back to article Facebook throws BlackBerry an HTML bone

Facebook isn't abandoning BlackBerry after all, throwing the ailing mobility outfit a bone in the form of a web application. The Social NetworkT recently gave up on native app support for BlackBerry, a fair enough decision given its handset market share is now hidden somewhere in market-watchers' “Other” column. The symbolism …

  1. Paratrooping Parrot
    Paris Hilton

    Why not just visit m.facebook.com ?

    The only thing is that you don't get audio notifications of when you get a message.

    1. Ol' Grumpy

      This strikes me of being more of a perception issue than a technical one. If Facebook are seen to abandon Blackberry, how long will it be before other major app developers think the platform is no longer viable and discard it?

      1. Dave 126 Silver badge

        >The only thing is that you don't get audio notifications of when you get a message

        You can of course have Facebook send you an email when someone sends you a Facebook message. Depending upon your email client and provider, you can have such email use a different notification noise to other emails.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            This, 100 times this

            Email is just fine, if you don't have time to email it to me, I don't have time to read it.

      2. Dave 126 Silver badge

        >

        This strikes me of being more of a perception issue than a technical one.

        Yep.

        There are of course larger issues at play in this whole web Vs app question, such as data in silos and funding of web content in the age of adblockers (and thus the common blurring between editorial and advertising content).

      3. Naselus

        "how long will it be before other major app developers think the platform is no longer viable and discard it?"

        About minus 5 years, if memory serves...

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Correct.

        I have my hand on the 'unsupported platform' trigger right now...

    2. Nick

      The updated Facebook "app" on my Z30 simply goes to m.facebook.com.

      Perhaps I'm missing something?

  2. Kevin Johnston

    An alternative view

    Get a Blackberry and you are less likely to be data-mined by Facebook?

    Dark clouds around every silver lining :)

    Disclaimer: Yes I do have a Blackberry and I find it very good for making/receiving calls and emails. Oddly enough that and the two/three day battery life is all I want although I have used the GPS/Satnav once in a while

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: An alternative view

      Yes, absence of faecebook is a major plus point for Blackberry.

  3. To Mars in Man Bras!
    Unhappy

    Oh Dear!

    The fact BlackBerry considers the continued availability of FacePuke to be newsworthy proves that; not only is the coffin lid replete with nails, clods of earth are beginning to rain down on it.

    1. Tommy Pock

      Re: Oh Dear!

      You know, it's called Facebook. As an IT professional I'm sure you're able to convey your dislike for something without resorting to churlish and juvenile dysphemisms.

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        Re: Oh Dear!

        Churlish. juvenile and appropriate.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: @tommy pock

        >> As an IT professional I'm sure you're able to convey your dislike for something without resorting to churlish and juvenile dysphemisms.

        I see you are a recent entrant to the profession, welcome, always good to have new blood.

        1. Tommy Pock

          Re: @tommy pock

          I was joking. Touchy bunch around here

  4. Pseudonymous Diehard

    Blackberry?

    Are they begging on kickstarter yet?

    1. To Mars in Man Bras!
      Trollface

      Re: Blackberry?

      You're more likely to see some of the fanciful products from Kickstarter in the real world, than you are a BlackBerry

  5. Chris Jasper

    Widgets

    Great, now maybe they will see fit to bring back the Facebook widget to Android instead of trying to up Ad Revenue by making us go straight to the feed?

  6. AshRid

    Hub Integration

    Without the Hub integration you may as well visit the website!

    1. Tommy Pock

      Re: Hub Integration

      I use Face10 for the hub notifications, and the m.facebook homescreen link to actually use the thing

  7. Gio Ciampa

    Lucky Blackberry

    They've escaped the memory and storage hog that is the official Facebook app...

    Before I uninstalled it, it was taking up 300+MB of storage (and Messenger likewise)

    I'm happy sticking to the likes of Folio which, unsurprisingly, is just a wrapper around m.facebook.com, and manages all the functionality I need for my occasional mobile forays in that direction (as well as Twitter and Google+), in about 20 MB.

  8. JimboSmith Silver badge

    No complaints from me when Facebook stopped appearing on my BlackBerry, probably because I deleted it myself. Just saw it as a waste of memory and a privacy concern.

  9. Naselus

    Shame really

    The most recent BB handsets clearly sold like crap, but they were actually pretty good devices. It's a pity their new strategy didn't work out for them.

  10. This post has been deleted by its author

  11. Jess

    I beat them to it.

    I removed the FaceBook app from my BlackBerry months ago.

  12. Ambivalous Crowboard

    "Recently" gave up?

    The facebook for BB10 app was abandoned about a year after the BB10 platform came out. No replies-to-comments support, no events support, limited groups support...

    I used to go to m.facebook.com on my phone to *get* the functionality.

    1. alphaomegagamer

      Re: "Recently" gave up?

      Actually they had started fixing all these issues last year, the app was working really well

  13. alphaomegagamer

    False information here

    The article implies that facebook had supplied the app and was now taking the app away. In reality they refused to make the app in the first place and the app that we had was made by blackberry themselves. Also they didn't throw BlackBerry a fricken bone they purposely changed their API so that 3rd party apps weren't allowed on BlackBerry. This didn't make things easier as the mobile app blows, uploading a photo is a long drawn out process that doesn't work very fasy... before I could just share to FB it would upload and be done, now you have to select the photo wait for it to the processed then post. Facebook is purposely taking a jab at BlackBerry here so to act like they are throwing them a bone is false. They are just being corporate Bullies

  14. alphaomegagamer

    False information here

    The article implies that facebook had supplied the app and was now taking the app away. In reality they refused to make the app in the first place and the app that we had was made by blackberry themselves. Also they didn't throw BlackBerry a fricken bone they purposely changed their API so that 3rd party apps weren't allowed on BlackBerry. This didn't make things easier as the mobile app blows, uploading a photo is a long drawn out process that doesn't work very fast... before I could just share to FB it would upload and be done, now you have to select the photo wait for it to the processed then post. Facebook is purposely taking a jab at BlackBerry here so to act like they are throwing them a bone is false. They are just being corporate Bullies

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