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Foursquare, the location-based mobile social network, has unveiled version 1.5.5 of its BlackBerry beta app, according to FierceMobileContent.

The new version features touch screen support for the BlackBerry Storm 9550 and 9530, and also now works on just about any recent BlackBerry handset from the original Pearl on up.

Foursquare 1.5.5 for BlackBerry also features improved speed and battery life, more efficient and accurate location lookups, nearby tips and tip details, and the ability to search for or add friends via the device’s address book and Twitter name, according to the report.

To download the new version, visit foursquare.com/blackberry/beta from your BlackBerry’s browser.

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You know those patents we see in the tech world that seem overly broad and tend to restrict competition in the space? Well, check out this one. Social networking giant Facebook was just granted a patent for “displaying a news feed in a social media network.”

The patent, which was filed back in 2006, covers the information that is released the in the information river on Facebook’s front page. It doesn’t seem to cover status updates exclusively, meaning that sites like MySpace are probably safe on that front.

As many sites are pointing out, Twitter also seems safe from the effects of the recently granted patent. 

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• Facebook Patents The Feed (allfacebook.com)

Yahoo has announced a partnership with Twitter that includes integrating Twitter content and social features across the Yahoo! network.

Yahoo has announced a partnership with Twitter that includes integrating Twitter content and social features across the Yahoo network.

In a February 23 blog post on the issue, Yvonne French, product manager for Yahoo Social programs said under the agreement users will be able to view personal Twitter feeds in Yahoo Mail.

“Users who authorize Yahoo will be able to read and update their Twitter feed from Yahoo Mail, the Yahoo homepage, and other locations across the Yahoo network,” French said. “The Twitter (and Facebook) feeds will be important additions to the rich, diverse Updates feed that Yahoo users already enjoy,” she said.

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The suit, reported by ABC News, is the first reported suit filed against Google about Buzz, which unexpectedly exposed relationships users had with others when Google turned on the technology. Google has since offered two methods to turn off Buzz.

“I feel like they did something wrong,” said Hibnick, an active Gmail user and second-year law student, as quoted by ABC News. “They opted me into this social network and I didn’t want it.”

Hibnick said that she is not seeking a large cash payout. “What we’d like to see as result is a commitment from Google that they’re not going to do this again the next time they launch a product,” said Gary Mason, of Washington D.C..’s Mason Law Firm

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PleaseRobMe’s Twitter Account Shut Down

Web sites come, and Web sites go. The most recent fad (aside from Chatroulette) has been PleaseRobMe, a Web site that mashed Twitter alerts and Foursquare posts to determine when a user was out socializing and away from home. The upshot, of course, was that an empty home could be more easily robbed. The authors of PleaseRobMe told the BBC that the site was designed as a sort of protest against the type of information shared online, and not as a tool for crime. However, the site also appeared to use some automated tools for spam, as well. Boy Van Amstel, one of the site’s founders, said that the site used an automated Twitter search; “You could almost laugh at how easy it is,” van Amstel said. ButJustRobMe also had a Twitter account, which sent out apparently automated tweets advising other Twitter users of how their information could be exploited. As of Thursday morning, the account had been suspended for “suspicious activity,” which we’re going to assume means spam. PleaseRobMe continues to operate.

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Just as people took to Twitter in the aftermath of the Iranian elections, so too are they heading to the micro-blogging site for updates on the tragedy in Haiti, according to preliminary data from Nielsen.

Twitter posts are currently the leading source of discussion about the 7.0 earthquake that hit the country Tuesday morning, followed by online video, blogs, and other online discussion boards and forums.

People are still consulting traditional media sources for news about the quake and its aftermath, but when they want to discuss the tragedy, most are heading to Twitter, Nielsen said. The Twitter feed for the Red Cross had gained 10,000 followers since Tuesday – it normally added about 50 to 100 followers each day.

The discussion is similar to what we saw during the swine flu hysteria, but unlike with that, discussions about the earthquake started immediately and have held steady all week, Nielsen found.

The Red Cross has been accepting text-based donations this week. People who want to contribute $10 can text “HAITI” to 90999. By 2pm Eastern time on Friday, Americas had pledged more than $9 million to all the wireless companies. Verizon reported that it processed $2.98 million in text donations, while AT&T said it has received $2.63 million in texts.

Wireless carriers announced that they will not charge people for these text messages; a decision that is retroactive to the day of the quake, Jan. 12. Many providers like T-Mobile and Vonage are also offering free calls to Haiti.

There is also now the option to donate to the Red Cross -$5, $10, $25, $100, or $200 – directly on iTunes.

In other Haiti news, Yahoo announced that its employee foundation has approved an initial $25,000 emergency grant to UNICEF. Employees have also donated more than $55,000 in the last 24 hours, including corporate matches, the company said in a blog post. Yahoo said it is also scheduling banner ads across its network to support organizations like the Red Cross and UNICEF, as well as prominent placements on Yahoo Sports and OMG.

The Verizon Foundation said it awarded $100,000 in grants to World Vision and Food for the Poor.

Meanwhile, Verizon Wireless will open a Haiti Relief Connection Center at a Verizon store in Miami to help residents connect with family members in Haiti. The company will have 20 Motorola Droid smartphones and other technology available for people to make free wireless calls, send text messages, check Facebook or Twitter, and access other Internet and news sources.

Those interested can come to the store at 14744 Biscayne Blvd. in North Miami during store hours: Monday through Saturday 9a.m. to 9p.m. and Sunday 11a.m. to 6p.m.

Hulu, meanwhile, said it is running several public service announcements about organizations providing aid to Haiti, including the Red Cross, Charity Water, Mercy Corps, and Real Medicine Foundation.

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Twitter use declined in the U.S. but grew overseas since June, particularly in Brazil, Indonesia and Germany, according to new stats from Sysomos, which makes business intelligence software for social media. Sysomos found that unique U.S. users totaled 50.9 percent. While this showed a marked decline in U.S. visitors from the company’s last poll in June when the U.S. totaled 62 percent, the country is still easily the biggest tweeting country. Rounding out the top 5 are Brazil, which totaled 8.8 percent of unique Twitter users; the U.K. at 7.2 percent ; Canada at 4.3 percent; and Germany at 2.3 percent.

Twitter’s sphere of influence is growing abroad.

The number of Twitter users has declined in the U.S. but grown overseas since June, particularly in Brazil, Indonesia and Germany, according to new stats from social media researchers at Sysomos.

Sysomos, which based its results on 13 million unique, active Twitter accounts from Oct. 16, 2009 to Dec. 16, 2009, found that unique U.S. users totaled 50.9 percent.

While this showed a marked decline in U.S. visitors from the company’s last poll in June when the U.S. totaled 62 percent, the country is still easily the biggest tweeting country.

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