WordPress on the iPhone and the Blackberry

WordPress is a powerful blogging tool, one that is simultaneously user-friendly and difficult to master. Users have everything they need to use it at their fingertips, but it may be this wealth of options that could be their downfall. Even the most experienced blogger may become overwhelmed by what they can do.

The wealth of options and functionality it offers the basic blogger is exactly why WordPress is one of the most dominant blogging platforms available today. The newest option they have at their fingertips is the ability to use it on mobile phones. Both the iPhone and the Blackberry have WordPress applications.

WordPress on the Blackberry

It would not be until the summer of 2009 when the Blackberry would receive an application that would allow its owners to use WordPress. It was, like many beta programs, unstable, buggy, and had serious user interface issues. Fortunately, it has since been upgraded and improved. Users cannot create a blog using the Blackberry, but it can be used to manage a blog that already exists.

Using it is easy. It has four areas where it can help the user manage their blog. It can help manage their posts, their pages, reader and visitor comments and of course, the options of the application itself. The posts section of the application can be used either to edit or create a brand new post. The pages part of the application functions similarly to the post section, but it handles pages. Managing the comments in a blog is a vital part of maintain order in a community. While it can require some adjustment on the user’s part, most WordPress applications on the Blackberry make it easy.

It cannot change many of the options for a blog beyond the username and password. It is a valuable tool for anyone looking to blog on the go.

WordPress on the iPhone

The iPhone is one of the most prevalent smartphones available to the consumer today. It was inevitable that it would have a WordPress app. It possesses many of the same qualities and abilities as the Blackberry version, but it has been around longer and thus has been updated more.

It can moderate, reply and edit comments much like the Blackberry WordPress application. More popular posts can be moderated in bulk, allowing for quick control. Editing posts are a little easier, as users can rotate the iPhone to adjust the screen space available to them. It also has built-in location mapping software.

This means that the iPhone application it is generally more stable and easier to use than its Blackberry counterpart.

Comparing the Two Options

While both options are workable and certainly useable, the iPhone application has more years under it and thus is easier to use. It is also far more stable than its Blackberry counterpart and has a smoother interface. For now, it is the better option. It is likely to stay that way for years to come.

However, this will not always be the case. Programmers are always working on the next upgrade. It will not be long before the Blackberry application catches up in to the iPhone in terms of how functional it is and how easy it will be to use.

If it were to come down to judgment, the victory would go to the iPhone. It will always have more development under its wing compared to the Blackberry and thus will always be one step ahead. It should not influence whether or not it is the phone of choice for a user, but for a heavy blogger, it could make the difference between purchasing a Blackberry or an iPhone.

This is a guest post by Ronald Bradley. He  is a part time webhosting consultant for IXwebhosting a Web Hosting company based in Ohio.