BlackBerry's newest BlackBerry Messenger client is beautiful, functional

Barely any major updates since launching way back on those now sure-be-stuck-in-a-landfill BlackBerry 7290s, RIM’s latest version of BlackBerry Messenger — unreleased to the public — is absolutely awesome. They’re finally getting hip, people. Here’s some of the new features and enhancements we’ve find while quickly playing with it:

• Avatar support — set your own avatar using the Camera or saved photo on your device (this is displayed locally as well as shown next to your Messenger name on your friend’s buddy list)
• GPS location integration — you can now set permissions so friends can always see your location, have to request it each time, or never can see it
• Proximity sensor — we’re guessing this will let you know if you’re within a certain distance of friends (pending, of course, you’re both set to share locations freely with each other)
• Set conversation subjects — this will allow you to organize your convos on the main Messenger screen and label them with subjects to keep track of all your conversations
• Homescreen support — you can pin/sticky actual Messenger contacts directly to the homescreen for easy access!

There’s a bunch more we’re probably skipping over, but hit the jump for some shots of the new version of BlackBerry Messenger!