WordPress iPhone App Released

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)


http://images.macrumors.com/article/2008/07/22/120529-wordpress.jpg

Apple has approved and released the WordPress [App Store (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=285073074&mt=8)] application into the iTunes App Store today. The WordPress app allows blog publishers to update their site through a native iPhone application.

- Support for WordPress.com blogs and self-installed WordPress blogs (version 2.5.1 and higher)
- Full support for tags and categories
- Photo support for both camera pics and library photos
- Support for multiple blogs
- Auto recovery feature recovers posts interrupted by phone calls

WordPress is a free download from the iTunes App Store [App Store link (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=285073074&mt=8)]

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2008/07/22/wordpress-iphone-app-released/)

[lazyrighteye]

Assuming it is stable, this is big.

[abrooks]

Not particularly impressed, with the lack of copy/paste and many other vital functions this really doesn't work.

On the other hand I can see your average personal blog using this, the ability to attach a photo is a nice addition.

[cyclingplatypus]

Haven't tried uploading a photo yet and I've seen others have encountered a few bugs but so far I'm pretty impressed.

[Flowbee]

I haven't run into any problems with this app yet. So much easier than using the web-based control panel in mobile safari. However, posting long links is a pain without copy/paste.

[lazyrighteye]

...with the lack of copy/paste and many other vital functions this really doesn't work.

Great point.
Copy & Pate is really holding back the platform's functionality, in many areas.
Wonder what the hold up is?
I mean, I read Joswiak's weak comments about it being "on their priority list" & blah blah blah.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2325536,00.asp

Seems it would be sitting at #1...

[Bubba Satori]

Would it be too cynical to believe that the absence of copy and paste is a ploy for another $10 upgrade that provides it? Shirley it wasn't a technical or programming issue.

[t0mat0]

Joswiak had a fair point. Apple has more pressing issues, and better features to be working on right now. All in good time.

[ewoods]

Sorry to be one of "those guys," but is copy/paste really such a big deal? What exactly is everyone copying and pasting? Sure it's inconvenient to have to type out a long URL, but to say that the lack of copy/paste is somehow crippling the iPhone to the point that this, "really doesn't work" is ridiculous. My wife and I have both posted to our blogs from my iPhone today and neither of us encountered a need to copy/paste anything.

Don't misunderstand, I would very much like copy/paste functionality on my iPhone if it could somehow be implemented elegantly, but let's not overexaggerate the impact of its absence by saying that the iPhone's broken without it. At worst it's a minor inconvenience. Besides, I would guess that most people with a serious need to copy long quotes or multiple URL's to a blog post while away from home will be carrying a laptop.

[gibbz]

I have a wordpress blog on a hosted website. I was worried it wouldn't work as well as with a wordpress.com powered blog. So far the app is great. I tried a test post with an image taken by the iPhone and it worked great.

[tobefirst]

Did anyone else have a blank post show up on their blogs after accessing it via the iPhone? My (few) subscribers loved the email about a blank post. (:

[bretm]

Sorry to be one of "those guys," but is copy/paste really such a big deal? What exactly is everyone copying and pasting? Sure it's inconvenient to have to type out a long URL, but to say that the lack of copy/paste is somehow crippling the iPhone to the point that this, "really doesn't work" is ridiculous. My wife and I have both posted to our blogs from my iPhone today and neither of us encountered a need to copy/paste anything.

Don't misunderstand, I would very much like copy/paste functionality on my iPhone if it could somehow be implemented elegantly, but let's not overexaggerate the impact of its absence by saying that the iPhone's broken without it. At worst it's a minor inconvenience. Besides, I would guess that most people with a serious need to copy long quotes or multiple URL's to a blog post while away from home will be carrying a laptop.

The biggest pain the the arse is posting to this forum! Everytime I reply to a long post I would love to highlight certain portions and copy them, or copy chunks of different posts and reply to multiples in the same post. Since you can't highlight a portion and copy or quote, etc. then it's just not happening.

Same goes with replying to friends emails. I would also like to take a chunk of one email and paste it into others like directions and such.

So, yes, I find it immensely crippling. It's not a mobile platform without it. Do you remember what the first function of a computer really was that made the word processor better than the typewriter? Aside from saving multiple versions of a document, it was copy and paste. Rearranging the content of whatever you're writing. I would think writing a blog would need this functionality unless you don't really give a crap about the content you're writing and just write it and don't edit it.

Copy and paste is in a sense the essence of typing on a computer. It's what makes it feasable. Without it, typing is limited to texting, short emails, and the occasional web comment.

Yeah, you're one of "those guys" that I just don't understand. Just what the heck are you doing that DOESN'T require copy and paste?

[bretm]

Would it be too cynical to believe that the absence of copy and paste is a ploy for another $10 upgrade that provides it? Shirley it wasn't a technical or programming issue.

Yes. It would. I don't think they know how to do it. Many have pointed out ways to do it, but others have pointed out the flaws in those ideas. My palm pilot in 1998 did it easily. But a stylus is generally more capable and more accurate than a finger.

