Review: Wordpress for Nokia

It's incredibly hard to create an application that will update a blog to the high standard that many readers expect; partly because there are so many different blog hosts that are not quite compatible with each other in their back end; partly because the majority of blogs which are self-hosted (such as my own) will be ever so slightly different, but mostly because it's pretty complicated to format, edit, proof read and publish digital thoughts from a small mobile screen. Many have attempted it, and the latest contender, the open source Nokia Wordpress Client, is better than most.

Can you develop a single client that will work on every blog? Probably not, there are just too many variables; but you can make a client that hits a majority, which I think is the reason that this Qt-based client focuses just on Wordpress.

Wordpress is probably the largest blogging platform of the moment, and has two flavours, a hosted version (with millions of sites at yournamehere.wordpress.com), and a downloadable version that you can host on your own server. Both of these can be addressed by this client.

Let's get one thing clear before going on with the review: the app is still in development, and you should check the site for the latest build. It even updated during the writing of this review to v0.6(0). It's not perfect, stable and ready for deploying in any critical environments. But it's still one of the best ways of managing a Wordpress blog on a mobile device that I've found.

So in the current builds it needs a lot of memory to keep running; the T9 input is having some problems recognising capitalised names at the start of a word; it doesn't try to re-initiate an internet connection when it drops; problems which I think might be down to the Qt runtime also being in beta!

Another thing to note is that this application must be installed on your C drive, which limits your options if you are preserving storage space. Why? As this app is one of the first major works in QT on Symbian, and Qt is not yet deployed in the firmware, the required runtime files will also need to be installed, making for the relatively large storage footprint, especially on devices like the N97. The team are working to have a version that runs off the mass storage memory or SD cards in the near future.

There's the point you need to realise. All the issues mentioned (and a few more, no doubt) are known, will be worked on, and polished. I've already seen improvements since the builds in February and March – watching apps develop in your hand is a great feeling.

I'm already using the Wordpress Client on a regular basis. Not for writing posts to my blog, mostly because I'm using the Nokia X6. Having to use the pop up keyboard and substitute dialog box is quite painful for anything over a paragraph, although on keyboard-equipped devices where you stay in the regular S60 dialog box for text input, such as the N97, it's a little easier to do the long form entries.

I'm using the client right now to monitor the blog – because there's more going on in this app than simply taking your text and publishing it online. It allows you to manage already existing blog posts and fixing pages - editing them is far less burdensome than writing from scratch; it allows you to moderate, approve and delete comments as required; tweaking the text and attributes of entries that are in draft until you are ready to publish them is easy; and if you add your personal Wordpress key then you'll be able to access detailed statistics on a separate screen.

The client is probably the most efficient and simple way to let you do a quick check on the health of your blog while out and about. That's why it's a good application, even in it's in “still developing” form.

The client also makes great use of the touchscreen, with almost every on-screen element recognised and doing something logical, such as moving to another screen of information or bringing up an editing box – you could easily mistake this application for a web page that's highly optimised for your S60 device. Wordpress users will recognise the look of the app as their normal admin screen, with discrete blocks for information, e.g. the overall statistics at the top of each tabbed section, followed by the content, which can then be tapped through as required.

Given the number of blogs that some people work with, it's nice to see a clean interface that allows you to manage multiple blogs – you'll be logged into the last used when you start the application, but the top menu entry lets you switch to any other blog. And setting up the blog is a matter of entering the homepage URL (not some complicated admin URL) and your username. This touch of simplicity is nice.

Throughout this app is the idea of simplicity – and, while blogs are complicated beasts, this, as I've said previously, is one of the best mobile blogging clients I've used. Yes, it needs work to fill in the obvious gaps and the stability, but this is a strong foundation to build on, and it's one that I'm already using.

Recommended for those with a strong heart and the willingness to blog.

-- Ewan Spence, March 2010.

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