As it goes Facebook is becoming increasingly popular around the globe. All of my friends are on facebook and everyone seems to have facebook in their bookmarks toolbar. So why not get Facebook down to your desktop? Here are a bunch of Facebook applications that losely tie up to the Facebook API bringing certain features to the desktop.

AddressbookSync 1.1.1 »

You’ve got your address book neatly filled out, but when it comes to pictures it’s either too much trouble or you don’t have the pics at hand. AddressBookSync will not only search through your address book for matches, it will also copy over the birthdays of your contacts.

This is a great way to fill out your address book, as well as keep up to date with the latest pictures. Unfortunately, phone numbers are not synced, as the facebook API does not allow access to it. For copying over contacts, there was an application Facebook Sync that could do this. I say was, because Facebook has since made the developer remove that functionality from his app. If you are determined enough, you can find someone who can send it to you (don’t ask me!). 

Amigo »

The Facebook notification applet resides in your menubar letting you know when someone has ‘poked’, prodded, or kicked you. You also get to see when there’s a new wall post or when you are invited to a party. It also gives you quick access to your friend’s profiles, walls and all that. At $20, the app is terribly overpriced. The trial however has no limitations other than a buggy message every time you launch the app.

PhotoBook »

This is a really slick application for viewing Facebook albums. You get access to all your friend’s photos, which you can search through, or view as a slideshow. The full view shows additional info for each picture and a single click adds any selected photos to your iPhoto library. Unfortunately, the app lacks an upload option, which would have sealed the deal.

Facebook Export for iPhoto »

Made by the Facebook guys themselves, the iPhoto exporter is very similar to the FlickrExport developed by Fraser Speirs. The plugin puts in an extra pane in your iPhoto export window, from where you can tag a picture (it pulls names from your facebook friends list), set albums, comments — and hit upload!

Facebook Dashboard widget »

For those of you who contantly use the Dashboard, the Facebook widget will update you on new pokes, messages, wall posts, events, and other notifications. Very simple to install and use, and uses just a tiny bit of dash real estate.

EventBox »

This is my favourite app, and is the one reason I continue to keep my facebook account alive. It displays facebook status updates, pictures, and also features a photo uploading tool. You can update your status from the EventBox window as well as leave comments on people’s photos. EventBox goes far beyond Facebook and is highly recommended for anyone who interacts with the internet. Use the coupon code in the Smoking Apples magazine to get a 20% discount on the $15 pricetag that EventBox commands.

Any of you active Facebookers know of some other cool apps? Do let us know so we can check them out.