Overview:

Finally, after far too long of having to stop what I’m doing (porn) in my BlackBerry’s web browser RIM has decided to release an application to run your Myspace for you, without taking up browser privelages. The application is downloadable for free. All you have to do is go to m.myspace.com with your BlackBerry device and a special splash page comes up asking you if you want to download the software for free.

Since the application is rather new there are a few quirks, but let’s see how it preforms anyway.

Review:

Myspace for BlackBerry smartphones looks great. It provides a nice, clean interface in the traditional blue and white theme present on the desktop parent. There is a shortcut bar across the top that provides access to your homepage, inbox, friend requests, comments, current friends, and photos. The bar is easily navigated by horizontally moving the trackball, and accessed by a simple click.

Homepage tab:
The homepage tab displays your username, default pic, status and mood complete with moving emoticon. It also shows status and modds of some of your friends, chosen seemingly at random. From this page you are able to easily change your status in the provided text field, and modify your mood in the drop down menu below your user pic.

My Inbox tab:
Well, for starters they spelled ‘inbox’ wrong. Not kidding. They really forgot the ‘x’, so it just says ‘My Inbo’. It’ll get fixed, but it annoys be none-the-less.

At the top of this tab there is a compose button which takes you to a screen where you can write a message, but can’t send it. So it’s pretty worthless and I’m not sure why it’s there, but you don’t need to use it anyway. Under that it displays your recent messages which annoyingle shows all messages you’ve sent, too. This wouldn’t be such a big deal, but all the displayed messages are so cluttered that it’s almost impossible to navigate through your inbox, let alone your sent messages too. This needs fixed, as this tab is just pure clutter.

My Friend Requests tab:
is exactly what it says. It simply displays all your incoming friend requests that have yet to be approved. No folder for pending requests, or requests you’ve sent, though. Simple and clean, easier to navigate than the junked up Inbox tab.

My Comments tab:
This tab displays all comments. It also has your default pic and username at the top, for some reason. Almost like you forgot you were yourself checking your own messages. This gets annoying because, like with the inbox, it causes clutter.

You can view all your profile comments here, but t doesn’t display those awesome perverted spam pictures you get every once in a while. Which is cool, but it also can’t display any pictures you’ve been sent. Which is a bummer.

My Friends tab:
This tab is automatically set to display your top friends, but you can change that with the drop down menu at the top of the page. You can easily switch to viewing all of your friends, online only, your newest additions, birthdays, or you can search friends.

This is extremely practical and works really well. Even when not looking in the online tab you’ll see that little ‘online now’ icon by any friends you are looking at, as well as their mood and status, also complete with those cute little emoticons!

My Photos tab:
Easily the strong point of this application. From here you can see all of your albums, displayed in a very iPhone/Pod inspired display. Use the trackball to sort through these until you find the one you want to browse. Once said album is selected, a page with your pictures arranged in an attractive, easy to navigate page that displays how many comments each picture has.

You are also able to upload images straight from your phone to the folder of your choice in a very user friendly manner. Image uploads work surprisingly quick and happen in a seamless manner. You are able to add tags and captions to the image after the upload is complete, if so desired.

Other things:
You are also able to post and view bulletins via the handsets menu button, as well as look directly at your profile and check for updates or refresh if necessary.

The way friends profiles are displayed is very restrictive and consist of only their picture, mood and status, and the standard add, message, etc links. This is very clean and easy, but also very generic. No customizeable backgrounds, profile songs, random widgets. None of it.

Final Words:

All in all the application proves worthy despite it’s several flaws and quirks which I’m sure will be addressed in upcoming patches and updates anyway. If you have a BlackBerry and frequent Myspace then this application is very useful and frees up your browser for porn or whatever it is you look at.

Pros

• Frees browser for (porn) whatever you look at
• Clean display in most tabs
• Often easy to navigate
• Very practical

Cons

• Very restrictive
• Inbox is just a mess
• No custom profile options

Score:

Display: 7.5/10 (very clean, some tabs are cluttered)
Interface: 8.0/10 (tabs and menus are easy to use, inbox sucks)
Practicality: 8.5/10 (I use it to advertise for Everyview while at work!)

Overall: 8.0/10 (Great)

(UPDATE!! The mispelling of the word inbox was fixed shortly after review. Inbox still sucks)