The screenshot says it all. No significant feature update found.
All Facebook users who also carry a BlackBerry must rejoice and should try out version 1.6.0.17 that is out now and is available to download. Simply go to the existing Facebook application and select to upgrade. If you don’t have the app on your BlackBerry phone already, you can download it from here. I have been using the Facebook app on my BlackBerry for a while now but it always lacked many features and the wap site m.facebook.com was always better. I’ve also been trying some third party tools like shozu and snaptu for Facebook access but none of them have been as simple, comprehensive and convenient as the wap site. This time, the development team has done the job very well and has given a feature boost to the application and now I don’t use the wap site anymore.
The new features include:
- A new and improved home screen that shows status updates.
- You can comment on these statuses
- A new “View Highlights” screen that shows photos posted by users, status updates, wall posts, photo comments, relationship status changes, phone number changes and a bundle of other updates.
- Capability of commenting from the above mentioned “View Highlights” screen.
- An improved Notification page
Photo gallery — View Highlights
- An improved Friend’s list that allows, not only to poke and message friends, but lets you call them, view their profile.
- The user profile screen that lets you view updates from a friend and yes, my favorite, browse and view the albums and photos
- An amazing album and photo gallery? Watching photos from Facebook friends’ albums is a charm on this app. Did I mention that already?
- Photo gallery allows you to browse and scroll through the photos, zoom into the photos and set photos as the BB home screen.
View Profile —– Upload and Tag Photos
All existing features including poke, message, write on wall, invite friends, tag and upload photos etc are also there and are complemented by the new features and they complement the new features too.
The app also allows you to sync your Facebook and Blackberry contacts. You can connect Facebook profiles with existin entries on your Blackberry contacts, you can request phone numbers of Facebook friends and you can also search for people in your Blakcberry contacts on Facebook and add them up.
Following wizard came up on my web-based Facebook when I logged in just after installing the new Facebook app on my Blackberry.
You can watch the usage video posted below to get an idea of the new feature’s working.
Note, I carry a non-wifi Blackberry, so the application looks a bit slow in the video.
Summary
Overall, the application is a hit. I don’t find many drawbacks in the app.
The good:
- View albums: Its smooth, shows album name, preview photo and number of photos in it. Nice side-wise scrolling transitions.
- View photos: Amazing full screen photo viewing with photo title/info and swapping between photos in an album is a charm. Side wise scrolling thumbnails make it look so good.
- View profiles: A new feature with great options like view photos, poke, message and profile activity of the user.
- Great contact sync: Allows you to sync your Facebook contacts with Blackberry contacts and vise-versa.
- Request phone number: You can request a Facebook user’s phone number and can sync it with the phone so that you can use it for calling. I got to talk to a few very old friends just because of this feature.
The Bad
- The earlier Facebook notification system worked great with the Blackberry holster. (Facebook notification rings, you pull out the phone and notification is right on the screen). Things are not that good with this version. Notification system doesn’t work. Doesn’t work at all. But this is a very small glitch and I’m sure things will be fixed in next version.
- Facebook experience on Blackberry is still behind Facbook experience on an iPhone.
Early this week, new version of BlackBerry Facebook Application v 1.5.0.32 has been released. The application has the same interface as the previous version but I’m happy to see a few pleasent changes. The new features include:
1. Ability to respond to status comments. It was not available earlier, rather you had to jump to the mobile version of the site in the browser.
2. A cool transition between chaning screens. See video below:
3. A setup wizard and detailed settings screen. This screen has some interesting settings including linking Facebook app with contacts, calendar and messages on the device.
4. Capability of auto-linking your facebook friends with your Blackberry address book. Facebook app does it quite intelligently. At lease one field, like your email, phone number or msn id should match with the records in Facebook.
5. Capability of importing facebook events to your Blackberry calendar.
6. You can opt to show Facebook notifications in your messages list with a facebook icon.
7. Capability of checking spellings before sending a message or wall post.
8. Capability of calling friends right from the Facebook friends list. The numebrs are downloaded from the Facebook’s phonebook.
In addition to above new functionalities, old stuff is always there that includes:
1. Sending messages to friends.
2. Sending friend requests via email.
3. Poking friends
4. Writing on walls
5. Uploading photos from your phone. This includes labeling photo, tagging friends in the photos and selecting the destination album or creating one.
6. Viewing status messages
7. Viewing the notification list. This is the first screen you see when you launch the app.
8. And ringing your phone on every notification as per your preferences.
In short, Facebook app adds one more reason for me to carry a Blackberry. Enjoy!!!
Please do let me know if I’ve missed out anything in the lists above.