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Twitter for mobile Web gets standardized across the globe

Using a third less bandwidth, the new version of the social network's mobile Web access is fast -- which means people with simple phones and weak signals can use the site more easily.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr
With the new update, even non-smartphones can access Twitter for mobile Web. Twitter

Now people in far away or rural places and even those on low-bandwidth networks can use the newest version of Twitter for mobile Web.

The microblogging site announced today that "in an effort to give every person on the planet a consistent Twitter experience," it is standardizing Twitter for all devices, networks, and browsers.

This means that people in places where smartphones are inaccessible and Web access is slow can now use the same version of Twitter on their mobile device as anyone else.

The latest version of Twitter was introduced in December and included new features such as being able to see all tweets in the Home tab, check @mentions in the Connect tab, see what's trending in the Discover tab, and access direct messages and tweets in the Me tab.

With the standardization of Twitter mobile, people can access mobile.twitter.com from feature phones, low-bandwidth networks, or older browsers. Twitter says its latest version uses one third less bandwidth than older versions and as a result the site runs faster.

In a blog post, Twitter's vice president of product, Satya Patel, said that the social network will "continue to make Twitter the most accessible way to connect with the world, even with the weakest signals and the simplest devices."