Multi Cast for any Blackberry with BB7.1

Blackberry launched the 9720 with an app called the Multicast which allows you to post to multiple social networks. But this app is currently available only on 9720 and not as an app or update on the other OS 7.1 phones.

Well actually there is a feature that lets you do a "multicast" right from the day the OS 7.1 was released and its called "social feeds". Social feeds is where you can consolidate your social network feeds from Facebook BBM and Twitter. It can also be used to a multicast. Simply click on "New Post" the BB Menu. It will allow you do select the network you want to post to and get done with it.

Only one limitation exists in social feeds app that multicast solved and that is the ability to attach pictures. I think there will be eventually an update for the older devices which will provide "Multicast" app.

How to Use Palringo (mobile phone) for Facebook Chat?

It might sound simple but it isn't. Palringo 2.0 does provide a facebook chat option but it never works. You will try to login and it will say "invalid username or password". It might login a few times but it will stop suddenly. (In a hurry?? go to the end of the post)

I was facing the same problem for a long time and I had almost given up. But then I wanted to have facebook chat on my desktop. So I googled it and found that facebook help center has a solution for that. It seems that facebook uses XMPP or jabber protocol for chat (I didnt know what it was before this).It said that I can use Pidgin as a windows client for chatting so I downloaded pidgin (which was a bit painful., but thats another story). Facebook gave me the settings for it which work fine (and which are generic to all jabber chat clients).

Today for some reason I changed my gtalk password, and unfortunately (or fortunately in this case) I had to delete my gtalk id from palringo because it wont let me simply change the password. So I added it again. While adding it I noticed that it had the same settings that I had used in Pidgin, which made sense because even gtalk uses XMPP. Then I thot "Hmmmm" and tried to add an XMPP/ jabber account on palringo with the facebook settings and it worked. Its not even been a day so I have no way of know that it will last, but so far its working.

So here are the steps
1. Open palringo on your phone.
2. Go down the list and add a XMPP/Jabber Account
3. Put the setttings given for pidgin on this page even the resource.
4. save

I'll keep updating if I face problems. Let me know if it doesn't work