Gmail cans BlackBerry app
No more downloads, no more technical support if users already have the app. The app will still work, but Google says it would prefer users to use the browser on their handhelds instead.
Google's explanation: “Over this past year, we've focused efforts on building a great Gmail experience in the mobile browser, and will continue investing in this area.”
Google will instead focus on "building a great Gmail experience in the mobile browser," the company said in a statement on its Web site on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reports.
In a statement, Research In Motion (RIM) played down this development.
"Since 2009, RIM has incorporated native support for Gmail in BlackBerry [operating system] 5.0 and above, which means that a separate Gmail app is not required," the statement said. "The large majority of users who access Gmail on their BlackBerry smartphones already rely on the native support (provided through BlackBerry Internet Service) rather than the separate Gmail app."
Either way, this spells trouble for the future of BlackBerry smartphones, as users are reportedly shifting their loyalties to a fast-growing Android or the iPhone, Tech2 says.
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