Facebook 2.0 beta hits BlackBerry phones

RIM on Thursday gave Beta Zone testers a test version of a complete overhaul for the BlackBerry's Facebook app. The 2.0 upgrade catches up with the addition of Facebook Chat for real-time conversations. It goes on to bring in a new notification bar that simplifies getting to both chats as well as the usual friend requests, messages and notifications regardless of where the user might be in the app.

Much of the interface has been improved, including a simpler news feed, more detailed profiles, and a drop-down main navigation bar. Notifications from outside apps, such as BBM or the mail app, also now show up instead of being obscured by Facebook's UI.

Initial testing requires a device either upgraded to BlackBerry 6 or shipping with it out of the box, such as the Style or Torch. BlackBerry 4.6 and 5.0 users will get support later on, RIM said. A limited number of spots are available in the beta and may close up quickly.

By Electronista Staff