By giving its customers direct access to Facebook, Research In Motion (RIM) successfully took advantage of the growing demands of social network users for access when away from their desktop. Yesterday, during the spring 2008 CTIA Wireless show, RIM announced that there have been more than one million downloads of the application since it launched the software at the 2007 fall CTIA Wireless show last October.

"When we launched Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones, we believed that consumers would recognize the value of marrying social networking with mobility and that vision has now been validated more than a million times," said RIM VP Mark Guibert. "This innovative mobile application...makes it easier than ever for Facebook users to stay connected with people wherever they choose."

The BlackBerry Facebook application isn't browser based, but runs directly on a BlackBerry to better make use of RIM's BlackBerry architecture. With it, Facebook users can wirelessly send and view messages, photos, pokes and Wall posts. And, as with BlackBerry-based e-mail, Facebook notifications are pushed to the user's smartphone.

It also allows users to take a picture and upload it to Facebook with captions and tags; send out invitations to friends; as well as manage events, photo albums, and status.

Since its initial launch, RIM's added language support for French, German and Spanish to Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones.

It is available as a free download here and here on the desktop and at m.facebook.com or mobile.blackberry.com over-the-air via the BlackBerry web browser.