So, I thought it’d be great if I was able to blog over my phone. I’ve got a Palm Treo 700w and I thought, being a smart phone, it’d have no problem with accomplishing such a small feat. For Christ’s sake, I can play Contra on it!
I looked around first, checking to see if there was any mobile phone-specific software that might be useful. And there’s a couple out there – there’s the iPhone app, there’s a program called Wphone, and another one Icannot remember at this time. Unfortunately, all these programs were geared towards not just writing out blogs, but managing the online version of the blog as well.
I can say I am a spendthrift. I do not want unlimited access on my phone to the web, not when Verizon‘s charging forty-five bucks for such a service. So, if I get online when I am away from my desktop or laptop, I go the way of the per-kb route, which can also rack up some charges if one’s not careful. I don’t intend to surf the Web while on my phone, just a few moments of checking something out.
So, the three programs I found are dependant on a continuous link online, at least through the duration of the writing. There is also the option of emailing in a blog, which I may look into, but that doesn’t sound all that great either.
And, perhaps, part of the fault lies with the Treo. It’s browsing capabilities are lacking for many instances. My attempt on WordPress was a very ugly and clumsy screen, which took forever for the phone to load. I didn’t even see the text box at all, just stabbed the stylus at an open space and hoped I hit the right place.
I tried it another way, as well. Writing out in Pocket Word and attempting to cut & paste. That didn’t seem like it’d be such a bad go. I can write what I wanted to write without worry about an online tether, then connect to the mobile site and paste in my words.
No success with that. Again, because the online version was so hacked up on my phone that there was nowhere to paste to. I spent more time trying to find the text box than I did in writing what I wanted to put in it.
Understandably, many phones do not have a writing program installed. They might have a Notes feature, but to real text editors or word processing programs stapled to it. I never understood why, especially with the popularity of QWERTY keyboards on many phones. No, it’s these smart phones that end up with the works and then turn around and are incompatible with so many other features (I’m still bitter I can’t have the Metal Gear Mobile on this phone…).
What I think would be most excellent is a stand-alone WordPress app which can be written in much like a text editor program and then, pressing Publish, connects to the site directly. If one’s not so worried about checking stats or reading through comments but about the actual writing, such an app makes sense. It’s on the phone! who cares what the background looks like?
I can say that my Treo isn’t going to get much of a WordPress workout, which is a shame. The ease and flexibility of writing would be great for many impromptu thoughts to get out there at any time of the day, no matter where I might be.
I’m not going to stress about it, and I can live with the disappointment. It’d be great if something changed in the near future concerning this, but I am not going to hold my breath. I have an HP Jornada on its way, which may allow the same mobile blogging, though not the convienance of using the Treo, or the option of attaching photos to the blog while on the go.
I just thought it’d be a great thing, a program that concentrated more on the writing of a blog than the posturing of blogging.
