Ever since a certain talk show celebrity began to “tweet” earlier this year, usage of Twitter has skyrocketed in popularity so much that it soon may have MySpace and Facebook—not to mention Latvia’s very own draugiem.lv social network—looking worried. While some are still arguing on how to use Twitter and where it fits into the current social networking scene, others are forging ahead and adapting the technology for their own needs.

Twitter is a free social networking and microblogging service that lets users broadcast messages up to 140 characters, known as tweets, to followers who subscribe to the feeds. About 25 million people use Twitter worldwide and the number is growing at a staggering 40 percent each week. Compare this to 200 million Facebook and 120 million MySpace users. In Latvia, as a result of recent media coverage, the number of users has already multiplied to several thousand, but still is well short of the nearly 2.5 million entities registered on draugiem.lv. Registering in Twitter is as simple as entering a username and e-mail address. Then you can begin to broadcast to the world.

What makes Twitter especially attractive is its accessibility via mobile devices. In January Jānis Krūms, a Latvian from Sarasota, Fla., effectively launched citizen journalism on Twitter as he whipped out his iPhone to photograph passengers huddled on the wing of the U.S. Airways aircraft that had plunged into the Hudson River. His photo and accompanying tweet, “There’s a plane in the Hudson. I’m on the ferry going to pick up the people, Crazy,” instantly propelled him into Internet stardom. Nearly 40,000 Web users viewed the photo in the first four hours.

The most popular use of Twitter up until now has been to literally respond to the “What are you doing?” prompt at the top of every page. It could be as simple as enjoying a Malabar Gold coffee, reading the latest bestseller by Malcolm Gladwell, sipping on birch juice in Cēsis or doing the customary jump over the bonfire. But Twitter has proven to be much more than that. The MarsPhoenix project used Twitter to provide updates both during the Mars landing in May 2008 and the subsequent surface cruising in the following months. The Tower Bridge in London regularly tweets every time it opens and closes for Thames River traffic and announces the names of the ships as well. During the worst bushfires in Australia’s history February users traded first-hand accounts, news and information on how to donate and seek help. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, recently used Twitter to inform the public about the latest news on the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.

Just as well the Twitter prompt could be “What are you thinking?” because people report what they are thinking about, planning, reading, watching and paying attention to. Millions of thoughts contained within the 140 character messages are being gathered to form a collective consciousness.  Since last year Twitter has begun to use a smart tool to detect emerging trends from its increasingly growing database of tweets. Its trending tool reported “North Korea launches missile” last month before many of the news sites had any mention of the event. With even more accumulated data Twitter could be able to predict events.

If you are looking for a hot topic, Twitter is the place to find up-to-the-second information. Google and the other search engines are now having trouble keeping up. When you ask Google a question it tells you where to go to find the answer, but when you ask Twitter the response reveals what individuals have posted on the topic. Twitter probably won’t replace Google, but it certainly adds a new perspective on searching on the Internet.

Latvians have also embraced Twitter (or čivinātājs as it is now commonly referred to in the Internet community) in myriad ways.

Toms Grēviņš from Rīga-based Radio SWH uses Twitter during his evening show to obtain instant feedback from his listeners.

Sandra Kalniete from the political party Pilsoniskā savienība provides an inside view to Latvian politics as she regularly tweets from the Saeima. Other politicians getting in on the game are Einars Repše, Aivars Lembergs, Ainārs Šlesers and Aleksejs Loskutovs, with more expected as the elections approach next month.

Current affairs programmes such as Latvian State Television’s 100.pants and TV3’s Nekā personīga provide details on what is coming up and who they plan to interview. For those Latvians who can’t get enough of travelling, the latest air fare bargains are provided by the Web site Superbiletes.lv. Well-known journalists such as Jānis Domburs, Juris Kaža and Pauls Raudseps have also been tweeting away for several months. Dienas bizness and Latvians Online, have been pumping daily newsfeeds via Twitter. Stay up to date with all things iPod and iPhone at ipodslv.

But it definitely won’t end there. What about getting updates on the movements of President Valdis Zatlers or your favourite Latvian rock band, getting the latest snow condition reports from the ski resorts in Latvia, learning a new word in Latvian every day or finding out when and where the next Latvian cultural event is about to occur. If this technology ever becomes mainstream, organisations and Latvian government agencies will be able to quickly read the sentiment of the general population and readjust their policies appropriately. The real capabilities of the Internet are only emerging.

