BlackBerry is putting the finishing touches to its new Facebook for BlackBerry v1.9 Update. You can try out the new version of Facebook for BlackBerry at the BlackBerry Beta Zone. If you don't have an account yet you will need to sign-up for one which enables you to provide feedback on the new update. Sign Up Here.

The update is mainly split into three areas : dedicated inbox, Facebook search and Friends List, Page List, Updated Navigation Bar.

Dedicated Inbox

There are now two different ways to view your Facebook messages:

1. The Facebook Messages view lets you see only your Facebook messages in one inbox.
2. If you prefer to have all of your messages in one place you can set up your Facebook messages to appear within your BlackBerry Messages inbox.

Also, as part of these new views, the app pre-fetches 30 of your existing Facebook messages in order to pre-populate your inbox with your existing messages when you first log in!

With v.1.9 the Facebook Messages inbox on your BlackBerry smartphone are now also synchronized with your inbox on the web, so deleted and opened items now stay in sync. Once you've logged in, Facebook for BlackBerry will continue to leverage our unique BlackBerry Push service to keep messages updated. The end goal is an integrated email interface that looks as much like your everyday Facebook inbox as possible!

Facebook Search

With Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones v1.9, you can use the new Facebook Search function to search Facebook for individual people and pages. From the results that your query brings back, depending on the privacy settings, you can view mutual friends, enlarge profile photos (so you know for sure that a person really is your old high-school friend!), and send a request to add them as a friend.

Another nifty feature in v1.9 for BlackBerry® 6 users is that Facebook Search is tied into the system's integrated Universal Search, so if you search your BlackBerry smartphone for a query, Universal Search will also pull in results from Facebook!

Friends List, Page List, Updated Navigation Bar

In addition to the features listed above, we've also worked to make sure that the Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones app looks easy to use - and functions as smoothly as possible. To this end, we've optimized the Friends List to add profile photos of your friends and have made it possible to view pages in list form. We've also updated the navigation bar so you can view your profile, and add new icons for Facebook search and Message view.

You can try out the new version of Facebook for BlackBerry at the BlackBerry Beta Zone. If you don't have an account yet you will need to sign-up for one which enables you to provide feedback on the new update. Sign Up Here.