[cyclingplatypus]

Did anyone else have a blank post show up on their blogs after accessing it via the iPhone? My (few) subscribers loved the email about a blank post. (:

You aren't alone, it was kind of odd an actually only happened on one of the blogs that I set up.

[ewoods]

Just what the heck are you doing that DOESN'T require copy and paste?

In general, I'm using the device as it was intended to be used. I'm an amature novelist and I love to write, so I understand the value of being able to copy and paste while editing and revising. I just don't do much editing and revising on my phone. I love my iPhone, but a word processor it is not. The screen is too small and the keyboard is too cramped to be effective as anything more than a device meant for texting, sending short emails, and posting the occasional web comment. Thanks to the WordPress app, we can now add casual blogging to that list of intended uses (casual being the operative word). To be clear, I agree that copy/paste is certainly a needed function, I just disagree with how badly it's needed.

[genshi]

I am finally realizing the need for copy and paste as well, but at the same time, aren't you guys just excited about how all of this technology is finally converging? I really think we all take it for granted the ease of which we can do things that most people couldn't do just 5 years ago (and of course, work still needs to be done on a lot of this stuff, but it is coming.)

For example, because of this Wordpress app being released, I created a new blog dedicated to Waymarking and Geocaching (http://cybernautexplorer.wordpress.com/) from the iPhone. So I can now take a Geotagged photo with my iPhone, use the Wordpress app to write a blog about it and upload the photo and geotagged data from the iPhone and people can explore the locations I post (once an app like Geopher (http://geopherlite.blogspot.com/) finally gets released it'll be even easier!)

Just a very exciting time for all of us that use technology, imho.

[dasikes]

Does anyone know WHY it's so difficult for developers to include landscape keyboard?

[HKeleher]

Does anyone know WHY it's so difficult for developers to include landscape keyboard?

Forgive me if I misunderstand the concern...

Is this a new issue with 2.0 or a general issue with the iPhone? I'm still using 1.1.4 and when I flip the Touch over to landscape and click to type in a URL I get a landscape keyboard. Maybe this is a problem with the mail app (mine is currently broken so I can't check.)

Granted, if I open the keyboard when in portrait mode and flip the device it does not orient itself based on the screen like it does when viewing a page but just close the keyboard, flip the device and open the keyboard again for it to show in landscape mode.

[bmb012]

Forgive me if I misunderstand the concern...

Is this a new issue with 2.0 or a general issue with the iPhone? I'm still using 1.1.4 and when I flip the Touch over to landscape and click to type in a URL I get a landscape keyboard. Maybe this is a problem with the mail app (mine is currently broken so I can't check.)

Granted, if I open the keyboard when in portrait mode and flip the device it does not orient itself based on the screen like it does when viewing a page but just close the keyboard, flip the device and open the keyboard again for it to show in landscape mode.

Eh, he's talking about in 3rd party apps, and to my knowledge, not a single one uses the landscape keyboard. AIM would be great with it, so would wordpress.

The big thing with copy/paste for wordpress is the adding of links or quotes to a post, and if you're writing a standard type blog (which I'm really not...) then you'd probably do that a lot.

Being able to put pictures in is definitely a good feature though that makes it much better than the plugin that shows mobile admin if you're on your phone.

[tobefirst]

You aren't alone, it was kind of odd an actually only happened on one of the blogs that I set up.

Happened only on one of the two blogs I admin. Strange indeed.

[macduke]

Great point.
Copy & Pate is really holding back the platform's functionality, in many areas.
Wonder what the hold up is?
I mean, I read Joswiak's weak comments about it being "on their priority list" & blah blah blah.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2325536,00.asp

Seems it would be sitting at #1...

Seriously? #1 priority? It probably looks more like this:

1.) Fix the damn 2.0 software so it doesn't crash all the time
2.) Fix the lagginess of the damn 2.0 software
3.) Fix the damn MobileMe so that it actually works
4.) Revolutionize computing with Snow Leopard performance enhancements
5.) Update the old and decrepit Mac Mini
6.) Update the old and decrepit Cinema Displays
7.) Update the old, though timeless design of the MBP
8.) Further stabilize Leopard, one of the buggiest versions of OS X
9.) Update the iPods with something big to keep the sales slump away
10.) Think of other ways to make money and beat Microsoft

And somewhere near the bottom of the list...add in copy and paste to the iPhone firmware.

I'm not bitter!

I love you Apple. :D

[macduke]

And furthermore....

Am I the only person in the world who hates the word "blog"?? I hate it, hate it, hate it. It is the lamest.

I also don't get the need to blog when out and about. Maybe if something crazy happens, but usually can't it wait until you're at home? Maybe its because I'm old (23), but I just don't get the whole blogging thing. My younger sisters are crazy about it though. It was just starting to become popular when I graduated from high school. I had a MySpace for a little while and wrote down some thoughts...but who really gives a damn about my boring life anyhow? Most people have pretty boring lives...its a sad fact. I don't care that you got a new puppy, or that you hate John McCain, or that you're pissed at your BFF because she wore the same dress as you to the party. Am I the only one who feels this way? I think there are only a few blogs worth actually reading. All the rest is just white noise. I only use Facebook to keep up with my friends. I hardly post status updates or anything. And I hate the minifeed.

