Google Android is equipped with a powerful browser built from the WebKit open source project. Wordpress is one of the most popular open source publishing applications. This site is currently powered by Wordpress 2.7.1 and I own a T-Mobile HTC G1 so I wanted to test how these two open source projects interacted with each other.
Managing posts
Logging in to the admin panel was a breeze. I was instantly able to view the full dashboard and interact with all the widgets. Even with the small screen size, most basic functions are possible to perform on the phone. I was able to administer comments, edit post, and publish new content. However, you are not able to upload photos with the new built in image loader since it utilizes Flash. The new post page also has problems with the screen size as it loads different widgets on top of each other.
Currently there is no official Wordpress client for Android. I did find one for the iPhone so I can only hope that one will be developed for Android. A quick search on the Android Market netted two results: PostBot and wpToGo. Both of these apps use the XML-RPC protocol so you will need to make sure you enable this feature on your blog. It can be found in Settings > Writing > XML-RPC.
Quick post entry
Both clients offer similar features including the ability to upload photos which is a plus. PostBot even allows you to manage several blogs at the same time by allowing you to switch between different profiles. I played around with each client and they worked, but I don’t think I will be using either to update this site. They are great for simple posting, but lack many of the features found in the full web client. Also if you are using a theme with a custom post page, you will not be able to access certain options.
Overall I was satisfied with the current options available to me via Android. Using the core browser, I can peform most of the admin functions with a few finger taps. Posting articles with multiple images and thumbnails does pose problems, but this could be corrected with a new mobile UI. I look forward to see what the community comes up with and I will be following the two clients for further development.
PostBot entry screen
If you would like to share your Wordpress on Android experiences please leave a comment or contact us. I consider myself a rookie with both platforms, but hey I was able to post this.
16 Comments
The iPhone app looks so slick. I sure hope they release an Android version for us.
Why don’t you just code one?
Hmm, very cognitive post.
Is this theme good unough for the Digg?
I would hope so. I am running wp-supercache but it has not been stressed yet.
Great post, very useful.
yo, http://www.androidandme.com great name for site)))
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I admire to your writing
Great post. Was wondering if it could be done, and u have just answered me.
been searching for this info for ages thanks
Great post! I bought the HTC Hero last week and only just set up my blog (again … long story). I’ve decided to go with the P2 Theme that Wordpress built and it works beautifully (as beautiful goes) with my HTC – only posted about it last night.
HTC have just released an update to the OS yesterday which I’ve yet to install. Apparently speeds things up greatly so looking forward to more posting on the move!
now there is a wptogo in the Market for free.Has anyone use it
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I feel that the PostBot is a lot more stable, but the wpToGo makes a much better looking post.
Great app for my WP-blog. For my Blogger I use Blogaway, almost just as good.