14 DAY TRIAL // It appears that Research in Motion and Facebook plan to release a new major version of the official social networking application for BlackBerry smartphones.
According to a recent message posted by a BlackBerry official on the company's Facebook account, Facebook 2.0 will be available for download from BlackBerry App World storefront later today.
Although Facebook 2.0 of the application has been tested for quite a while, members of the Beta Zone program could download and install the beta version of the application.
Scheduled to be released on July 26, Facebook 2.0 new features and improvements include:
Facebook Chat – Facebook Chat is fully integrated with BlackBerry smartphones, so users can start a conversation within the Facebook app or right from the message list on their device. Users never need to worry about missing a chat message since they’ll be notified of new chat messages even when they’re not using the Facebook app.
Brand New User Interface – Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones features a sleek new design which includes a new navigation grid, a notifications bar that borrows from the BlackBerry 6 “Today View” which summarizes all Facebook notifications, Messages, Friend Requests and Chats all in one handy location, and enhanced profile viewing.
WiFi Support – Users can stay connected with friends and enjoy the full functionality of the Facebook app for BlackBerry smartphones while in a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Core Integration – Facebook for BlackBerry is integrated with the BlackBerry message list, BlackBerry Contacts app, BlackBerry calendar, BlackBerry browser, and is now also integrated with BBM.
Redefined Notifications – Users will now be notified of polled items (notifications that aren’t delivered through BlackBerry push technology), such as ‘Likes’ and Event Wall posts.
Facebook 2.0 for BlackBerry smartphone is currently unavailable for download via BlackBerry App World, but the application is expected to make its debut later today.
UPDATE: Facebook 2.0 for BlackBerry smartphones is now available as free download from Softpedia.