Twitter will update its mobile applications this week with the ability to embed video clips in posts and to send direct messages to several people at once. Users will be able to record videos from within the Twitter app directly and even piece together multiple segments -- similar to how the Twitter-owned Vine application works. Users can also share 30-second videos from their mobile device camera roll (iOS only, for now). The videos won't playback automatically; instead people will need to click on them to watch. Group direct messages will allow groups of up to 20 people to hold private conversations. Users will be able to invite anyone who follows them to the conversation, even if other participants don't follow that person and vice versa. The features are meant to help Twitter compete better against Facebook, which has boosted its use of video, and myriad messaging apps that are popular on smartphones. The new features will hit the iOS Android applications in the days ahead. Twitter is free to download from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.


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