4 ms·

Facebook Launches "Facebook For Every Phone" – Java Based Mobile App

21 points by dkd903 15y ago

cesar 15y ago
I would be interested to know the architecture of the application/s to make it seamlessly work for all those phones. Suggestions?
- thinkcomp 15y ago
  Most likely it's just a J2ME MIDlet, but I have no idea.
- currywurst 15y ago
  J2ME Polish (http://www.enough.de/products/j2me-polish/ http://www.enough.de/products/j2me-polish/) was a popular cross-phone toolkit when I was spelunking in J2ME dev a long time ago ..
- shimi 15y ago
  Its J2ME midlet, and well written I must add Very nice effort
jwarzech 15y ago
I understand that its really "Facebook for Every (non iOS, Win7, Android, etc.) Phone" but doesn't the name sort of imply that its the same app that can be downloaded for every phone? (I know sort of a nit-picky comment)
- rawsyntax 15y ago
  maybe it should be "facebook for every OTHER phone"
  - jwarzech 15y ago
    It seems to me (perhaps due to broad generalization) that the sort of user that this would target wouldn't be able to easily load java apps on their phone (I remember having an old moto slivr that required a micro usb cable and a $20 piece of software to sync anything). Also would they even have the data plan to benefit from it (besides being billed at $0.xx a kb)?
  - FlowerPower 15y ago
    It is a JavaME app and so any phone that implements JavaME can run it.
    - mikemaccana 15y ago
      What phones have easily installed JavaME apps? As far I know very few S60 users actually install apps, despite Nokia apparently having an app store.
paliopolis 15y ago
But why still no native app for the iPad :-(
- ceejayoz 15y ago
  Other than video/image uploads, there's not much you can't do with the Facebook website on an iPad. My wife uses it all the time without any issues.
  - paliopolis 15y ago
    I agree there, but the native app helps out with alerts and the whole integrated experience. The "browser" site works fine for the most part except for sometimes when you have to scroll horizontally etc. I want to see if they will launch an app with skype/video integration ;-) that will be slick !! Oh wait before that I think I would want to just get a native skype app for the iPad LOL.
  - jonknee 15y ago
    Chat's another one IIRC.
    - ceejayoz 15y ago
      There are third party iPad apps that'll hook into Facebook Chat for you.
zalew 15y ago
I'd prefer they fixed the Android app
revorad 15y ago
This will probably be huge in developing countries.
spinchange 15y ago
This makes me want to dig out an old phone just to try. I'm not not even that into Facebook, but find this really impressive.
- jonknee 15y ago
  Why is it impressive? Java apps for mobile phones have been around for at least 10 years. They could bring out a PalmOS app as well and I'd be just as about impressed. Outside of the developing world, people with feature phones aren't likely to install the app and are even less likely to have a data plan so that it can be used. It fills a checkbox on a presentation slide, but won't make a difference.
  - spinchange 15y ago
    The Java mobile apps my kids have (on their feature phones, with data their plans) and that I remember do not look this good. In my opinion it's meaningful to provide software that improves the functionality & UX for 2500 different lines of legacy mobile hardware even though that might not be "sexy."
LoonyPandora 15y ago
They must've soft-launched this, as I've been using it on my feature phone for at least a month. I assumed it was just an old app that they made before smart phones dominated the market. It's a really nice little app.
swalkergibson 15y ago
Interesting. It seems like they are still attempting to grow in developing countries. Why are they focusing on this when their primary revenue stream is display advertising? I cannot imagine big-name advertisers are particularly interested in reaching people outside of the "Westernized" world...
- jonknee 15y ago
  They gotta pump the growth numbers somehow.
jjm 15y ago
I have to give it up to these devs, cause I don't know If I'd have the motivation to want to use a Java UI toolkit, especially trying to get it working on all kinds of older phones. Might turn in to this: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2754986 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2754986

21 points by dkd903 15y ago

cesar 15y ago

I would be interested to know the architecture of the application/s to make it seamlessly work for all those phones. Suggestions?

thinkcomp 15y ago
Most likely it's just a J2ME MIDlet, but I have no idea.
currywurst 15y ago
J2ME Polish (http://www.enough.de/products/j2me-polish/ http://www.enough.de/products/j2me-polish/) was a popular cross-phone toolkit when I was spelunking in J2ME dev a long time ago ..
shimi 15y ago
Its J2ME midlet, and well written I must add Very nice effort

jwarzech 15y ago

I understand that its really "Facebook for Every (non iOS, Win7, Android, etc.) Phone" but doesn't the name sort of imply that its the same app that can be downloaded for every phone? (I know sort of a nit-picky comment)

rawsyntax 15y ago
maybe it should be "facebook for every OTHER phone"
- jwarzech 15y ago
  It seems to me (perhaps due to broad generalization) that the sort of user that this would target wouldn't be able to easily load java apps on their phone (I remember having an old moto slivr that required a micro usb cable and a $20 piece of software to sync anything). Also would they even have the data plan to benefit from it (besides being billed at $0.xx a kb)?
- FlowerPower 15y ago
  It is a JavaME app and so any phone that implements JavaME can run it.
  - mikemaccana 15y ago
    What phones have easily installed JavaME apps? As far I know very few S60 users actually install apps, despite Nokia apparently having an app store.

paliopolis 15y ago

But why still no native app for the iPad :-(

ceejayoz 15y ago
Other than video/image uploads, there's not much you can't do with the Facebook website on an iPad. My wife uses it all the time without any issues.
- paliopolis 15y ago
  I agree there, but the native app helps out with alerts and the whole integrated experience. The "browser" site works fine for the most part except for sometimes when you have to scroll horizontally etc. I want to see if they will launch an app with skype/video integration ;-) that will be slick !! Oh wait before that I think I would want to just get a native skype app for the iPad LOL.
- jonknee 15y ago
  Chat's another one IIRC.
  - ceejayoz 15y ago
    There are third party iPad apps that'll hook into Facebook Chat for you.

zalew 15y ago

I'd prefer they fixed the Android app

revorad 15y ago

This will probably be huge in developing countries.

spinchange 15y ago

This makes me want to dig out an old phone just to try. I'm not not even that into Facebook, but find this really impressive.

jonknee 15y ago
Why is it impressive? Java apps for mobile phones have been around for at least 10 years. They could bring out a PalmOS app as well and I'd be just as about impressed. Outside of the developing world, people with feature phones aren't likely to install the app and are even less likely to have a data plan so that it can be used. It fills a checkbox on a presentation slide, but won't make a difference.
- spinchange 15y ago
  The Java mobile apps my kids have (on their feature phones, with data their plans) and that I remember do not look this good. In my opinion it's meaningful to provide software that improves the functionality & UX for 2500 different lines of legacy mobile hardware even though that might not be "sexy."

LoonyPandora 15y ago

They must've soft-launched this, as I've been using it on my feature phone for at least a month. I assumed it was just an old app that they made before smart phones dominated the market. It's a really nice little app.

swalkergibson 15y ago

Interesting. It seems like they are still attempting to grow in developing countries. Why are they focusing on this when their primary revenue stream is display advertising? I cannot imagine big-name advertisers are particularly interested in reaching people outside of the "Westernized" world...

jonknee 15y ago
They gotta pump the growth numbers somehow.

jjm 15y ago

I have to give it up to these devs, cause I don't know If I'd have the motivation to want to use a Java UI toolkit, especially trying to get it working on all kinds of older phones. Might turn in to this: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2754986 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2754986