It’s been 17 long months since the Facebook application launched for BlackBerry, and not much has changed since. A stability update here, bug fix there – but that’s about it.
The BoyGeniusReport got their hands on the upcoming 1.5 release of the BlackBerry application, and it’s bringing a few new features to the table. Nothing earth-shatteringly huge and they’re saying the UI desperately needs an overhaul, but hey – new stuff!
What’s new:
- BlackBerry Message Integration: You can now tie your Facebook inbox into your main BlackBerry inbox, allowing you to check for new Facebook messages without opening the application.
- BlackBerry Calendar Integration: If enabled, it will create a new “Facebook” calendar into the on-device Calendar app with all of your RSVP’d events and friend’s birthdays. (Be sure to make use of that friend’s birthdays bit – your friends will think you’re the nicest guy on the planet. If you don’t have a BlackBerry, use fbCal)
- BlackBerry Contacts Integration: Allows you to link profiles to on-device contacts, syncing phone numbers, various details, and photos onto the handset automatically.
- Call friends from within the application, if they’ve listed their number.
- Status message commenting – it was added to Facebook some time ago, but has been absent from the BlackBerry app.
- Option to change the phone numbers listed in your profile (which is probably the one thing on our profile we change the least)
- Automatic login to the Facebook WAP site, if you launch it from the app
No word yet when the app will be available to everyone, but it looks like things are pretty close to wrapped up.