What’s New?

The number one priority is to make the app more stable, and WordPress for BlackBerry now runs beautifully on both BlackBerry 10 devices and the PlayBook.

• Improved support for connecting over HTTPS.
• Stability improvements. We continue to make the app even more stable. In this release we fixed more than 20 bugs.
• Code cleanup and optimization.

What’s Next?

Development is continuing at a very rapid pace. We are already marching towards the next big release of the app. If you would like to get involved please visit make.wordpress.org/mobile.

What would you like to see improved in the app? Post a comment here or follow us on Twitter at @WPBlackBerry to get in touch!

• Fixed an issue where stats couldn’t be loaded on some Jetpack sites.
• The app now remembers the previously opened blog.
• Removed the support for the AtomPub protocol since it will be removed in WordPress 3.5.
• Performance and reliability improvements.

We also added a small patch for the picture uploading issue that some users are still experiencing on WordPress.com.

Version 2.2.4 of WordPress for PlayBook is available for download on the RIM AppWorld.

What’s new in version 2.2.4:

• Thai language support.
• Fix for loading all pages.
• Post title added when viewing a comment.
• Images now link to themselves to better support image lightbox plugins.
• Fix for duplicate image uploads.
• Support for BlackBerry 10 Devices.

We’ve also released the binary package for the new BB10 devices. If you own one of these prototypes, let us know what do you think about the app!

What’s New?

Dashboard + Action Bar
Everything you want to do, all in one place. The Dashboard is the first thing you see when launching the app and it provides one-tap access to most features available in the app. Write new Posts and Pages, publish a Photo, check your Stats, moderate Comments, access the WordPress Dashboard, and much more.

The action bar at the top of your screen allows you to quickly change between blogs and refresh Posts, Pages, and Comments on the blog selected. It makes it easy to change the blog you’re posting to, as well as seeing if there are any pending comments.

Quick Photo
Want to post a picture quickly? We added a Quick Photo button that takes you right to the camera so you can capture the moment and instantly attach the photo to a new post. Quick Photo will use the Image Post Format (if your theme supports it) and you can even post pictures that you’ve already taken.

WordPress.com Reading Made Easy
If you publish to one or more WordPress.com blogs in your WordPress for BlackBerry app you’ll now see a Read button in the Dashboard. This is the fastest way to keep up with posts from blogs you’re following on WordPress.com. Here’s how it works: if you go to any WordPress.com blog and click the Follow button in the Toolbar, you’ll not only get email notifications about new posts from that blog, but they’ll also show up right in the app!

You can manage the blogs you’re following in your WordPress.com dashboard, where you can also add custom RSS feeds.

Don’t follow any blogs yet? In the app’s “Read” screen you’ll also find Freshly Pressed, listing some of the most interesting on WordPress.com posts. Or you can tap the little arrow button and select from a multitude of interesting Topics, including Art, Technology, Books, and many more.

The Read function is in Beta and will be improved over time, so we’d very much like to hear what you like about it and what features you’d like to see next! Post a comment below or reach out to us on Twitter. Please note that this feature is only available on devices running OS7 or higher.

Localization
We’re happy to report that version 1.6 of WordPress for BlackBerry adds support for 6 more languages: Bosnian, Hebrew, Croatian, Brazilian Portuguese, Turkish, and Simplified Chinese.

Is your language not translated yet? You can easily contribute the translation yourself, and we’ll put it in the app in a future release! To get started, visit the WordPress for BlackBerry project on translate.wordpress.org (learn more). You don’t have to translate all strings, as other people will join in to help you out.

Additional Changes
In addition to the features highlighted above, here’s what’s been updated:

• Added the ability to make a post sticky.
• Added “Infinite Scrolling” on the Posts/Pages/Comments screens. This feature speeds up using the lists as it loads new items while you scroll.
• Added keyboard shortcuts to the lists.
• Post/Page Preview now also works for blogs marked as Private.
• The FilePicker shows files sorted by date, making it much easier to find the latest photo to attach to your post.
• A new, shiny application icon.
• Many other improvements and fixes, here is the full list of changes.

