iPhone as a mobile blogging tool?

By Kevin C. Tofel | Monday, July 23, 2007 | 4:13 PM CT | 13 comments |

Blogging_on_iphone_2

Yep, I just had to try it since it runs a full browser. Using the on-screen keyboard certainly works, but it’s cumbersome at best. Adding Bluetooth support for an external keyboard would be nice, but without a stand for the phone it would be awkward. This exercise really shows the glaring omission of a basic cut and paste feature as well. That ought to explain why there’s no links in the post; manually typing a lenghty URL isn’t something I’d enjoy on a regular basis. Oh, and that lack of an easily accessible file system puts the kabosh on any images, at least on TypePad, which is what we use here. Luckily, I also have my UMPC so I went in and added the pic. Otherwise, the post was created entirely on the iPhone. I wouldn’t have thought to try this on a Windows Mobile or Nokia device simply because the screens aren’t big enough and it would be a challenge without a QWERTY keyboard of some type. It’s not an optimal blogging tool, but is good in a pinch!

Comments (13)

  • OK, keep it up and I’m going to find out if my HP Jornada still works. :-)

    I’m betting Pocket IE on that beast doesn’t even know what CSS is…

    Scotty — 10:25 AM on July 23, 2007 Reply

  • Actually my blog is almost completely filled with posts made from my cell phone, a Sony Ericsson S710a. The easiest way to do it is with MMS messages (e-mails tend to have the “sent from mobile device” disclaimer on the end). Can’t easily link to webpages, but it’s great for a quick rant or posting a picture of an awesome car I run into.

    Keith11:25 AM on July 23, 2007 Reply

  • Of course the funniest part is that the iPhone doesn’t support MMS messages so it can’t do use that convenient Blogger tool :)

    Keith11:26 AM on July 23, 2007 Reply

  • You can email posts in with TypePad.

    James Kendrick11:54 AM on July 23, 2007 Reply

  • You can always use email for moblogging.

    I’ve done it with the Postie plugin for WordPress.

    With flickr, you can set it up to automatically post a message to your blog when you email “Your blog upload email”.

    For video, I was able to get it done with blip.tv.
    With blip.tv you can have the sent videos crossposted to your blog.
    With the Blackjack, I recorded a video which saves as a .3gp file.
    Emailed a message with the .3gp file attached to the mobile blip.tv email address.
    A post magically appeared on my blog with the message, .3gp file, and another video format of your choice (i chose flash video).

    Rodfather11:56 AM on July 23, 2007 Reply

  • Yup, I knew there were alternative methods to post (e-mail/MMS/etc) but I wanted to try it directly in the Safari browser. That’s not something I could have easily done with prior devices except maybe for the Nokia N800. I didn’t know about some of the image options that Rodfather provided, so I’ll have to check them out. I don’t see myself using this to blog except in extremely rare cases.

    Kevin C. Tofel12:26 PM on July 23, 2007 Reply

  • Emergency blogging, that’s cool.

    James Kendrick12:56 PM on July 23, 2007 Reply

  • How about the iphone as a washing machine? I’m sure some fanbois will figure that one out lol.

    spinedoc — 4:07 AM on July 24, 2007 Reply

  • Amazing how iPhone ownership affects your memory, Kevin’s already erased WinMo phones from his recollection of “prior devices.” Or does TypePad’s site not even work with Opera Mobile?

    Keith6:03 AM on July 24, 2007 Reply

  • Keith, no memory lapse here: how can I forget my first love, i.e.: Windows Mobile? ;) It’s simply been too difficult to blog on my prior devices. The XV6700 had the right keyboard and screen size to give it a go, but when I had tried this experiment on it some time ago, I had issues with TypePad’s site. Perhaps I’ll give it another go with the latest Opera 8.65 beta.

    Kevin C. Tofel7:47 AM on July 24, 2007 Reply

  • I remember Blogger’s site proper would kill my IE mobile, but it does fine with Opera as long as you stick to the simple stuff.

    Keith10:33 PM on July 24, 2007 Reply

  • If you have an iPhone and want a truly integrated mobile blogging experience, check out iRovr.com

    Erik6:06 AM on August 23, 2007 Reply

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