Since I started using iBlogger on my iPhone, I've begun to warm to the idea of using a desktop application for publishing new blog entries. I knew that the developer of iBlogger, illumineX, had a desktop app designed to do this, so I've decided to give it a try. This is the first blog entry using their product: ecto.

To be honest, I like the complete control over HTML and CSS that publishing via Drupal's Web interface gives me, but iBlogger is great for posting to my blog while on the road, or away from a computer, and ecto seems like a great option when I need to make a quick entry, include a few pictures, and move on. It also seems to give me enough control over the CSS of images I add to posts, so it's not without semi-advanced features. It also includes an HTML editor, for those times when the WYSIWYG editor may fall short.

But to say that ecto is just a simple blogging tool doesn't really do it much justice. The software has a plugin architecture that increases both its features and usefulness. Adding images, sound, and video is easy, but ecto's additional plugins integrate the application with Flickr, Amazon, Twitter, and iTunes. And, if you really want to get creative, scripting support is included as well.

As with iBlogger, one of the impressive features is ecto's ability to quickly gather two or three pieces of information about my blog (which is running on the Drupal CMS) and configure itself with minimal additional input from me. Settings are a pain, so any time an application does it for me, it quickly wins my affection.

Between iBlogger and ecto, I think I have found two easy ways to publish new content, whether on the road or in front of my computer, with minimal time investment and maximum ease.

Apple's App Store, which allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to purchase, download, and install applications, makes it super-easy to get new apps for my iPhone. In fact, now that the "long backups" and "long installs" issues have been resolved in firmware 2.1, installing apps on my iPhone is a pleasure.

It's gotten to the point where I have established a new rule: In most cases, one app must be deleted before a new app is installed. My iPhone's springboard (the set of screens that displays all the icons for the apps installed) is getting full. I have too many apps!

Apple has truly created an amazing vehicle for application delivery with the app store. Impulse-buying, at least for me, is far too easy. I'll just have to police myself a little better, I suppose.

This is a test post from the iBlogger app on my iPhone. I'm posting to a Drupal blog, and it supports adding categories, free-form tags, links, images (one per entry), and even a link to a map of my current location.

The software supports many other blogging platforms as well, but my interest was in using it on a Drupal site, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. The fact that it grabbed all my categories (taxonomy, in Drupal terms), and every previous blog entry, as soon as I added my blog was a huge "wow" moment for me. Being able to position images at the top, left, or right of the text is also great!

Previously, if I wanted to blog on my iPhone, I had to send the post to a special email address at my domain, and Drupal would go get it and post it to my blog. If I wanted to include a picture, I had to send it to a special Flickr email address instead, and Flickr would post it for me. Too much to remember! I actually have a note saved on my iPhone that tells me which method to use depending on whether or not an image upload was necessary!

iBlogger costs $9.99 and is available on the App Store right now. I haven't tested it with any other blogging platform, but I can say that it's great for Drupal blogs.

This is a link, obviously...

Apple released iPhone firmware version 2.1, the third update to the iPhone 2.0 software, this past Friday. I updated my iPhone in the afternoon, and hoped for the best. I was not disappointed.

Last week, I purchased Twittelator Pro, the mobile Twitter app for iPhone, from Apple's App Store. There were several features that Twitteriffic and Twinkle simply did not have, and I figured that the $4.99 price tag was worth the risk. Since then, I have not used either Twitteriffic or Twinkle once.

I just found this today, linked from an Apple discussion in which I've been participating regarding extremely long iPhone backup times. The discussion title is "Backup of iPhone takes around 2 hours!", but the timelapse video below shows that one user would be happy with a two-hour backup.

A video preview of Last.fm shows a slick new interface with a few new features that are going to make fans of the service happy. If you want to check out the video, head over to the link below.

» Last.fm 2.0 for iPhone (video preview)

Via Kevin Rose on Twitter

For the last two weeks, I've been participating in two threads on Apple's support forums. Like many of the users there, I saw the backup time for my iPhone go from a few minutes to over two hours. This is completely unacceptable, and I've been meaning to write about it, but simply haven't had the time. Now I do.

I created a list of all the third-party iPhone apps that I have installed right now. Contact me if you have suggestions for additional apps that fit my taste.

» My Third-Party iPhone Apps List

Erica Sadun has tried Pwnage for iPhone firmware 2.0.