Posts tagged Facebook
Are you experiencing notification issues with Facebook v1.8 for BlackBerry? Here’s the fix..
Aug 20th
It has been brought to my attention is that Facebook for BlackBerry v1.8 isn’t exactly a turn-key install. Many of my friends have experienced notification issues and I’m sure plenty of you have as well, but not to worry, there is a quick fix.
1. Open the Facebook app on your BlackBerry
2. Hit Menu, select Options
3. Scroll down to where it says ‘Turn off all Facebook Email Notifications’ and click on it.
**Make sure you leave the ‘Facebook notifications’ box checked
Explanation: Facebook for BlackBerry v1.8 uses BIS-B technology to push notifications to your BlackBerry. Email notifications are no longer needed. Keeping email notifications turned on can cause notification issues. Hope this helps!
Facebook for BlackBerry v1.8.0.49 available in App World!
Aug 18th
Facebook v1.8.0.49 is now available in App World. I’m not sure if it’s available for all devices as of yet, but I just downloaded it on my 9700. The UI seems slightly cleaner than the previous beta/leaked v1.8.0.31. I haven’t really played with it yet so I can’t comment on any other findings or fixes.
Update: When browsing App World on my PC, it still shows Facebook v1.7.0.22 so the new version is probably not available on all devices or in all areas yet.
Click here to open the Facebook link in Appworld and see if 1.8.0.49 is available for you!
If not you can download OTA here via BBHybrids, but do so at your own risk, as it may not be built for your device.
Facebook Chat Coming To Official BlackBerry App
Jul 2nd
Facebook has recently added a chat option for the BlackBerry app on their end. The Facebook for BlackBerry app doesn’t support chat as of yet, but it is a sign of things to come in the future.
Facebook for BlackBerry v1.8 which has been pushed out to select Beta Zone members, is reportedly much faster than v1.7, but currently does not have the chat option either. The chance that chat will be added to v1.8 before it comes out of beta is slim to none. The chat option will most likely be available in v2.0 which will most likely come with BlackBerry 6 in the fall.
Hopefully users will have the option to turn chat on and off because it could become quite a nuisance otherwise. If you can’t wait until the BlackBerry app supports Facebook Chat, you can download a third-party IM client such as beejive, Nimbuzz, or IM+ to get your fix for the meantime. Personally, I do not use Facebook Chat, so I haven’t tested it on any of those clients.
[Via: BBLeaks, BlackBerryForums]
Facebook for iPhone Updated to Support iOS 4 & App Switching
Jun 30th
Today Facebook version 3.1.4 has been released for the iPhone, with support for iOS 4. This version of Facebook for iPhone now supports fast app switching and high-res icons. This update doesn’t include any new features, but does include some bug fixes from the previous version. You can pick up Facebook v3.1.4 for iPhone here in iTunes
[Via: Mashable]
BlackBerry Tip: BBM Barcode Generator for Facebook
Jun 23rd
Although the BBM Barcode Generator was released for Facebook several months ago, I have yet to see any of my friends use it. Pretty much every BlackBerry user has their PIN listed under contact info, but why not take 60 seconds and add your BBM Barcode directly onto your homepage?
First login to Facebook from your PC or Mac. Then type ‘BlackBerry Barcode Generator’ in the search box. Go to the application, enter your PIN, choose a custom barcode color, and choose your BlackBerry device. Done. Just a little reminder in case you may have missed this.
Facebook for BlackBerry - 2 of 5 Stars?
Jun 12th
A few days ago, Facebook 1.8.0.4 for BlackBerry became available for select Beta Zone subscribers. In my opinion, this really doesn’t make much sense. Several months ago when Beta Zone opened, I was happy to see that RIM was giving BlackBerry subscribers the opportunity to beta test native BlackBerry apps, while taking their feedback to create a better user experience in the future.
