Google Pulls Plug On BlackBerry Gmail App

In a short blog post this week, Google said it will end support for the Gmail App for BlackBerry beginning November 22 as Google shifts its attention to Gmail in the mobile browser.

"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 said in the announcement.

According to Google, users who have already installed the Gmail for BlackBerry app can still use it; however it will no longer be supported by Google. The app will also be no longer available for download starting November 22.

The BlackBerry OS features native support for Gmail, so an app is not really necessary, but Google is excluding BlackBerry while continuing to offer a Gmail app for Android devices and while working on an iOS-based Gmail app. Google originally launched the Gmail for iOS app earlier this month, but pulled it from the App Store within hours due to a bug.

Google's snub of RIM and BlackBerry comes as the once-pioneering mobile player continues to take very public lumps. In recent months, RIM suffered the most wide-spread BlackBerry outage in its history and has continued to see its stock take a hit. The company has also lost market share to the new breed of mobile competitors including Apple and Google Android.