Sept. 26 brought a smile to many Latvians as the long wait for the new iPhone 3G was finally over. At several LMT (Latvijas Mobilais Telefons) and Capital stores in the centre of Rīga, queues were up to 10 deep, but nothing like the frenzy experienced in the United States several months earlier. In some locations users had to wait up to two hours while staff were still learning the new in-store activation process, but four weeks later I was able to waltz straight into the LMT store near the corner of Brīvības and Ģertrūdes and get my new phone activated in less than 10 minutes.

Depending upon which of the three iStyle plans you choose, you can get yourself an iPhone for as little as LVL 1, but be prepared for a hefty LVL 60 per month for the next 24 months. This option, also called iStyle 3, includes 1,000 minutes, 1,000 text messages and unlimited data every month.

On the other end of the scale, if you pay around LVL 110 up front for the phone, then you pay only LVL 20 per month for 100 minutes, 100 messages and up to 100Mb of data for the iStyle 1 plan.

Another less known option for business customers (or for that fact anyone who has at least three mobile services on the one account) is that for a slightly higher up-front fee you can keep your existing Formula 8, 18 or 28 plan and add the HSDPA 5 (30Mb for LVL 5) or HSDPA 15 (200Mb for LVL 15) data plans. If you are a light user, for example Formula 8 and HSDPA 5, this becomes quite an affordable solution—LVL 13 per month.

The iPhone 3G has the further advantage that it will automatically seek and connect to any open WiFi services before switching to the more costly 3G or Edge service. This is good news especially for Estonia, where free public WiFi spots seems to be the norm. If you have broadband Internet at home, make sure to install a wireless router (no more than LVL 40) so that you can enjoy free and unlimited Internet connections via your iPhone 3G.

Be careful when travelling outside of Latvia, because none of the above mentioned plans include data calls overseas and costs could vary greatly from LVL 2 up to a whopping LVL 10 per 1Mb depending on the selected overseas carrier. If you don’t like the idea of locking yourself into a 24-month contract with LMT, then on your next visit to Italy you can grab an unlocked iPhone 3G for about EUR 400-500 that can then be used with any of the mobile operators in Latvia or the rest of the world for that matter.

About the same time as the iPhone 3G appeared in the Baltics, Apple released the iPhone 2.1 software update that for the first time allowed the easy input of Latvian letters. Up until then it was possible to view Latvian text (all of the current iPod models support the display of Unicode text), but there was no way of entering the special letters directly into these devices.

To enable Latvian text input go to Settings -> General -> International -> Keyboards and switch on the Latvian option. Estonian and Lithuanian languages are available as well. Using the iPhone “keyboard” hold down the letter key you wish to modify. A popup menu will appear showing the possible modified symbols. For example, if you want “ā” hold down the “a” key and choose “ā” from the popup menu. Latvian language purists may be disappointed since neither “ō” (o-macron) or “ŗ” (palatalised-r) are offered as modified letters, however both will display correctly. Surprisingly this feature of inputting Latvian text is not documented anywhere, not in the translated iPhone documentation, not on the LMT Web site.

The software update also offers “Riga, Latvia”, “Vilnius, Lithuania” and “Tallinn, Estonia” as a time zone option. Previously we had to settle with the closest city in the same time zone such as “Helsinki, Finland.”

The iPhone 2.2 software update released last month introduced even more Baltic friendly features. In the Settings -> General -> International -> Region Format, all three Baltic languages have been added to allow the display of localised date formats. Applications such as Calendar, Mail and Weather will now show the day and month names in Latvian. A few glitches, however, still need to be addressed. On the welcome screen the year is missing (for example, “otrdiena,.gada 2. decembris”) and the short form date displayed in Mail messages follows the U.S. format YY.D.MM rather than YY.M.D. Another much requested feature was the ability to switch off auto-correction, which proved to be a nuisance when texting and sending e-mail in any of the Baltic languages because of the lack of dictionary and spellchecking support.

Although Apple is gradually introducing more Baltic support with every new software update, for those who can’t wait for a complete Latvian user interface there is an unofficial Latvian localisation produced by Andris Ludriks and available on his Sadzīviskas figņas blog. However, to install the “LV interface pack 2.0” software requires “jailbreaking” your telephone, a process that is not supported by Apple and that could result in data loss.