I have been a Beta Zone member from day one, and for the first time I feel like RIM has made a mistake. Beta Zone members are not your average BlackBerry subscribers. Even though anyone can become a Beta Zone member, its only BlackBerry addicts that have signed up for the most part. They are the people who follow BlackBerry news very closely, BlackBerry based forum members, Bloggers etc. That’s really how we’ve come to learn about Beta Zone in the first place. It really aggravates me that RIM would leave a good portion of their most loyal subscribers out of the mix. I’m not the only one that feels this way, as I have seen many forum posts and tweets from other Beta Zone members which express similar aggravation.
Furthermore, RIM has been completely slacking on their Facebook development in general. For the past two years, Facebook for BlackBerry has seen very little improvement. There are more than 4 million active Facebook users in the world today, yet RIM doesn’t seem to see the importance of rapidly improving their native app. There is a huge demand for Facebook for BlackBerry, but yet the app stinks. The #6 most used free app in BlackBerry App World simply should not have a 2 of 5 star rating. RIM should have seen that as a red flag. It would have been an intelligent move to open up the Facebook program to all Beta Zone members so RIM could get as much feedback as possible.
I am by no means a Facebook fanatic or addict. I consider myself an average user, but when I use an official app, I expect it to work properly and include obvious features, options, etc. RIM, maybe you should have Ubiquitous Systems write the app for you. They seem to be doing a great job with the facebook functionality on SocialScope… Just my 2 cents.
I am aware that Facebook for BlackBerry v1.8 supposedly loads much faster and supports video uploading. I also read that 2.0 will have a fresh UI and include people search, but this is all long overdue in my opinion. Don’t you think RIM needs to invest much more time and money into Facebook for BlackBerry?
Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
iPhone App Review: Boxcar, Notifications With Love
May 14th
I, like many smartphone users, belong to many social networks. I’m not nearly important enough to demand instant updates for the networks I subscribe to, but at the very least, I’ll know exactly how unpopular I am. Yes yes, I don’t get wall posts or @replies often, so when I do, I’d like to know when they happen. Since there are dozens of Twitter apps, multiple ways to get to Facebook and several other things I’d like push notifications for, make it all inclusive so I will not need a dozen applications to keep track of all my services. This is where Boxcar really takes the cake.
Boxcar is a multi-client, multi-service push notification application for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Boxcar works by setting up an account where every setting are can be saved (should a new phone be purchased or restored). This account has your list of services and the specific actions desired for each notification. Boxcar stays logged into all applicable services in the background and will send a notification when the pre-determined action is triggered, then the appropriate action is executed. For example, I have Tweetie as my Twitter client. When I get an @reply, I have Boxcar play a bird tweeting sound. Upon unlocking the device, Boxcar will automatically open Tweetie instantly (taking about one second in between for Boxcar to make the pass). Boxcar supports nearly every Twitter application in existence including many I’ve never even heard of (so don’t worry about it). It also has some interesting actions, like the ability to open the Facebook web site instead of the iPhone application.
Boxcar comes with one service to push at no additional cost. New services can be added for $0.99. What good would adding new services be if what is pushable is lame? Don’t fret, Boxcar supports several services: Twitter, Facebook, Email, RSS/Atom Feed, Twitter Search, Growl Notifications, Twitter List, and Twitter Trends. Twitter is obviously pretty dominating here, but keeping tabs on this stuff can be important. Twitter just happens to work really well for pushed data of quick updates. Like @ComcastCares searching for “Comcast Sucks!,” it would be important to be on top of that. Email push is useful for those with non-exchange email accounts. Facebook is already push enabled, but for no apparent reason, the real Facebook application doesn’t make a sound or vibrate the iPhone. Growl Notifications usefulness is apparent immediately to anyone that uses Growl. Then again, it could be pretty spammy depending how you have Growl configured. The rest make enough sense on their own.
My person setup includes the following:
- @replies/DMs to my Twitter account - Open Tweetie 2
- Twitter list (a list of about fifteen people and their tweets that I just do NOT want to miss) - Open Tweetie 2
- Facebook notifications - Open Facebook
- A non-push email account - Open Mail
All in all it works pretty swell. Some quick tidbits: Boxcar takes security very seriously, so I wouldn’t let that concern an average user. Although it is probably not a good idea to DM your bank account number anyway. Each notification can have its own unique sound, and it comes with several. Finally, they are overwhelmingly responsive to customers via email or Twitter. Ultimately, I can’t recommend this application enough. Fine tune controls, multitude of client and service support make this application a must get.
