BlackBerry Z10 gets updated Facebook, Twitter apps
The smartphone's launch has prompted a refresh of Blackberry 10 Facebook and Twitter apps.
Buyers of the new BlackBerry Z10 phone will find updated versions of both its Facebook and Twitter apps.
As detailed in a BlackBerry blog yesterday, Facebook 10.0.1 offers the following features:
- Friends Nearby: You can now find out if your Facebook friends are in the area by seeing if they've checked into a nearby location.
- Photo Updates: You can now tag any photo that you've uploaded into Facebook and save photos from Facebook onto your BlackBerry phone.
- Events: You can now view and respond to events and invite your friends to those events. You can also post directly on the event wall.
- Sharing: BlackBerry's Facebook app now lets you share links from Facebook posts via BBM, e-mail, SMS, Twitter, and other services.
What's new in Twitter for BB10? Version 10.0.2 adds the following features:
- Your Connect Tab: You can now see all your Twitter action in one place, including new followees, mentions, and favorites.
- More Content: You can view photos, article summaries, and other updates in your tweets.
- Added Perspective: You can now see the number of times that a tweet has been added as a favorite.
There has been some confusion over who develops these apps -- BlackBerry or Facebook and Twitter. A spokesman for Facebook claimed that BlackBerry makes the Facebook app. A Twitter spokesperson declined to comment. But a BlackBerry spokeswoman sent CNET the following statement to address the question:
BlackBerry (then RIM) did build the apps for BlackBerry OS 7 and lower, but we no longer build them for BlackBerry 10. But, even though we don't build them anymore, we do offer a high level of support to our partners to build great experience on the platform, regardless of whether they build the apps in-house or use an external developer.
The company formerly known as Research in Motion clearly is counting on BlackBerry Z10 to generate more interest among developers and customers. Existing BlackBerry users may gravitate toward the new OS, but analysts believe the company will be hard-pressed to attract new customers in a market dominated by Apple and Android.
Updated 4/2 11:30 a.m. PT: to clarify who develops the Facebook and Twitter apps.