Ever since fBook was taken off the Market last month, Android users have been stuck without a way to access their Facebook accounts. Sure, there’s the mobile site, but who seriously wants to use that, especially when you’re running such a gorgeous piece of hardware.
That’s where Babbler for Facebook comes in.
Babbler became available in the Market last week as a beta release. At first it was very rough, very bare bones. Now, one week later, after continuous updates, Babbler looks… well… like Facebook.
Above is a picture of the main feed. Here is where you see your friends’ posts, just like when visiting through a browser. I don’t know if it’s a recent addition or if it’s been there for a while, but Babbler auto-refreshes the stream as well. Open the app, and let it sit for a while, and you’ll see new posts stream in slowly. Babbler also runs in the background and will alert you when new messages, comments, likes, or pokes come in, among other options. The notification will sit in the top shade just like when you receive an SMS or an email.
Right now, viewing profiles leaves much to be desired, but with the rate that the dev has been pushing out updates, I’m sure this will soon be fixed.
Other great features include the ability to upload pictures and video (keep in mind that video uploads to Facebook aren’t available on the iPhone Facebook application yet), commenting on a wall post or item in your feed, and the ability to view photo albums and pictures right in the application
Babbler still has some ways to go, but it’s definitely headed in the right direction. Right now there are two versions of the app in the Android Market: a lite (ad supported) version, and a full version that only runs you $1.49. If you’re running Android, check Babbler for Facebook out and let me know what you think.
Thanks to Holden Page for letting me take pictures of his profile.