Boxcar
Disclaimer: Boxcar was paid for by GuruClark
Socialscope Update Being Pushed Out to Some Users, Brings New Features.
May 1st
Oh Socialscope, what a love-hate relationship we BlackBerry users have with you.
Socialscope has been in private beta for what seems like forever. The problem is once you manage to actually get in to the beta, you may or may not actually receive updates to the application before you move into a nursing home. How the team at Socialscope decides which users do and do not receive updates is unclear, but it appears that the majority of people don’t receive the updates right away.
For whatever reason, I have been one of the fortunate few to receive updates in what appears to be (based on other Twitter users’ feedback) the earliest timeframe possible.
Thursday night I was prompted to update the Socialscope application from 0.9.5.88 to 0.9.5.98. I assumed that the update would just be some much-needed bug fixes as the last couple updates have been, but luckily, there were some significant new features introduced.
As you may know Socialscope isn’t just a great Twitter client for BlackBerry, but it also does an excellent job integrating Facebook, Flickr, and even Foursquare. In this update Facebook implementation got a huge update bringing in-app profile viewing and full photo album viewing. Also, more items are being pulled into the Facebook feed, instead of just statuses and wall posts, some 3rd-party application information is included. This isn’t necessarily a good thing however, unless of course you want to know who your friend’s “lover of the day” is. Still, the ability to easily view people’s profiles without being redirected to Facebook’s mobile site is a welcome addition, and photo album viewing rivals that of the native Facebook for BlackBerry application (which I don’t use thanks to Socialscope).
The new version also brings a slightly refreshed “tweet view” with refreshed fonts and a cleaned up layout. The functionality is the same but it looks better and displays information more clearly. New-style retweets are also finally supported in this build, allowing users to properly view and send retweets via “retweet” and “comment” options. Under the hood, this new version runs much faster and loads avatars, tweets, and any photos included quicker and more reliably. Many times in previous versions photos wouldn’t load until I individually selected tweets, even then they would appear slower than they should. Geotagging has also become much more reliable, finding my location more quickly and more accurately, making Foursquare much more useable.
All in all this was an unexpectedly feature-filled update. While it’s hard to predict Socialscope’s direction with the application (seeing how it’s been in beta for so long) it’s nice to see they are still bringing new feature to at least some users.
If you aren’t a Socialscope user yet go ahead and try your hand at getting an invite into the beta, and if you already use the application, let us know if you’ve seen an update lately and what version you’re running.
Android App Update: Facebook Updated To 1.2
Apr 23rd
Android users jealous of your iPhone counterparts need not be as jealous as you once were! There has been an update issued to the app today that enables messaging within the app itself, giving you one less reason to use the mobile touch site (which, IMO, is still better than the native app).
Besides that, functionality is fairly basic: you can check any notifications, see a friend’s profile, comment on walls, pictures, like a post and add a friend.
But compared to the iPhone version, there are no events, no chat option, and no notes.
Still, the app is getting better, and it looks way better on my Nexus One, but that is only due to the higher screen resolution.
The app is available on the Android Marketplace
Facebook Not Working On Your BlackBerry? Here’s Why
Feb 10th
Having issues with Facebook on your BlackBerry today? You’re not alone by any means. Lots of Facebook’n BlackBerry users have been left in the dark when it comes to making use of the Facebook application on their BlackBerry devices. The issue at hand here as reported by Mashable is that Facebook recently has been having an issue with some of their APIs which allow mobile applications to interact with the social networking site.
The official word from Facebook:
We’re currently experiencing issues with our APIs, and as a result, some users may be unable to access the site from their devices at this time. These APIs are designed to make it possible for mobile partners to provide users with their respective Facebook applications. We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
Best we can say is that Facebook and Research In Motion are certainly aware of the happenings and are working quickly to resolve the issues but this is not solely a BlackBerry issue as much as it is a Facebook issue. In the meantime, you can sit and ride it out…or join us on Twitter, lol.
Interact With Us