MechaWorks has announced a new tool, MobileEdition, designed to give bloggers a free App Store app for iPhone and iPod touch.
MobileEdition will enable bloggers to place their blogs on the App Store, in a custom and iPhone-formatted layout.
The service gives readers a new choice in how to tune into blogs while they’re on the go. Readers can get a desktop experience of a blog (via Safari) or choose the App Store version of a blog for an iPhone-formatted experience.
Each App Store app is separate, and the blogger/company can help customize the application to better represent their blog’s branding.
In exchange for the service, MechaWorks keeps a 40 percent revenue share of mobile advertising. To make the service more profitable for bloggers, MobileEdition has deployed competitive mobile ad pricing, to allow multiple ad networks to compete for the best ad CPM on each blogger’s app.
The company is also developing MobileEdition for other future devices, including the Palm Pre, and Android phones.
MobileEdition will only support WordPress blogs at launch, but will expand to other publishing platforms (MovableType, Drupal and more) in the near future. “We fully intend to support every major blog platform,” said Christopher Price, MechaWorks CEO.
Although Price said he couldn’t speak for Apple’s treatment of the new content, he said he’s excited about the prospect of working with Apple to create a unique space for bloggers on the App Store. “I definitely see Apple welcoming bloggers as a new category to the App Store as an alternative to traditional news outlets,” he said.
iBlogger is the only comparable application at the Apple App Store. iBlogger sells for $9.99 and advertises that it is compatible with nearly any blog.
Filed Under: Infrastructure