There is strong integration with a phone's personal information management capabilities, as Facebook events can be tied to the phone's calendar. The app can tie in Facebook friends' phone numbers and profile pictures to the phone's contact list, and the data can be used to text, call, or message Facebook friends with one click.
The mobile application, draped in the familiar blue and white color scheme, lets users send and receive Facebook messages or wall posts, poke other users, and add new friends. The software is available for any smartphone running Windows Mobile 6 and above, but the navigation layout may differ depending on what handset is being used.
Windows Mobile has a leg up on its competitors with video, as it's the first platform to let users upload video clips to Facebook directly from a phone. Users can also upload and tag photos using their smartphones.
The mobile space is becoming increasingly important for social networks, and the big players are positioning themselves to capitalize on the boom in mobile Web usage. Facebook is reportedly in talks with Motorola and Nokia for tighter integration into their handsets, and MySpace has said that nearly 20 million of its users access the site through a cell phone or smartphone. Neither social network has been able to significantly monetize its mobile platform.
While the mobile social networking space is dominated by Facebook and MySpace, upstarts like Loopt and Brightkite are trying to carve out a market share by using location-based information.
InformationWeek has published an in-depth report on the business uses of social networks. Download the report here (registration required).
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