New Gmail App For iPhone Is Unusable, Shows Errors Upon Launch

Well, that was a big disappointment. Google just unveiled its first native application for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch this morning, and the app is a mess. It’s unusable. It doesn’t even launch properly, displaying an error message upon startup.

Within moments of the application becoming available in iTunes, Gmail users took to Twitter, posting complaints, screenshots and generally ranting about the sorry state of what could have been a much better Gmail experience.

One of the app’s most promising features was its support for push notifications. This is something that the iPhone can’t do for Gmail by default. Unfortunately, none of the features Google promised in its blog post are accessible, because, for many users, the app is stillborn. You can’t even log in. (See below screenshots).

Twitter reactions are harsh:

Follow @parislemon@parislemon
MG Siegler

I'm shocked – SHOCKED – that Google was unable to launch an unbroken iOS app.

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @Scobleizer@Scobleizer
Robert Scoble

The Gmail app is really a piece of crud. Not worth loading. Very disappointed. Discussing it here: plus.google.com/u/0/1110910895…

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @edlamblet@edlamblet
Eduardo Lamblet � 

“@jsnell: Deleted the Gmail app. Well, that was easy.” // Second that! #gmailappios #fail

32 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @ljsgecko@ljsgecko
Laura Jane

Google. You were on thin ice with the greader and gmail updates. And now the G+ app update makes it nearly impossible to share pics #Fail

about 15 hours ago via Twidroyd for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @woainidepigu@woainidepigu
Jeffrey Liu

@Google — Making interfaces uglier, one app at a time. Gmail fail.

about 18 hours ago via DigsbyReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @SolidMail@SolidMail
�

Gmail App on iOS is out and boy it is ugly and clunky! Please someone tell me how to use multiple accounts!? #FAIL

about 1 hour ago via Tweetbot for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @kevsweetwater@kevsweetwater
Kevsweetwater

Gmail app = FAIL no push notifications wtf !?!?!? Sends too Dev/null. DELETE

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @kmore@kmore
kerry morrison

Native gmail app launched an hour ago. This is what is shows on launch. #fail #facepalm http://t.co/OvWbgbrA

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @opasco@opasco
Olivier Pasco

Google just released a GMail app for the iPhone and first thing it does at power-up is to report an error with notifications. Fail!

58 minutes ago via SeesmicReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @kyledhebert@kyledhebert
Kyle Hebert

Already an issue with the Gmail iPhone app: the forward and reply buttons only appear at the end of a message not the UI.

17 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

Apparently, not everyone thinks the app is bad news, however. And some have been able to load it:

Follow @Gartenberg@Gartenberg
Michael Gartenberg

The new @gmail app is #awesome

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @Ross@Ross
Ross Mayfield

I like the Gmail iPhone app because I can use it for one account, and the mobile web app for another

44 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

After installation, here’s what the app looks like (thanks to screenshots from Twitter users across a number of different cellular providers):

The real question is here is how were these problems not caught during testing, either on Google’s part or Apple’s? (Conspiracy theory: Apple did catch the errors, but approved the app anyway).

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Uh Oh … Qwikster Already Has A Lively Twitter Account, But It's Not Owned By Netflix

Movie delivery service Netflix has just announced that it is rebranding its DVD-by-mail service as Qwikster and that it will keep calling its streaming service Netflix. Shocking news yes, but already the Internet has found one immediate chink in the company’s rebranded armor, other than the fact that, like a multitude of other failed companies, the name ends in “ster” …

Netflix, naively, has neglected to pin down the @Qwikster Twitter account before launch. The account is currently owned by somebody who choses to best represent themselves as Elmo smoking a joint and whose latest Tweets include such pearls of wisdom as, “Bored as shyt wanna blaze but at the same time I don’t ugh fuck it where’s the bowl at spark me up lls” and the poignant “Don’t bother telling me who my ex is now dating ! Cuzz now I feel bad for the bitch that has my sloppy seconds .”

What’s most problematic about this lack of foresight is that the first thing many tech pundits do upon hearing industry news is check a prominent brand’s Twitter account to see if it’s active and on message. @Qwikster, obviously, is not representing Netflix at its finest at this point and time. And yeah it’s a good guess that whoever this guy is could probably make a good chunk of change selling the name to back to Netflix (despite the whole “selling names being against the TOS” thing).

