie does, to name just one). But with its saved places, GeoTwitter could go one better – it could let you choose a place and show you the tweets there, whether you were nearby, or in Timbuktu. With that kind of functionality, GeoTwitter would be a real winner.

Voilà, $0.99 from Crist Drive, is a much simpler utility application with a single screen. You flip to enter your settings (choosing whether to update FireEagle, Twitter, or both) and your log-in details. Flipping back, you update your location and share it. Nice and simple.

If you simply want to geolocate your tweets, GeoTwitter is my choice. It’s free, it does what it says on the tin, and its Twitter place reviews are fun. If you want FireEagle integration, I wouldn’t stump up $0.99 cents for Voilà before checking out free offerings such as Sparrow.

Geotweeter
Company: Schmap, Inc.
Version: 1.10
Category: Social Networking
Current Price: Free
UK App Store link

Voilà
Company: Crist Drive
Version: 1.0
Category: Navigation
Current Price: £0.59/$0.99
UK App Store link