The new star of CBS’ Two and a Half Men has just unveiled his own Twitter app. That’s right, Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) is the first to roll out a branded desktop app from Ubermedia, which he calls A Plus. He’ll be demoing it Tuesday morning at TechCrunch Disrupt.
This is the first desktop app of its kind at Ubermedia — it runs on Adobe AIR and is available for both Mac and Windows. “We’ve combined a browser and a social media stream,” explains Kutcher in a demonstration video. “And we’ve curated some channels to make it easier to navigate the social web.”
The Kutcher-curated channels include collections of Twitter accounts in arts, sports, social and campus — and of course, @aplusk and @mrskutcher, too. Also along the left of the app, Ubermedia has included space for promos (or possibly ads), which Kutcher can control. When a tweet carries a link, the web page opens in the side panel inside the app. And the app carries all the publishing and organization features you’d expect in a desktop Twitter app, from muting and notifications to auto link shortening.
As you might imagine, Kutcher’s app is just the beginning for Ubermedia. Founder Bill Gross tells TechCrunch it plans to roll out branded versions for celebrities and media properties — the capability to highlight your own Twitter accounts in the app may be a compelling sell for many. If you’re not a fan of Kutcher, well, you can minimize his channels and use the app as you see fit.
What do you think — will branded social media apps become popular?
Earlier: Two and a Half Men gets social media boost from Kutcher