The iPhone excels as a Web browsing device as well. Tilt the screen for portrait or landscape mode, double tap on images or text blocks to zoom in or use finger actions—pinching together, spreading apart or a simple swipe—to easily navigate through sections of your favourite online Latvian newspaper. No wonder Google is reporting that the iPhone generates 50 times more Web based search requests than any other mobile device. Some Latvian companies with a strong online presence haven’t wasted any time providing iPhone friendly versions of their Web sites, including directory and information service 1188, Swedbank (formerly Hansabank) and social network draugiem.lv. Draugiem.lv has been bold enough to charge users 50 santīms per week for this privilege, which then appears on their next mobile phone bill.

The GPS features also seem to work well. Using the Google Maps application, the iPhone was able to determine my location in central Rīga accurate to within a block. As you move out of Rīga a lot of detail is lost, but using the satellite view and the real time tracking blip on the screen we were able to navigate to a fairly remote destination on the banks of the Bullupe river.

On the application front development has been slower since the iTunes Store is not yet available for any of the Baltic countries. The iTunes Store is the mechanism for distributing third party applications, but you need to provide a registered credit card from a supported country (the U.S., Canada, Australia and others). This hasn’t deterred a Lithuanian software developer, Marius Kazemekaitis, from getting his balsas.lt Lithuanian news reader published among the many thousands of applications now available from the AppStore. For those lucky enough to get themselves an iTunes store account you can also purchase and download Latvian music to your iPhone. The selection is not large, but you can find artists such Iļģi, Prāta Vētra, Pēteris Vasks, Tribes of the City, The Hobos and others. For Latvian videos and films your only option at the moment is to get hold of the original DVD and rip to MP4 format. Our 5-year-old son regularly watches Gardēdis, Vāģi, Ledus laikmets and Avārijas brigāde on the 3.5-inch (9cm) screen.

With Latvian language support, reasonably priced LMT data plans and one of the best user interfaces on the planet, the iPhone 3G is sure to have an impact on the mobile phone market in the Baltics as well.

With Apple’s percentage share of the worldwide computer market now approaching double digits, things are now finally starting to move again in the Baltics.

Earlier this year the Web sites www.apple.com.ee, www.apple.lv and www.apple.lt breathed their first signs of life as a Baltics distributor, AVAD Baltic, was established in Vilnius. Up until now Apple dealers in the Baltics have had to deal with the notoriously unreliable link via Apple IMC Russia, causing endless weeks of delivery delays. No wonder then that there was even a dealer or two who was prepared to bypass the official distribution channels and source Apple computers directly from the United States and elsewhere.

With Moscow’s apathy towards the region and the increasing dominance of Microsoft in the Baltics it looked like Apple was fighting a losing battle. But thanks to the roaring success of the iPod and iPhone of late this is now all about to change.

In the space of a few months we have already seen considerable changes. Now all three Baltic countries have their own official Apple Web sites. In the “Support” section you can now download the user manuals of all the latest Apple products in your very own local language.

A videographer, musician and photographer seminar was organised at the end of March in Vilnius and attracted 350 Macintosh enthusiasts from all three Baltic countries. Future seminars and workshops are slanted for Rīga and Tallinn as well.

The aggressive sales targets for the next three years in the Baltics are expected to generate a tenfold increase in sales. Expect to see a whole lot more Apple outlets as a result. In Latvia, Lattelecom, the government-owned telecommunications operator, has decided to get in on the act and for several months on its home page has been displaying a message “Tagad tirgojam arī ābolus” (We now also sell apples). Some are rumouring that this may be a precursor to the introduction of the iPhone, but of course Apple is very hush about any product announcements.

Capital still leads the way and sells two-thirds of all Macintoshes sold in Latvia. Capital has five stores in Rīga. One—the only Apple Premium Reseller in Latvia—is a mini-version of the Apple store concept and is located on Brīvības Street just across from the Vidzeme market. Other stores now carrying the Macintosh brand include Elkor, BMS Megapolis, BCCS and the online Ābolu Veikals.

In other related activities, the Rīga-based NEXT high technology magazine (published by SK Latvia Publishing House) put the spotlight on Apple products by including a special pullout section in its April 2008 issue.

