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
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. ∞
WPWeekly Episode 105 – The Return
In this long awaited live edition of WordPress Weekly, I gave everyone a detailed description as to my whereabouts within the past few months. I then went through some news stories that caught my eye during the week. The show ended with a 20 minute interview with Brad Williams discussing his work with WebDevStudios.com, Pluginize, WPClassroom.com and a few other projects he’s working on. I hope I can get back to doing these shows on a regular basis.
Stories Discussed:
WordPress Mobile Users Grow To 1 Million
WordPress Projects Still In Huge Demand
Should Easter Eggs Be Removed From WordPress?
Announcements:
On the next episode of WordPress Weekly, I’ll be playing an interview with Chip Bennett discussing various facets of the WordPress Theme Review Team as well as the review guidelines.
WPWeekly Meta:
Next Episode: Saturday, November 13th 2P.M. EST
Subscribe To WPWeekly Via Itunes: Click here to subscribe
Length Of Episode: 1 Hour
Download The Show: WordPressWeeklyEpisode105.mp3
Listen To Episode #105:
WordPress Mobile Users Grow To 1 Million
What a great milestone for the WordPress ecosystem. On November 3rd, Isaac Keyet used the WordPress.com announcement blog to let us know that the userbase for the various WordPress mobile apps had reached 1 million. In addition to that announcement, there is now a WordPress application for Nokia phones both newer, and older devices. If you’re a Nokia phone user, be sure to follower @WPNokia on Twitter to keep abreast of any new developments regarding the application.
This announcement means that WordPress is now available on BlackBerry, Android, the Apple iPhone, and now Nokia phones. Congrats to Matt and those involved with spearheading the individual open-source projects that make up the phone applications. Speaking of open-source, if you want to get involved with the Nokia application project, visit the WordPress For Nokia Development page on the Codex.
Overtaking Blogger Through Mobile Apps
Darnell Clayton of BloggingPro.com takes a look at the prospects of WordPress possibly overtaking the popularity of Blogger thanks to mobile applications. At this point, WordPress has an application for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Google Android. That covers most of the smartphone market. However, I have a hard time believing these devices are being used to publish full length content on a regular basis.
In my experience with using the WordPress app for the iPhone, I’ve come to realize that it’s just not the same as having an actual mouse and keyboard with multiple monitors. Blogging on the iPhone is a pain in the rear thanks to an inefficient work-flow and the on-screen keyboard which I’ve still have not been able to master. I’ve relegated to using the WordPress app as a management utility to moderate comments, perform quick edits on pages or posts, and other small tasks. I wonder if I’m alone in this respect or if others have had the same experience when blogging from a mobile device.