RIM updates Facebook for BlackBerry with refreshed icons, enhanced birthday alerts, Event support

Research In Motion (RIM) today announced it has updated Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones to version 3.2. RIM says the app may take up to 24 hours to get updated; it’s not available yet, but when it is, you’ll be able to get it directly from BlackBerry App World. We will update this post when the update is live. Update: Version 3.2.0.12 is now available.

First up is the minor redesign. RIM has refreshed the icons “with a personalized touch.” As you can see in the screenshot below, they all seem slightly more vibrant in color and they seem to jump out at you more. That last part refers to the fact that the generic profile icon has been replaced with your current Facebook profile picture:

RIM has also enhanced birthday alerts, allowing you to integrate your Facebook friends’ birthdays into your BlackBerry calendar. This feature already existed before, but now you have more customization options (show birthdays for all your Facebook friends or just some, for example), as well a button that lets you post a birthday message on their Wall:

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Last but not least is in-app Facebook Event support. This is the feature I’ve personally been waiting for ages as I absolutely despise having to open the browser just to see an Event. Group support was added in the last update, and I use that feature all the time, but Event support is equally important. You can now view information about an Event, post a message to the Event’s wall, view profiles of invited guests, and receive Event notifications on your BlackBerry smartphone. Here’s how it looks:

Unlike the Android and iOS apps, which are developed by Facebook, Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones is maintained by RIM, just like Facebook for Windows Phone is maintained by Microsoft. Unfortunately this means the BlackBerry app is often very behind the Android and iOS apps. Still, updates are always welcome.

Image credit: stock.xchng