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Archive for the ‘iPhone apps’ Category

This is my first test post with a free app called BlogWriter Lite. Since this is the second free blogging app I have tried, it will have to go up against the WordPress 2.0 app.

First I noticed that BlogWriter does not offer a horizontal screen when writing, so I have been fat fingering this post.

Let’s see how it handles code, this should be red, if that worked then it handles code like the WordPress app.

OK, that is too funny, I am finishing this post up by writing from the WordPress app. The reason why is that the “Lite” means you can’t edit a post your have already published and since I published to see how it handles code I got stung by a poor piece of freeware.

Here is what you have to pay $1.99 to have functional:

The only thing that makes it worth paying for is it’s multiple-platform support. So if you have a Blogspot, WordPress.com, or supported blog and want to use one app to post from your iPhone you might consider this app.

I’ll keep looking as new apps come along,
Richard

I found a very intriguing iPhone app a couple of days ago called Glue. Glue is an app designed to update all of the major social media sites from Facebook to Twitter to WordPress and a bunch more from a single post. Cool right? Well the promise was kept, glue does update my FB status and Twitter but the results do vary. My FB status is a title and a link to my glue site which I would argue is an annoying thing. I really dislike having to click a link to see a status message.

That is not the only disappointment in this app. When you do click you get a tiny message on a vast white web page. Since you can’t post anything but text, no photos, no colors just text that great big white page swallows your little status update.

It is a great concept I will stick with it over time and see how it develops.

Blog on!

Starting at step one, the out of the box experience. I am starting this about as green as can be. I recently converted to the iPhone so everything is new.

The first thing I notice is that the WordPress for iPhone app only allows inline images at the end of your post. OK for a quick post on a day trip but not good for a commuter blogger.

I wonder if this will work? I added a style to the HTML paragraph tag that the editor creates when you publish, and I declared a width on the p tag and a float left. Let’s see if this does what I hope it will.

Hey, it works, go figure the editor allows HTML tags so if I want to I should be able to change the color of my font for example.

So you can write HTML inline as you go and you are not forced to stay in HTML mode once you have done it. Admittedly that is a power user feature but it does take the app beyond the gimmick stage. Here is an example of the code I used in the WordPress for iPhone app that aligned my photo above to the left and wrapped the text to the right.

Pretty cool, the only drawback to all of this is the strange workflow it forces you to have and I found myself publishing over and over to get everything just right. But hey, if you are stuck on a train or in the airport, this could be a way to pass the time and keep your blog up to date.