BlackBerry 10 Client?

[adamlau]

Any plans for a native (not an Android port) app in the near future?

[robn]

Originally Posted by adamlau

Any plans for a native (not an Android port) app in the near future?

No plans at all - Blackberry doesn't appear significantly in our client stats at all.

I think there might be a Blackberry device of some kind in the test pool, though I'm fairly confident that its not in our standard test set. I'll look for it on Monday and see what OS etc version it runs, and if the web client works well/at all in it. Mostly for my own curiousity; I like to have some idea of what devices people are using.

[adamlau]

The FastMail Android app installs w/o a hitch and works fairly well. OS 10.3.1.1154. But the app is not nearly as smooth as a native one would be. The web client (via tiny.fastmail.com through the native browser) works flawlessly as it has been since OS 10.2.x.xxx. In terms of usability and speed, the web client is preferable to the Droid app (on BB10) at this point.

[krimlin]

Originally Posted by robn

I think there might be a Blackberry device of some kind in the test pool, though I'm fairly confident that its not in our standard test set.

You do have a BlackBerry Z10 since May.

Since BB OS10 is able to run Android apps and the new Blackberry devices come with the Amazon App store installed, it would be worth to consider offering the FastMail app there - after a test run to see if everything works fine on BB.

[robn]

Originally Posted by krimlin

You do have a BlackBerry Z10 since May.

Haha, excellent. I thought we did, but I'd already left the office for the day so I couldn't check.

Since BB OS10 is able to run Android apps and the new Blackberry devices come with the Amazon App store installed, it would be worth to consider offering the FastMail app there - after a test run to see if everything works fine on BB.

Putting it in the Amazon store is kind of a non-starter at this stage, because we'd need to support Amazon's push to make it worth it, and I still don't have evidence that there's enough people that want it to make it worth dropping my other work to do it (yes, I know there's a few people, but there's a tradeoff).

In some ways I wish people wouldn't try to hack the app onto their phone, because it skews my numbers. If I get any visibility on it at all, all I get is Android installs and I don't see the real platform involved. But I understand people wanting their toys, and if it was me I'd be doing the same.

I'll have more of a look at the Z10 on Monday and see what its like. Like I say though, there's no plans for a native client any time soon.

[brong]

I guess I'd better bring the Z10 in with me on Monday It's sitting on the shelf over there. I brought it home to test some caldav stuff on.

[intrloper]

Wanted to show support for BB10 app, I am in midst of making the move from google/android to stand alone services and blackberry classic once released.

Not sure if app is needed but hope there is sync integration for contacts, emails, calendar.

thanks.

[brong]

Interface works fine on the Z10. It's a bit slower than my Nexus 5, but I think it's only because the CPU is so much less powerful.

I've set up calendar on here successfully too, so caldav access should be fine.

Bron.

[robn]

Originally Posted by brong

Interface works fine on the Z10. It's a bit slower than my Nexus 5, but I think it's only because the CPU is so much less powerful.

Just did a quick skim through the dev docs. Looks like its all C++/Qt, the WebView is a Webkit variant, and it seems to have a reasonably competent push service. So there doesn't seem to be any technical reason we couldn't do a true native client.

I'd personally love to do a client for every phone out there, because its really a lot of fun. But there's lots of other fun things that need doing as well, and those have bigger payoffs

So again, never say never, but it doesn't seem likely it this time.

[Goldstein]

I am on BB Q10 if you need any people to test 'whatever' please send me a PM. In general, though -I don't see a need for an email app (not for BB, android, ios) but I would be interested that calendar and contact sync works flawless. My input

[krimlin]

Originally Posted by robn

Putting it in the Amazon store is kind of a non-starter at this stage, because we'd need to support Amazon's push to make it worth it, and I still don't have evidence that there's enough people that want it to make it worth dropping my other work to do it (yes, I know there's a few people, but there's a tradeoff).

What information is actually transferred to Amazon (or Google when offered through Google Play) for that push service?

[robn]

Originally Posted by krimlin

What information is actually transferred to Amazon (or Google when offered through Google Play) for that push service?

Just the user ID (the u= part of a normal FastMail URL). Its just a trigger that wakes the client, then it connects back to FastMail to get updates.

[GeekOnTheHill]

Just to add my $.02...

Your lack of native BB10 support is why I canceled my trial account less than half an hour after I opened it today. I liked your interface and calendar, and I did get the BB to connect; but there was no native integration with the BB calendar, and I'm not interested in ported Android apps. If I wanted an Android, I'd buy one.

So basically, you would have had me as a paid customer if you natively supported my device.

Richard

[robn]

Originally Posted by GeekOnTheHill

there was no native integration with the BB calendar

BB 10 has a fairly competent CalDAV implementation that works fine with our servers. Was there a reason you couldn't use that, or did you mean something else?

[GeekOnTheHill]

Originally Posted by robn

BB 10 has a fairly competent CalDAV implementation that works fine with our servers. Was there a reason you couldn't use that, or did you mean something else?

Thanks for your response. I did create the calendar on the BB, but there were two points of dissatisfaction. These can be "blamed" on BB, if you like, and maybe you're right. From my perspective, all that mattered was that the service didn't work the way I wanted it to. Or maybe it was my own mistake, in which case I don't mind being corrected and would even request that my FM trial account be re-opened so I can try it again.

The first problem was that the Fastmail calendar didn't really sync with the BB calendar. They were both available on the BB, but not merged. So if I wanted to create an event that would be saved to both calendars, I'd have to do it twice, switching between the two views to do so. That's not what I want. I want the calendars to actually be synchronized so they are both the same. But I want them both to exist separately, as well -- just identically.

My reasons for this have to do with the fact that I live in a rural area where cell service is spotty. I can always create appointments on the BB local calendar, but I can't always create appointments on a third-party calendar. What I want is to be able to create a local appointment which will then automatically sync with the remote calendar when I pass through an area where I have a signal. I also want to be able to check and make changes to the remote calendar using a computer, and for those changes to sync back to my device when it grabs a signal. I want true synchronization, not a second calendar that happens to be available on the BB.

The second problem I had is really a BB problem, but it's one that could be overcome with a native app. The BB's shortest-allowable sync interval is 12 hours. That's not what I want. I want instantaneous if the device currently has a connection, or immediately upon getting one if it doesn't. A native app could do this.

As for the Android app via Amazon, I'm not interested. I don't want to constantly virtualize a second operating system on a phone just to sync a calendar. I'm also a bit leery of anything built for Android simply because I detest Google with a passion (else I would just use their Calendar) and would need to be sure that Google wouldn't be able to glean even the slightest bit of information about me by way of the ported app. And even then, the performance hit from virtualizing the Android OS would remain a drawback.

I hope my explanation makes sense to you. If not, please let me know and I'll try to clarify. Or if there was something I could have done to make your service work like I want it to, feel free to correct me and I'll give it another go. I have no delusions of omniscience about BBs or anything else.

One more note: You seem to feel that BB users are such a small share of the market that we're not worth coding for. Your opinion, however, ignores three factors:

The first is that there are users who do use the ported Android app, who probably show up as Android users on your radar.

The second is that BB users tend to be very loyal, so almost certainly if you put out a well-functioning, native BB app, you would get new paid users (including, as a certainty, myself).

The third is that BB seems to me to be regaining some popularity, especially among business users who need a tool, not a toy; as well as among users who hate Google so much that if Android were the last phone OS on the market, we'd switch back to land lines. (I happen to fall into both groups.)

Thanks again for your response. I appreciate it. I hope my explanation does justice to your interest.

Richard