The WordPress iOS team has released version 3.3 of the popular mobile app. Thanks to 3.3, the app now has sounds such as clicks, refreshes and a crumple sound when you discard panels on the iPad. Since I use my iPhone on vibrate all the time, the sounds are a minor addition. However, they are a nice touch for the app overall. Outside of the addition of sounds, the release boasts more than 20 bug fixes and stability improvements. The next version looks like it will include a new Notification feature for WordPress.com and Jetpack enabled blogs. A new Visual editor is also in the works.
WordPress For iOS 3.3 Released
ManageWP To Soon Be Available As An iOS App
ManageWP, the service that makes it a breeze to manage multiple websites from one location has announced that they are currently developing an iOS application specifically for ManageWP. This move takes the ease of managing multiple websites to the next level. While the app is not yet available, there are a couple of screenshots of what the final product might look like.
The first screenshot shows a concept of what the dashboard might look like. I have not tested the app itself but it will be interesting to see if they manage to pack all of their sites functionality into the iPhone app while still maintaining ease of use.
ManageWP Dashboard Concept Image
What may be the most exciting part of this news is that the app will also be available to use on the iPad. With more screen real estate and the retina display on the newest version of the iPad, this combination should make for a great experience.
Pricing has yet to be determined and in some aspects, this could get tricky. While the app is no use to non ManageWP customers, will the company end up charging for the app for existing customers? Considering there are three different service plans, I could see them offering the app for free to those who are middle and top tier plan customers. I know that the folks from ManageWP monitor this website so if you have feedback on how they should go about this, please offer your feedback within the comments.
While there are alternatives to ManageWP, they are certainly experiencing healthy growth. Earlier this year, they hit the 100,000 managed websites milestone. They have also obtained 2,000 paying customers. Speaking of paying customers, I encourage you to read through the comments of a post I published about a week ago where a number of folks chimed in that while ManageWP is awesome, their prices are a bit too high to digest. Based on feedback I have observed, there are two camps. One that says ManageWP is worth every penny that they currently charge and one that says the prices are just too high.
If you believe their prices are too high, consider the following. They currently have a staff of 20 or so people with plans to add more. They are an international bunch and the company is growing rapidly. There is the infrastructure, hardware, etc that they have to pay for. In my opinion, they shouldn’t price themselves out of business. They should simply charge what they feel is right for the service.
Cool Way To Use PollDaddy Out In The Field
For those looking to take polls or collect survey data out in the field should check out this primer published on the PollDaddy blog on how to use their iOS app on the iPad to substitute the typical clipboard and paper routine. Probably one of the best features regarding the app is the ability to collect information without an internet connection. When one becomes available, the app will automatically synchronize with your Polldaddy.com account. ∞
WordPress App – The Best Thing On Peter Brights iPhone
According to Peter Bright over at the Technorati blog, the best thing about his iPhone is the WordPress App. While it works great for him, the latest version doesn’t play so nice on my particular iPhone 4. When I try to moderate comments, the app crashes. I’ll be publishing a report as well as a support query on the iPhone WordPress App support forums shortly. ∞
Turning Your WordPress Powered Site Into An iPhone App
WPlift.com has a cool tutorial on how they used WiziApp to turn their site into a native iPhone app. Is this the next trend or an ongoing trend? Also, looking at those payment plans, it looks like an expensive way to turn your site into an iPhone app but I bet it’s cheaper than paying an experienced developer to do it. ∞
WordPress iPhone App 2.7 Released
Version 2.7 of the WordPress for iPhone app has been released to the App Store. In this version, there have been over 100 bug fixes which should help alleviate crashes and increase stability. The development blog states 2.7 is more of a performance and stability update rather than a feature upgrade.
The main focus of this release is to improve the app’s performance and reliability. The app has been moved to Core Data, which is a much improved way of managing information locally on the device. Also, the methods used to communicate over XML-RPC have been updated to better handle communication issues and increase reliability of the app. In total there have been 117 changes in this release.
Besides the bug fixes, the UI for the Post editor has been revamped to make it easier to write and edit posts. The question I have and I know many others are wondering the same thing is when will Post Format support be added?
WordPress For iPhone 2.6.1 On The Horizon
Version 2.6 of the WordPress iPhone app was released a few days ago with the most notable addition to the app being support for video. However, while new features and some outstanding issues were fixed, 2.6 introduced new bugs or made current ones worse.
We’ve received many reports of improved speed and ease of use, so we’re happy to hear that many of you are happy with the update.
However, since WordPress is such an amazing and extensive platform, we weren’t able to fix everything, and in some cases we created new bugs that made things worse.
Chris Boyd outlined some of the issues being reported the most by users which include crashing during video uploads for WordPress.org users, crashing after video compression, and crashes at the start screen. The app is working just fine for me although I have yet to try adding any photos or videos to any of my posts. If you have an issue with version 2.6, report it in the comments or within the feedback section of the forum.
Beta Team Being Established For WordPress iOS
While WordPress for the iPhone 2.6 is almost ready to be released Chris Boyd announced that the iOS team is putting together a beta team for the project. Team members will receive releases before they reach the public’s hands for testing in order to fix bugs proactively rather than having to release a bug fix version after the fact. The team is looking for 30 iPhone/iPod Touch users and 30 iPad users. There are a few prerequisites that need to be met before you consider being part of the beta team.
- You’ll need a WordPress.com account. We’ll be using a private WordPress.com blog to send you beta builds of the app.
- Only one device per person, so if you have both an iPhone/iPod Touch and an iPad, please only sign up with one or the other.
- We’ll need you to commit to participating as a beta user for an entire year, because Apple limits the number of devices you use for testing on a yearly basis.
- We can’t change your device if you get a new one, so you’ll be stuck testing on the device you sign up with.
- Most importantly, we really need you to use Trac to report any bugs or issues you happen to find.
Unfortunately, the article already has 204 comments so it’s likely that the teams have been filled. However, if you would like to keep track of development for the project, bookmark the iOS Trac website as well as the WordPress iOS Twitter account.
In related news, BlackBerry for WordPress is also putting the call out to get people involved in development.
Can’t Access Trash Within WordPress iPhone App
Yesterday on Twitter, I mentioned that I had accidentally deleted a comment in the WordPress iPhone app. I thought I was in trouble considering the comment disappeared and there was no way to access the trash-can feature implemented in WordPress 2.9. When I logged into the WPTavern back-end today, I was relieved to see that the comment I deleted on the iPhone was in the trash bin. Upon searching the iPhone app forums today, I didn’t find any references to the trash feature but this could have been due to the fact that the search box on the forum doesn’t appear to search the forum at all. Instead, it performs a search of the WordPress.org support forums. Not sure why those two are linked together as it makes the iPhone forum search box useless.
To make matters slightly worst, there is a trash can icon that is used from within the app that deletes comments. This causes confusion, especially when I’m used to the trash button within WordPress itself.
I’ll be filing an inquiry today in the forum to see if trash will be put into the next version of the iPhone app. Until then, don’t blow a gasket when you accidentally delete a comment from within the WordPress app.
Testing WP iPhone App
Testing the WordPress iPhone app from my iPhone 3g s which is not that bad. More to come soon.