Tumblr takes steps forward with iOS app update

One of the more popular blogging platforms, Tumblr released a long-awaited graphical user interface design update to its iOS application last Thursday, to the pleasure of many of its fans. Often considered the middle-ground between blogging and tweeting, Tumblr represents one of the more interesting web publishing platforms around.

This update completely revamps the iPhone and iPod touch versions of the mobile app, with a new dashboard GUI design, high-definition image support, an offline mode and more new features. It also improves some shortcut features, and the development team reworked the app for a faster and smoother experience. According to Red Orbit, this update has been sorely missed by iOS users, as Android received an updated app in April. However, no announcements have been made regarding the iPad yet.

Critics have noted that Tumblr has largely ignored its mobile application design since its boom in popularity. Tumblr 3.0 responds to that criticism and goes beyond, not only improving usability but giving mobile users a much better experience than many expected. Icons are enlarged for easier touch support, a new image viewer makes reading photoblogs a much more pleasant experience and the app now supports tag searching, Spotify and more. According to Today's iPhone, early user impressions are generally positive.

As the popularity of mobile computing increases, it is important for companies like Tumblr to improve their mobile app offerings. Speed, options and offline capabilities are all key features of a successful mobile app, especially one for blogging and related services - and are all features that the new Tumblr app adds.

Some features also add new usability to Tumblr in general, such as Spotify player integration and Twitter-like hashtags. However, the main improvements come from the fixing of functions that were considered to be clunky in the older version, ruining the app's overall usability.

By improving the performance and features of its mobile app, Tumblr is showing a push toward pleasing its users and keeping up with evolving technology. While it took a while to release a new version of the app, the updates seem to have been worth the wait, and manage to stay ahead of the technological curve, which many apps that take a long time to update fail to accomplish.