Download Version 1.6
You should be able to update the app directly from RIM App World on your device. Otherwise you can visit the Download page to find the right WordPress for BlackBerry for your device.

Contributors

The following contributors worked on this release of WordPress for BlackBerry: isaackeyet, daniloercoli – help contribute to future releases!

We’d also like to extend a big thanks to all the beta testers and everyone that’s helped make version 1.6 of WordPress for BlackBerry happen!

What’s Next?

While we’re very proud of this release, we’re not taking a rest! We’re currently in the planning stages of version 2.0 of WordPress for BlackBerry. The plan is to take an overall look at where the app is, and streamline it to what you use it for the most.

Do you have questions or feedback on how we can make the app better? Please visit the WordPress for BlackBerry forums and tell us your thoughts! You can also tweet us @WPBlackBerry – subscribe to get the latest news first.

Photo Upload Problems
We’re aware of the problems some of you are seeing with photo uploads in WordPress for BlackBerry. This is a problem with RIM and we’re actively working on resolving it with them.

What’s new:

• Comment editing: tap the new ‘Edit’ button when viewing a comment and you will be taken to a new screen where you can edit the comment information including the name, email, URL, comment text, and status.
• Post Autosave: to better protect your content, the app will now autosave posts you are editing every 60 seconds.
• New Scaled Image Setting: you can now set the width of linked images. Tap ‘Settings’ and then tap the ‘Upload and link to scaled image’ checkbox.

Minor changes:

• Small improvements to the UI, most notably the delete post button has been moved to a less prominent spot to prevent accidental taps.
• Reliability improvements.
• Updated translations.
• New app icon.

WordPress.com:

• New WordPress.com Reader: There’s an all-new reader in the app that makes it easier than ever to follow your favorite blogs on WordPress.com. We’ve added a bunch of great new features including simplified navigation between posts and the ability to comment on articles you like.

Getting WordPress for PlayBook

Make sure you’re running BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 or higher, then simply click here to download the app and get started.

Contributors

Huge thanks to the fine folks who have worked on this release: dolittledk, aerych, isaackeyet, mrroundhill, daniloercoli, and you?

Feedback

Be sure to subscribe to this blog to stay up to date with the latest happenings around WordPress for PlayBook and WordPress for BlackBerry.

How do you like WordPress for PlayBook? Let us know in the comments section below, or tweet us @WPBlackBerry.

We’re happy to announce that WordPress for PlayBook is now available for download on the RIM AppWorld.

Access the Dashboard quickly from anywhere

The 7″ screen on the PlayBook makes an excellent home for the all-new Dashboard UI, giving you quick access to everything in your WordPress install. And it’s always just a tap away – access the Dashboard by tapping the button in the top right of the screen to view it.

Write posts and pages in either landscape or portrait orientation using the new and improved post editor. You’ll find everything there that you want in a WordPress app: Edit existing posts/pages, add media, view your stats, moderate comments, and get direct access to the full web-based WordPress Admin (i.e. /wp-admin).

If you have a WordPress.com blog you’ll be able to access the Read feature, which enables you to read up on your favorite blogs and follow new and interesting Topics. Of course, you can also browse Freshly Pressed, showcasing some of the best content on WordPress.com daily.

Getting WordPress for PlayBook

You will need to update the device OS with the BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0. The new OS is packed with the support for Android applications and allows our app to run on the PlayBook tablet.

All set? Search the AppWorld for “WordPress”, or simply click here to download the app and get started.

Feedback

How do you like the tablet WordPress app on the PlayBook? Let us know in the comments section below, or tweet us @WPBlackBerry.

Be sure to subscribe to this blog to stay up to date with the latest happenings around WordPress for PlayBook and WordPress for BlackBerry.

Depending on your region or country, you might not see the latest version in the BlackBerry App World just yet, but the update should be available on your device starting now.

