Stature Software

Posts Tagged ‘linkedin application’

LinkedIn for BlackBerry is Missing Something

April 7th, 2010 by Erin Posted in LinkedIn | No Comments »

Apple iPhone’s red-headed stepchild, BlackBerry, is sportin’ a new application.

LinkedIn for BlackBerry is out and it’s loaded with all sorts of modules and integration features – BUT it’s missing something, something very important.

First, the good.

BlackBerry users have been waiting anxiously for this LinkedIn app for quite some time and when it was unveiled, the big “Ta-Da” generated a lot of buzz  from bloggers on Twitter.

“It’s here, it’s here!”… some of them wrote. But after really examining the app, their bubble burst. Alas LinkedIn for BlackBerry is not as feature-rich as LinkedIn for iPhone. (And why would it? BlackBerry apps are never as good as the iPhone’s.)

The app is divided into six key modules: Network Updates, Search, Connections, Invitations, Messages and Reconnect – all of which are pretty self-explanatory.

In addition to the six modules, LinkedIn has also gone ahead and integrated the app with three of BlackBerry’s native apps: Contacts, Messages and Calendar.

1. Contacts: Take your LinkedIn connections and drop them directly into your BlackBerry contacts. This gives you quick access to the LinkedIn profiles of your business associates.

2. Messages: LinkedIn messages appear directly in your BlackBerry Inbox as if they were e-mails.

3. Calendar: If an attendee of an event on your calendar has a LinkedIn profile, you can quickly pull it up.

That, by far, is probably the coolest feature and the app’s greatest strength.

Now, here’s the downside and it’s a BIG downside.

The application is missing a module that allows users to interact with LinkedIn Groups.

To me, Groups is one of the most important components of LinkedIn. It’s where users interact, engage each other, and establish new connections. It’s where I spend most of my time. I don’t spend time browsing my connections. And, I certainly don’t read the network updates. They’re all spill-overs from Twitter anyway.

The other hitch with this new LinkedIn for BlackBerry application is its software and hardware limitations. You’re going to need a BlackBerry Tour, Curve or Bold with BlackBerry OS v4.3 or later in order to really operate it.

Yes, I’m disappointed about this app. I had high hopes for it too. But, as it stands, it’s just taking up precious space on my BlackBerry.

Delete app!

 Tags: blackberry application, linkedin application, linkedin for blackberry, linkedin groups