Matchbox develops the official Facebook app for Windows phones.

Microsoft decided in 2008 to have an official Facebook application developed for the Windows Mobile 6.x range of phones, with the goal of creating a comprehensive, feature-rich user experience that would make use of unique Windows Mobile technology. In addition to a rich feature-set Microsoft wanted to ensure a consistent and high-end user experience across all Windows Mobile 6 devices, with their many screen sizes, form factors, touch screens and non-touch interfaces.

Microsoft chose Matchbox to take on the challenge of delivering this showcase Facebook app. Matchbox developed the app to support all the major Facebook features, including contacting friends with comments, wall posts and private messages, viewing friends’ photos and profiles, and managing the user’s own profile and status updates. Matchbox engineered several features specific to Windows Mobile, including the ability to upload not just photos but videos taken on the phone, and integration with the phone dialer to call friends right from the Facebook app.

Matchbox invested heavily in the initial design phase to ensure the UI would be clear and easy to use not just on the newer phones with high-res touch screens, but also those with smaller low-res screens and QWERTY keyboards. The Facebook app was then tested extensively to ensure a consistent experience across the whole range of Windows Mobile 6 phones. Since its launch in 2009 the application has become one of Microsoft’s most downloaded and popular apps for Windows phones. Such was its success that in late 2009 Microsoft had Matchbox create a case study to detail the app development process for the benefit of other Windows Mobile developers. Read the full case study on MSDN

Facebook V1.3 for Windows Mobile is available for download here