Here’s what’s new:

• Added support forBlavatars (“Blog Avatars”).
• Added preview for drafts, scheduled and private posts.
• Introduced the home screen icon for comment notifications.
• Added a visual indicator that shows the post status in the post list screen.
• Added support for Discussion settings (enable/disable comments, pingbacks and Trackbacks).
• Categories are now alphabetically sorted.
• Added the possibility to specify a resize dimension on each image.
• Changed the image resize feature, by adding predefined dimensions loaded from the Blog Media Settings.
• Fixed issues on the Permissions settings screen, it now appears once at first startup.
• Small UI redesign.

WordPress for BlackBerry 1.4.6.1 is a security update that also improves the communication layer within the app. To store your credentials, the app is now using a completely different, strongly encrypted storage model. Due to these changes, we’ve held back on developing new features in this release to make sure the transition to the new storage model is as smooth as possible. While the app should transfer your credentials to the new storage model, you might be forced to re-add your blogs/sites when updating. (Draft posts will not be erased, so once you have re-added a blog the old drafts should become visible again.)

Other changes include:

• You can now select which type of the Media API that should be used for uploading photos and videos.
• Added the Preview for Private Posts/Pages
• Improved the preview screen, which is now using the BlackBerry browser or any browser installed on your device.
• Fix for VideoPress issue when uploading multiple videos #181.
• Fix for app permission issues that could freeze the app if all permissions are not set to Allow #179.
• Fix for postID that are bigger than the XML-RPC specification #180.
• Improved the communication layer.
• Improved the XML-RPC calls.
• Fix for post/page comments setting that allow people to post comments on new articles created using the app #163.
• Other minor changes.

Do you have questions or feedback on how we can make the app better? Please visit the WordPress for BlackBerry forums and tell us your thoughts! Also make sure to a follow @WPBlackBerry on Twitter for the latest news and updates.

Note: Depending on your region or country, you may not see the latest version in BlackBerry App World yet. However, the new release should be available for download on your device starting today.

Depending on your region or country, you may not see the latest version in BlackBerry App World yet. However, the new release should be available for download on your device starting today.

1.4.4 adds the following features:

• Rotate uploaded photos.
• Better integration with BlackBerry Torch 9800.

We also squeezed in some bug fixes, including the media uploading issue on the 9800 Torch device:

• Fixed the media uploading issue on the 9800. It requires AtomPub to be enabled on your blog.
• Fixed an issue that would sometimes occur with long post titles.
• Fixed issues with orphan categories.
• Fixed issues with the blog shortcut icon which would appear too big sometimes.
• Minor bug fixing.

Do you have questions or feedback on how we can make the app better? Please visit the WordPress for BlackBerry forums and tell us your thoughts!

Psst.. Follow us on Twitter for the latest news: @WPBlackBerry.

WordPress for BlackBerry version 1.4.1 has been released to BlackBerry App World.

Depending on your region or country, you might not see the latest version in the BlackBerry App World, but on your device you should now already see the latest version 1.4.1.

It was a bug squashing release, including:

• Fixed empty title issue for those blogs with “Site Title” field set to empty value.
• Fixed an issue on the comments screen that doesn’t permit editing of comments with weird characters within URL or e-mail field.
• Introduced a better integration with the VideoPress service and the WordPress.com Space-Upgrade option.
• Added support for the blog shortcut icon.
• Minor bug fixing.

The app now supports the following languages:
English
Italian
Finnish [Thanks Apuasi]
French [Thanks Yann Nave]
Indonesian [Thanks Kate of Pixel Insert]
German [Thanks Frank Wessel]
Portuguese (Portugal) [Thanks José Fontainhas]
Japanese [Thanks Nao]
Spanish [Thanks danivloven]
Colombian Spanish [Thanks Blanca Mancilla]
Polish [Thanks waclawjacek]

Interested in translating the app ? Visit translate.wordpress.org/projects.

Have questions or feedback that would enhance the app ? Please visit the WordPress for BlackBerry forums.