More than 15 years ago there was also a revival for Apple and the Macintosh computer in Latvia. Apple announced official support for all three Baltic languages by publishing the Apple CE font standard in 1992. This meant an end to the confusing array of non-standard Baltic fonts and a smooth transition to the future Unicode standards. Complete Baltic language support was also provided for the first time for the Macintosh with a quick and easy to install add-on for System 7.1 to System 9.1. The Rīga Macintosh Users Group was created and for several years met on a regular basis at the Apple Training Laboratory (kindly financed by Starlett, which was the leading Apple dealer at that time) at the University of Latvia. As a result of the meetings, several home-grown Latvian localised versions of software titles were also produced. But with Moscow continuing to stifle the Baltic market this enthusiasm only lasted for a couple of years and even the stalwart Apple dealer Starlett decided to refocus on other products.

User community revives

Today the Rīga Macintosh Users Group has been replaced by a growing online community at Mac.TunT.lv. Now in its third year of operation, the site attracts more than 500 visitors daily and has become the most popular online meeting place to share tips and advice with other like-minded Latvian Macintosh enthusiasts. To register and have your say on the site costs 95 santīms (about USD 2) for 3 months or EUR 3 for 3 months if you are located outside of Latvia.

But site owner Ingus Bukšs, or Boo as he is known online, didn’t stop there with his Macintosh evangelising efforts. In collaboration with www.xnet.lv and hosting provider SIA Tup un turies, Boo also set up an online store at www.aboluveikals.lv. The store contains the largest range of Apple products in Latvia. The site is very easy to navigate and includes a useful visual cue besides each product showing availability and delivery options.

Around the same time Guntis Bukalders decided to share his passion for the Macintosh and started a blog called “Gunta blogs.” The beginning of this year saw a site revamp as well as a new and easy to remember Web address at www.macpasaule.lv. This site is highly recommended for anyone about to purchase a Macintosh or for those switching over from the Windows platform (which he has aptly named as “slēdzīši”). Bukalders’ regular tips, tutorials and product reviews make this Web site an essential bookmark for all Latvian Macintosh users. Not only is Bukalders a pastor at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, he also maintains several other Web sites including adventisti.lv, baznica.lv and bibele.lv.

When I asked Bukalders what swayed him towards the Macintosh, he recounted in detail the frustration that he had experienced with the other platform, confronted with constant hardware and software failures. He was amazed when he got his first Macintosh plugged it in and it just worked. He has never looked back since.

Earlier this year saw the launch of a new and alternative Apple discussion board at www.macforum.lv, run by Valdis Takeris. Takeris’ choice of computing platform no doubt has been influenced by his father, who was a founding member of the Rīga Macintosh Users Club back in the early 1990s. An added benefit of www.macforum.lv is the organisation of discussions by topics and the fact that it is built on top of the most widely used open source forum solutions, phpBB. This summer will see the release of even more features.

Latvian software

One of the most promising developments lately has been the release of a Latvian spellchecker and dictionaries for Macintosh OS X 10.5 (Leopard), the latest operating system from Apple.

Reinis Adovičs, a budding architect and city planner known online as Kroko, worked day and night for a whole week in March to produce Latvian dictionaries for the Macintosh platform (Latviešu–English, English–Latviešu, Latviešu–Deutsch, Deutsch-Latviešu, Latviešu-Русский, Русский–Latviešu, Latviešu Sinonīmu, Latviešu Eirožargons). After installing Vārdnīcas the dictionaries can then be selected from Apple’s Dictionary application.

Kroko for several months has also been working on another Latvian proofing tool, trying to improve on the already existing but limited cocoAspell spellchecker. After several unsuccessful attempts a decision was made to go another route using MySpellX and Jānis Eišaks’ OpenOffice Latvian spellchecker (available through the OpenOffice Wiki). The result of this perseverance was Pareizrakstība, a Latvian spellchecker that works in most applications that make use of the system-wide spell checking services. Examples include Mail, TextEdit, iCal, Skype and others. As of writing there were known problems with iWork ‘08 (Pages, Numbers, Keynote) which the author has agreed to address in a future update. In any case users are not complaining too loudly because both Vārdnīcas and Pareizrakstība are offered by Kroko as donationware and are available as a download from mac.krokoarch.lv. 

Kroko also plans to create an easy way for users to submit additions and corrections back to Eišaks so that the open source Latvian spell checker dictionary can be regularly updated and improved, benefiting both the OpenOffice and Macintosh user community.

With both Apple (AVAD Baltic) and the local Macintosh user community increasing their presence in the Baltics, we can expect to see even more innovative products and services in the near future.