Notice the past tense there. The first ever app I got was WordPress for iPhone. So now I can just blog away to my heart’s content. Have to be careful not to miss the train, though.

The app works with WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress blogs, set-up is painless and it supports multiple blogs. You can add photos, use existing tags or create new ones -- anything you can do online, too. Look:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=glD1uK2PJF8

There are also apps for LiveJournal, TypePad and a number of cross-platform blogging apps which support Blogger, MovableType etc.

Word recognition is pretty accurate, and there is also a choice of similar words in case the app got it wrong. It takes a bit of getting used to shape-writing, but after a few minutes it gets easier. The biggest problem I had with the app is that my hand obscured the view of the keyboard and I hit the wrong keys a few times.

I like WritingPad -- it’s definitely better than the Notes app the iPhone has built-in -, but I prefer WritePad. Any app that can decipher my handwriting gets my vote.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw0-iSoVeUE

It works surprisingly well, and it learns the more you use it.  There are gestures for return, backspace, undo last recognition etc, and they speed up the writing process, too. Your text is stored until you delete it, or you can send it to the email app. It works in portrait and landscape mode.

This app could be my new weapon of choice when it comes to writing down ideas quickly. I’d be even more impressed if I could use WritePad to send text to a number of other apps, like, say, my WordPress app.

Anyway. EasyWriter (btw, I thought hard about a way to link Born To Be Wild to an app that makes typing on the iPhone a lot easier -- good thing I didn’t succeed). Not just for writers, it’s a great app for anyone who writes a lot of emails. EasyWriter’s features are simple but awesome: type text on the wide landscape keyboard, and when you’re done send it to the email app. Now my fingers are slender and all, but I still struggle with the keyboard sometimes. Not with EasyWriter, though. I tried it for 15 minutes just now and I only ever mistyped twice. Using my thumbs. Cool!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7o04Z0rCko

A number of app programmers must have thought along the same lines. Search for “pumpkin” in the app store and you’ll get over 20 results. I chose the first one called Crazy Pumpkin. It’s free, which is always a good thing. It’s a fun little app which allows you to create your favourite scary face by swiping over eyes, nose and mouth.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7Ih0LOowlY

The best thing, though, if you ask me, is that by shaking the iPhone, the app changes the colour of your pumpkin’s flame and makes Halloween noises. The guys who share an office with me are going to throw me out if I don’t stop shaking my phone soon.

Are you having fun with a Halloween-themed app? Let me know all about it!

Off the top of my head, I know of three Wikipedia apps: Wikipanion, Quickpedia and Wikiamo. I currently use Wikipanion, but I wonder if the others might be worth trying. Now I could just go and install the apps. Thing is, though, testing would take forever as I can never check anything quickly on Wikipedia. Times three, and I’ll do nothing else all day.

So I’m wondering if anyone out there uses Quickpedia, Wikiamo or any other app I’m not aware of. What’s good about the app you use, what is not so good? Can you recommend it, or are you looking for an alternative? I want to hear anything you have to say on Wikipedia apps!

Stanza is awesome. It turns the iPhone into a portable library where your favourite books are just a tap or two away. Stanza comes with an online catalogue (connecting it to Project Gutenberg, Feedbooks and other free ebook sources), and downloading a new book is often just a matter of seconds. Navigation through the books is easy, and the app remembers where you stopped reading and opens the book at that page the next time you open it. The best thing – well, apart from the fact that it’s a free app- is the bookmark function, though. You can bookmark a page and add your own description, so you’ll always find the favourite parts in any book in a matter of seconds.

The app provides an explanation and examples of the words in use. Get it now while it’s free – it will turn into a paid app on Saturday – and you’ll be all set for the next time when you feel the urgent need to use words like ennui, panacea and non sequitur.

This article certainly thinks so – and it’s a compelling argument put forward.  It’s not about comparing the device to WinMo or any of the other mobile OS’ though – the iPhone was released under the banner of Apple creativity and stability, and to find that by simply adding a few third party apps the device becomes flaky and substandard smacks of Apple throwing open the doors of the app store with insufficient testing and dollar signs in their eyes.

One thing is for certain – with the number of iPhone wannabes running an increasing number MIDP 2.0 Java mini applications, both Apple and Microsoft/HTC need to beware that their hardware matches their reputations.

$1000!

And yet, it’s not like it wasn’t obvious.  The item description reads:

“The red icon on your iPhone or iPod Touch always reminds you (and others when you show it to them) that you were rich enough to afford this. It’s a work of art with no hidden function at all.”

Although not breaching any regulations, the item was pulled – but not after 8 buyers lined the pockets of creator XX, who was puzzled as to why the item was removed.

“I have no idea why they did it and am not aware of any violation of the rules to sell software on the App Store”

He has a point.  Especially with those who forked out for it opining bitterly.

“I saw this app with a few friends and we jokingly clicked ‘buy’ thinking it was a joke, to see what would happen.”

Hey dude, why not stick your hands in a mains terminal and “see what happens”…?