G1 News

Yes, I know many of you though this day would never come.

The official Facebook app has finally launched on the Android Market, and it allows for all the poking, liking, following and status upadating that the full desktop version of the famous social network offers…almost.

We’re giving it the benefit of the doubt as it is version 1.0, but the Facebook app lacks messaging and has been having teething problems on various Android handsets, particularly the HTC Hero.

Still, this is still an app in it’s infancy, and considering that this application was “never going to happen” at one point, let’s just enjoy the miracle of Facebook and Google playing together nicely, shall we?

Got a G1? Missing your mobile Facebook fix? Jealous of all those iPhone users uploading pictures an poking away?

Well, the self-proclaimed ‘mobile geeks’ at Next Mobile Web has managed to get the next best thing to T-Mobile G1 owners with the fBook app!

fBook is an Android app which tkes the setup of the iPhone-optimised mobile version of Facebook and crowbars it onto your G1. It brings over the more robust features of photo uploads, whilst also adding some Android-specific bonus content!

fBook allows you to detect incoming notifications and message alerts, and with the application able to run in the background on the G1, it can do so even whilst it is closed!

Also, and phone number in a Facebook profile instantly becomes ‘live’ when seen through fBook, with a text message button allowing you to instantly contact them online as well as iRL (in real life for you non-geeks!).

Despite not being the official Facebook app, fBook is a more than capable solution for the G1 in the meantime!

Download it from the Android Marketplace…it’s free!

Funny how things work out. Omio recently reported on the animosity between Facebook and Google, which resulted in the lack of a dedicated Facebook application for the T-Mobile G1 handset.

As it turns out, Next Mobile Web people have been beavering away developing an app imaginatively titled ‘fBook,’ which rejigs the Facebook mobile site to add picture uploading and push mail functionality.

Truth is, it is a Facebook app rather than the Facebook app, so the stalemate continues…