Facebook v1.9 now out from Beta Zone to public

As many BlackBerry Beta Zone users have this installed, now its RIM releases the official Facebook app to 1.9.0.20

Check out App World and see if you are able to download the new Facebook app today. If not, you will have to wait until tomorrow. The Facebook app has slowly been progressing, but in many people’s opinion it is far from even ‘good’. Here’s to hoping we will see a Facebook chat integration soon!

What is Facebook Places?

With Facebook Places, you can use your BlackBerry smartphone to conveniently share where you are, what you’re doing, and who you’re with. While you are checking in, you can tag a friend and include a comment to let your friends know what you’re up to. You can also see where your friends are and what they’re doing.

Facebook Places uses cell tower triangulation and the GPS technology on your BlackBerry smartphone to find places of interest close to your location. You can view the location of a Facebook Place on a map to see exactly where it is and check out the surrounding area. You can also get directions to and from a Facebook Place simply by clicking on the map image, which will seamlessly launch the BlackBerry® Maps application.

To start using Places, click on the Places icon on the nav bar. You can check in to Facebook Places within a 2-kilometer radius of your location and see where your friends are checking in around you.

Checking in is a cinch – you can either select a nearby place or add a new place if your location isn’t listed. Keep in mind that any place you create is public, so other people can view your created place.