In case you missed it a few days back, Facebook 1.6 for BlackBerry is now available. You can get it from your Berry’s browser via www.blackberry.com/facebook/mobiledownload or via your desktop browser at www.blackberry.com/facebook. After upgrading myself and giving the app a spin, I have to say the update is actually a pretty solid improvement. I love the new features, but there’s still one feature in the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) version of Facebook that is lacking… a feature that is included in the iPhone version of the app. Live chat. Hopefully we’ll see this in version 1.7!

At any rate, here are the key features of the update:

• Status updates and highlights on the home page - you can now view your friends’ most recent status updates right on the home page. Highlights like photo uploads and wall posts are just a click away and you can comment on a photo, poke a friend, etc. right from the home page.
• Wall access from within Facebook for BlackBerry - with one click on your friend’s profile picture from the home page, you can access their wall without having to go to the mobile site.
• Photo viewing in a simple, easy-to-use slideshow format - check out your friends’ latest photo albums with improved photo viewing, and view albums in a simple and easy-to-use slideshow format. Just scroll back and forth through the thumbnails along the bottom to display the larger picture in the center of the screen.
• Facebook for BlackBerry 1.6 will also support three new languages: Thai, Indonesian and European Portuguese

Again, you can download Facebook 1.6 for BlackBerry by hitting up one of the links above.

There’s no denying Canadians’ love for the mobile device, especially when you consider the numbers over the past few years. 67% of Canadians now have a mobile device, and we will see that percentage grow through the end of 2009. With that in mind, some interesting numbers have come out detailing how mobile devices and social networking have really taken off north of the border.

ZINC Research has released a study that outlines how Canadians use their mobile devices to browse, search and socialize. The study shows that almost half (47%) of all Canadians that have cell phones access the internet from their device. Of the 47%, 36% surf and use Facebook, while 14% hit up MSN sites, and 9% go to MySpace.

The study conducted by ZINC Research ran from February 19th to 21st of this year, and picked the brains of over 1,200 people. You can read more about it here.

[Via: MobileSyrup]

We all know about the Facebook apps readily available for the iPhone and BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM)… But what if you’re running another device and simply need that Facebook fix? No need to pout, as today Emoze announced the availability of a new Facebook messaging support for Symbian devices.

The new offering will allow you to read, reply and send messages. It will even auto-populate your friends list for you. If you’re on a Symbian powered device and want to get on this, head on over to emoze.com from your device for full details. Emoze will also have the Windows Mobile and Java clients available at some point this week. That should make just about everyone happy, should it not?

I will keep my eyes open for the Win-Mo and Java version as soon as they become available. Until they arrive, may the Symbian-powered Facebook addicts enjoy themselves more than ever, wasting time away on that beautiful productivity killer we know and love as Facebook.

For more info read the press release from Emoze.

Note: Had to add here… of all the Mobile Facebook apps I’ve tried thus far, the Facebook for iPhone app is killer. I don’t even know where to start… But if you’re a fan of Facebook, and you have an iPhone, you’re going to want to get it. It’s free, and you can download it right here (iTunes link alert).

[Via: BGR]

Fans of Skype will be pleased to hear that a new mobile beta is available. The new version supports 30 new handsets including:

• Motorola (NYSE: MOT) v6maxx, L9, Razr2 V9
• Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 5310, 5610, 6300, E61, N70, N72, N73, N76, N78, N81, N82
• Samsung G600, G800, U600, U900
• Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) c702, c902, k660, k770, k850i, w580, w660i, w760, w890, w910, w980, z770…

…and of course there’s the usual batch of improvements and bug fixes. The mobile beta is totally free to get, and easy to download, however you should be aware that there are charges associated with calling features and data usage from your carrier.

To get the Skype Mobile Beta, simply click here and provide your mobile number. Their system will send you a text message with OTA download links and instructions.

[Via: PhoneArea]

… and that’s not all - books sold on Mobile generated 82 million dollars annually! It’s the first stat that amazes me though - it turns the concept of books, and how we consume them on their head (not that reading a book whilst on your head is an enjoyable experience). The whole delivery model could, if this caught on, be knocked for six (although Amazon, those wily foxes, have made their first foray in this direction with their Kindle product).

These stats came courtesy of the International Herald Tribune, but as commentary (link to article below) was added, some great points were made about the uniqueness of Mobile:

• personal mass media
• permanently-carried media
• always-on media
• the media has a built-in payment mechanism(s)
• available on the point of inspiration
• features the most accurate audience measurement of any media

Apparently the whole language system used in these books is also different - with text-message-speak and emoticons littering the pages. And in a scary twist, the books are often ‘written’ (or blogged) on Mobile, as the authors grab spare moments.

As is pointed out neatly, we think of upload from Mobile as being images from cameras, perhaps some video, and a little podcast. But THIS is totally different. Radically different. Could it catch on?

[Via: Communities Dominate Brands]

No sooner am I listing platforms, than stories appear about another handset vendor (actually not another vendor, but THE vendor!) potentially doing a deal with our favourite social network …

Apparently the deal revolves around Facebook being preloaded on Nokia (NYSE: NOK) devices, in return for Nokia taking a stake in the company. This is interesting compared to Myspace, who have gone down the carrier route instead of device vendors.

Facebook now has a valuation of $15 billion (yes, billion), but are unlikely to IPO until the markets regain some strength from the recent hammering they have taken.

So, Facebook on your Nokia - Thumbs UP or DOWN?

[Via: TechCrunch]

Apologies if you have already seen this elsewhere, but I thought it worth listing (especially because I just installed the app on my BBerry!). There are a bunch of features available, as Facebook states on their site:

Facebook for BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) smartphones gives you wireless access to:

• Home screen notifications so you know when you have a new Facebook event (like a new wall post or message)
• The full text of new messages or wall posts, who’s poking you, new photo tags and friend requests
• Your status and the status of your friends
• All of your Facebook friends
• Photo-sharing – simply snap a picture with your BlackBerry smartphone’s camera, then post it to Facebook with one click; you can even tag your friends
• The Facebook experience you’re already familiar with, optimized for and integrated with your BlackBerry smartphone

You can also take a look at things from the BlackBerry perspective, here.

Personally I think it’s a neat little app, giving you the kind of quick access you want when on the move. By my reckoning, that now brings the number of platforms that Facebook is available on to at least four:

• Web(site)
• Mobile (site)
• iPhone-optimised (site)
• BlackBerry (application)

Could there be more on the way…….?