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Facebook for BlackBerry |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Thursday, 25 October 2007 |
Users of Research
In Motion's BlackBerry smartphones can now access Facebook thanks to a new BlackBerry software
application that enables fast, streamlined and optimised mobile access
to the popular social networking site.
According to the company, the application leverages the push-based BlackBerry system architecture
and Facebook Platform to deliver a level of integration that goes beyond browser-based access,
automatically pushing notifications to the user's BlackBerry smartphone
as friends and colleagues send notes, Wall posts or pokes. The
application allows users to take a photo, upload it to the site with
captions and tags; quickly and easily invite friends; manage events;
manage photo albums; and manage their status while on the go.
Mike Lazaridis, founder of Research In Motion,
will join Dustin Moskovitz, co-founder of Facebook, to formally unveil
and demonstrate the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones application
today at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show in San
Francisco. T-Mobile USA has been selected to be the first carrier to
provide the new software application to its customers.
"Facebook
is one of the fastest growing web destinations among BlackBerry
smartphone users and it has become an important element in the evolving
fabric of personal communications," said Mike Lazaridis, President and
Co-CEO at Research In Motion. "Facebook and RIM share a vision for
enhanced mobile communications and social networking based on open,
standards-based platforms and this has allowed us to produce a rich
mobile application for Facebook users that leverages the push-based
architecture, multimedia features and industry-leading usability of the
BlackBerry solution."
"The worlds of wireless communication and social
utilities, such as Facebook, continue to converge. As people look for
new ways to stay connected and network with peers and colleagues, true
mobile access to these types of utilities can only become more
popular," said Jill Aldort, Sr. Analyst, Consumer Research at Yankee
Group. "Even at this nascent stage of the market, 19% of adult
consumers who access social networks on their PCs also regularly access
these same sites on their mobile phones."
Available as a free download, Facebook for
BlackBerry allows users to:
- Receive notifications and
messages automatically - Leveraging the BlackBerry platform's
push-based architecture, notifications and messages are automatically
sent to the user; the user can also set a unique alert (vibration
and/or ringtone) for Facebook related content
- Quickly access
essential features - Convenient onscreen icons let users quickly change
their Status, upload a photo, add a friend, poke someone, write on a
Wall, or send a message. Users can also quickly scroll through messages
and notifications as they do with email messages
- Invite friends to join Facebook and accept new friend requests
- Quickly snap and post pictures along with a caption and tags - The
photo upload feature is also integrated with the BlackBerry smartphone
camera and photo management applications on the smartphone
- View the Status of friends
- Read, compose and reply to messages even while offline - If the user is
out of wireless coverage, messages are queued until the user returns to
an area of coverage
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