Test-driving Facebook's new iPhone app

August 18, 2009 | Kim-Mai Cutler

Facebook unveiled the latest version of its iPhone app, which further orients itself around the site’s stream of user updates. We’ve tried out the app, and it’s pretty slick. It has a more graphical interface and adds more full-fledged functionality from the main site. It will come out for free whenever Apple approves it for the app store.

You can write and read your friends’ notes, upload videos from an iPhone 3GS and upload photos to any album. You can also RSVP to events and see birthdays. The app expands its photo management capabilities, allowing you to create and delete albums and then delete photos or tags.

Users get the same news feed they would see on the web site, and they can “like” posts or photos. Also, as on the main site, you can see mutual friends and make friend requests. The app also integrates texting and calling functions in an effort to make Facebook a hub for other off-site communication. The app also has a built-in web browser for shared links.

Some things that are still lacking: You can’t play video unless it’s from YouTube because Facebook’s video format isn’t compatible with the iPhone. The app also doesn’t have push notifications to let you know when other Facebook users are trying to contact or friend you.

That function, along with a landscape-view mode, should come in the app’s 3.1 version.