Wow I'm feeling cynical tonight.

[ewoods]

Am I the only person in the world who hates the word "blog"??

Yes, you are. :)

And you do realize that MacRumors.com is a blog, right? Oh the irony...

My Son, the Blogger: An M.D. Trades Medicine for Apple Rumors (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/technology/21blogger.html?ex=1374379200&en=f6e20a0b28ce89be&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink)

[matticus008]

The biggest pain the the arse is posting to this forum! Everytime I reply to a long post I would love to highlight certain portions and copy them, or copy chunks of different posts and reply to multiples in the same post.
Multi-quote works perfectly on my iPhone.
Copy and paste is in a sense the essence of typing on a computer.
That's quite an overstatement.

As for email, have you noticed that the whole text is there when you reply? You can compose your message around that if you need to incorporate text. Of course copy and paste is a great time-saver and I don't think anyone is opposed to adding it, particularly for hyperlinks. But it's obviously not stopping people, and until these posts remind me, I tend to forget I can't do it.

Personally, I think tap and hold on a link or Safari URL should engage a "drag and drop" mode that you could then move into your application, Exposé-style. That would go a long way to solving the problem. Copy and paste itself isn't what's holding the feature back--it's a good, reliable method of selecting text to copy.

[LinMac]

And furthermore....

Am I the only person in the world who hates the word "blog"?? I hate it, hate it, hate it. It is the lamest.

.....

Wow I'm feeling cynical tonight.

I'm getting off your lawn now. :D

Copy and paste would be nice for moving text data between applications. I could see the benefit for copying an IP address from an email into Safari when it isn't picked up as a link (and shouldn't be) or into VNC/SSH (when SSH is finally supported without jailbreak).

It has limited uses, but the iPhone definitely feels restricted at times without it.

[MacDaddie0]

I've tried posting some unicode text using the WordPress iPhone App without any success.
It works great with plain English and; even photo uploading works.
Furthermore, preview works with Unicode.

This app will set a trend on all other blogging sites...

[NewSc2]

This seems cool, but I rarely feel the need to update my blog on the go. I'd much prefer a full-sized keyboard for going off on my boring rants :)

[macduke]

Yes, you are. :)

And you do realize that MacRumors.com is a blog, right? Oh the irony...

My Son, the Blogger: An M.D. Trades Medicine for Apple Rumors (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/technology/21blogger.html?ex=1374379200&en=f6e20a0b28ce89be&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink)

Funny, the title says "Mac Rumors: Apple Mac Rumors and News You Care About". Seems more like a news site to me. Arn never posts anything personal, which is what I associate most blogs with. This site is more like a huge forum if anything. And yes, I've already read that story.

Also, I'm calmed down now from my rant earlier. :D

[Shadowriver]

Does anyone know WHY it's so difficult for developers to include landscape keyboard?

Too small space for app and edit field itself if this keyboard is on :>

[ewoods]

Arn never posts anything personal, which is what I associate most blogs with.

Precisely what I was trying to convey. A blog doesn't have to be personal. Certainly many of them are simply online diaries, but many of them are also news sites, political sites, or corporate sites. The company I work for has an internal blog that any employee can post anything to as long as it's company related. It functions as a type of suggestion box that allows for feedback from other employees.

My wife participates in an interesting blogging community. She can't cook but she can bake better than my grandma! She recently bought a baking book and discovered that the author has a blog. Every week the author picks a recipe from the book. Then her readership makes that recipe and everyone blogs about it on Tuesdays. Not only do I get a delicious baked good every week, but my wife gets even better at baking and with hundreds of people all making the same recipe and blogging about it, she also gets to discover ways to modify and adjust the recipe for the next time she makes it.

Well this is longer than I meant it to be, but I hope you get the point that a blog can easily be more than just an online diary. Happy blogging!

[Klaxons2012]

Ever since I heard about the Typepad app, I was sure a Wordpress App was on the way. I'll use this every once in awhile if I decide to liveblog something for my site or moblog some public opinion stuff. Or if I'm just too lazy to get on the laptop, I can just pull out the phone and do a short blog entry. Nothing crazy. I'm sure once we move forward with new updates there will be even more powerful blog tools available via the iPhone.

[dasikes]

It has limited uses, but the iPhone definitely feels restricted at times without it.

It does. I've even had to break out the pencil/paper every now and again! It was awful! :D

[9suffix]

Did anyone else have a blank post show up on their blogs after accessing it via the iPhone? My (few) subscribers loved the email about a blank post. (:

Yes! My personal "blog" is about me keeping an updated list of my favorite "spirits" for friends who are always asking me, "what's good?" Therefore, I'm always editing the same five posts.

This app, which will be wonderful one day, randomly deletes sections of the post!! Or even deletes the text leaving it blank, as you said.

Thank goodness for the new "Restore" feature of WordPress!!! An excellent function I had to call upon when the application glitched my entries.

JP

[pcypert]

It's a broken feature for me for sure. Say I'm talking on the phone and someone gives me a number for someone to call and I put it in notepad...would be nice to be able to copy that out quickly and input it in. Lots of normal little functions like that that would make things so much easier....

Paul