Beta testing

I was invited to beta test the new Android app for my blog platform SquareSpace. After using the service for the last two and a half years, I'm certainly very familiar with the system, and for the last year or so, I have more or less exclusively been using the mobile app for blog entries - explaining the typos.

I usually used either my iPod or iPad. The app made entry in the fly very easy. The main issues I have with it was the photo upload. My blog width on the website was 750 pixels and the maximum width on mobile photo uploads were only 600. The other issue was integration with html scripts for my adverts and other blog elements. I would still need a PC to do adjustments afterwards.

The Android app appeared robust. It has yet to crash so far. The stats panel looked more extensive compared to the iOS app. Photo upload also appeared quite fast. I plan to blog on the fly using this app regularly for the next couple of weeks.

Blogged using my SquareSpace Android App.

Echofon Galore

I’ll admit it, I was on call today and I had a bad back. So I couldn't walk around the ward to do the paperwork in Day Care. I would rather sit in front of my laptop, doing some reading as well as tweeting. So here I am, and the evening ward round would be another couple of hours, all drugged up with anti-inflammatories. The plan would be to have a quick bite, then Maghrib prayers, and start the rounds at around eight from Casualty.

I thought I would write about my current twitter clients, because I must say that I was really impressed with the current iteration of Echofon for Mac desktop - free as I downloaded the Lite version from the App Store and couldn’t really tell the difference with the USD 19.99 ‘heavy’ version. It all started when I started using the Echofon for iPhone and iPad last week. Beautiful, unobtrusive interphase and excellent push capabilities for the iPhone version, which can be muted at night so as not to chirp while you were sleeping. The same iPhone download also expands into a fully-fledged iPad client which was also excellent.

What I love about the iPhone app apart from the reliable push service - the previous I used was SimplyTweet with its rather dull interface - was how well it integrate with the photo clients, supporting most conventional photo uploading services. The conversation modes were also nice, as well as well as the DM page which turned the tweets into conversation panels. The location service was also reliable, and it latched on onto my GPS position very quickly, with options to turn it off of course. Another great feature was the fact it integrates both twitter RT service as well as manual RT with comment with the RT @ format. The “quote” RT system of the official twitter client drove me mad!

On the desktop client, I was also able to integrate my bit.ly client without any hiccups. The great features from the iOS program translate well onto the desktops, so you get almost the same format in terms of image integration and conversation. But there was an added feature. You can sync up the iOS and desktop clients, so that say if you have just used you iPhone client, the unread counter would reset to when your phone was switched off when you boot up the Mac desktop client. Clever I thought. Since I have only been using the clients for only a few days, it may still be too early to start jumping up and down raving about it. So, I shall write again after a couple of weeks.

P/S: I would be writing regular reviews on my tech website in the near future. My alter ego tech persona can be followed here, and the website is here.

Increased Output

Recently, I bumped into an ex-colleague who was now plying his trade in a Private Medical Center across town. He came over for his weekly session at UMMC - and his wife still works there. Upon greeting, he remarked upon the number of blog envies I had up lately and how I managed to find the time to do it. He also mentioned the numb of links I had up on my Facebook updates.

I must say that since I have the iPad, things had been really straight forward. Let's start with the blogposts. I take all the photos on the blog on my iPhone 4. Despite one of my cousins dissing it - as now he sports a Nokia with a 12 MP camera - I still think that the iPhone 4 camera remains the most versatile. Great quality of captures with a great selection of apps utilising its capability. Those snaps were usually taken using the Camera+ App, which does amazing point-to-focus and point-to-meter implementations. Once captured, manipulation and editing of the snaps were done in app, as well ass uploading to Flickr and other social network. The photos were also uploaded straight into my blog if necessary as part of an entry, without needing to be transferred to a computer.

Next, the actual blogpost. Previously, I tended to do multiple entries at a time and then upload them in turns. The entries were usually done on a program called Scrivener which is then saved in the cloud using DropBox, to allow me to have access to the entries from any of my Macs. I would then cut and paste them onto the blog as an entry. This has now changed with iPad as I tended to type the entries straight onto the SquareSpace iPad app and upload them as draft directly. I can also put up the photos as necessary, although I order uploaded the edited iPhone snaps onto the Mac, edit them and uploaded them integrated into entries. This way, the alignments and the quality of the photos would be better.

If necessary, or if I was on the road, I could just type the blog post straight onto my iPhone SquareSpace app. It integrates well, and has so far been reliable. I can also keep track on the number of hits, as well as do some corrections on the fly if needed. If you notice, my blog used Disqus for comments. As soon as a comment was generated on my post, I would straight away receive an email informing me so, and I could just email back a reply. Alternatively, there was always the Disqus Pro app, which collate all the comments, which I would then answer directly through the app.

All in all, maintenance of the blog could be done away from a computer. As long as there was an internet connection, I would be good to go! Long may I stay productive.