Hmmm … Wonder what he’d spend the money on …

Follow @mat@mat
apocryphal mat honan

Pretty sure @netflix can score that @qwikster twitter handle for a dime bag and some porno mags.

about 2 hours ago via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @Mike_FTW@Mike_FTW
Mike Monteiro

Hey little @qwikster dude! Whatever Netflix offers you for the account will be a low-ball bid. Get in touch dude, I have a lawyer for you.

about 2 hours ago via webReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @SoInterrupted@SoInterrupted
Social Interruption

So I just got my first @Qwikster dvd and it smelled like pot. Hey @netflix PR team maybe do some research next time.

about 2 hours ago via TweetCaster for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @redgirlsays@redgirlsays
Christina Bonnington

.@Qwikster is out of every DVD except Half Baked and all the Cheech and Chong films

about 1 hour ago via webReplyRetweetFavorite

Follow @sacca@sacca
Chris Sacca

I just hope @Qwikster can hear all the new follower notification buzzes over the bubbling of his bong water.

about 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

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• NETFLIX

Company:
Netflix

Website:
netflix.com

Launch Date:
September 19, 1997

IPO:

NASDAQ:NFLX

With more than 23.3 million members in the United States and Canada, Netflix, Inc. is the world's leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows. For $7.99 a month, Netflix members in the U.S. can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV episodes streaming right to their TVs and computers and can receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes. In Canada, streaming unlimited movies and TV shows from Netflix is available for $7.99 a month. There are...

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Twitter's First CTO Greg Pass Steps Down

�We’re hearing rumors that Twitter CTO Greg Pass has as of today left his post at Twitter, according to a source familiar with the company.

Prior to becoming CTO, Pass held the VP of Engineering position at Twitter, after being CTO and co-founder at Summize, which was acquired by Twitter in July 2008 and was eventually turned into Twitter Search. Prior to Summize, Pass was Systems Architect at AOL.

As VP of Engineering, Pass was responsible for taking the Twitter team from a dozen engineers to around 10 times that number and played a seminal role in Twitter’s scaling success.

I’ve contacted Twitter PR for information and have as yet to hear back. I’ve also heard no word on who will be replacing Pass or what Pass’ future plans are.

Update: Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has confirmed that Pass will be leaving, with a tweet. PR Representative Sean Garrett says that Twitter is not looking for a replacement and that Greg Pass currently has no plans set in stone.

@biz
Biz Stone

Twitter acquired Summize three years ago, cofounder @gregpass is moving on—we're lucky to have had him so long&33;

25 minutes ago via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

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My Twitter Debate With Mike McCue: Why Does Flipboard Need $50 Million?

There is no question that Flipboard has an early lead in iPad news consumption. The company just raised a massive $50 million B round to cement that lead. This comes in between iPhone photo app Color raising a $41 million A round, and LivingSocial raising $400 million so that its founders and early investors could take half of that off the table. There is obviously a lot of venture money sloshing around, especially for high-quality companies and teams.

When investors offer startups a huge pile of cash at favorable terms, it is usually a good idea to take the money. And that’s exactly what Flipboard did. But does an iPad app company really need $50 million? And does taking too much money ever backfire? Flipboard is no lean startup.

Even if Flipboard wants to expand to other devices such as the iPhone, Android and so on, that doesn’t require that much cash. Maybe he needs all that money to build out an ad sales force (those are expensive). All of which begs a question which I asked Flipboard CEO Mike McCue last night on Twitter:

@erickschonfeld
Erick Schonfeld

@shervin @mmccue what do you need $50M for that you couldn't do with $20M?

April 14, 2011 9:00 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

That sparked a debate between us. McCue fired back a series of answers:

@mmccue
Mike McCue

@erickschonfeld @shervin considered that scenario seriously. I want to have plenty of runway left before we get to cf+ or new financing

April 14, 2011 9:03 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@mmccue
Mike McCue

@erickschonfeld @shervin also, this raise reduces risk of any unnatural forcing functions to generate cash which cld throw us off vision

April 14, 2011 9:06 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@mmccue
Mike McCue

@erickschonfeld @shervin finally, we will be insanely careful abt how we spend so we'll preserve options like doing small acquisitions,etc

April 14, 2011 9:07 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

McCue’s desire to avoid “unnatural functions to generate cash” strikes me as strange. That’s certainly a popular way to build startups: get consumers to fall in love with your product, then figure out how to charge for it later. But generating cash is one of the defining characteristics of every business. There is nothing unnatural about it.

@erickschonfeld
Erick Schonfeld

@mmccue @shervin there's nothing "unnatural" about companies that generate revenue.

April 14, 2011 9:10 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

McCue realizes this, and he had a good response. The $50 million gives him time to find teh best revenue model.

@mmccue
Mike McCue

@erickschonfeld @shervin of course not. The key is to try to give company enough runway to pull off big vision vs. retreat to survive.

April 14, 2011 9:14 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@mmccue
Mike McCue

@erickschonfeld @shervin in other words: not all revenue is created equal. Best to go after most valuable revenue vs easiest. Takes time.

April 14, 2011 9:15 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

And then Shervin Pishevar, who somehow got pulled into the debate, ended it by Erickrolling me:

@shervin
Shervin Pishevar

@erickschonfeld @mmccue I'll just leave this here: http://t.co/bgrRIZM ;)

April 14, 2011 9:28 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

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Mike McCue

Flipboard

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