Facebook 'acqui-hires' Pieceable Viewer developers
updated 06:49 pm EDT, Mon June 11, 2012
Startup created browser-based iOS app viewer
The staff behind Pieceable Viewer, a browser-based viewer for iOS apps, has been hired on by Facebook. The staff acquisition was detailed today in an announcement on the company's site. Notably, Facebook will only be bringing on Pieceable's entire staff, not the company itself, its technology, or its stored customer data.
Pieceable Viewer allows developers to upload their existing apps to Pieceable's servers, which reproduce an app's functionality within a browser window, though a demonstration using the Yelp app did reveal some lag in the process. Since launch, Pieceable is said to have served over 800,000 app demos.
The company will cease operations at the end of the year and will release an open-source version of Pieceable Viewer for Mac hardware. This open source version will likely be the company's method of continuing support in some fashion for those users who already depend on the service.
The entirety of the Pieceable staff will likely be joining Facebook's mobile team. While it's not clear what tasks the Pieceable team will be undertaking, recent Facebook moves indicate that the Pieceable staff may help build out app capabilities. Facebook recently debuted its App Center, a web-based market for both iOS and Android apps. Facebook has been looking to position itself closer to the center of the mobile world, and the company views the app space as a key component of achieving such a status.
