Fring gets Facebook, other third-party add-ons

Fring has added the ability to fold Facebook into the communicator, through a new Settings menu option called fringAdd-ons. Among other things, it also include Gmail Notifier, Orkut, vTap videos, and Yandex.mail. These addons represents the first extensions created by third-party developers using Fring’s application programming interface.

Fring is not the only mobile software company opening its API to programmers. In fact, crowd-sourcing software authors is now seen as integral to a mobile software publisher’s strategy and success. iPhone is the biggest honcho to have more recently welcomed developers, and the success of Google Android as a mobile platform is tied to the mostly independent developers fighting to win big money for their grand ideas and edgy implementations.

So far, connector programs like the Facebook add-on are a good start. Relatively easy to make, programs like these help Fring close in on bragging rights for being the most far-reaching social networking hub out of all the multinetwork text and VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) communicators without putting forth additional development dollars.

FringAdd-ons are currently available for the latest versions of Nokia Symbian 9, Sony Ericsson UIQ, and Windows Mobile.