The MySpace application for the BlackBerry is being downloaded in record numbers, according to Research In Motion and MySpace.

Since the launch on Nov. 13, the application has been downloaded 400,000 times, which represents an all-time high for both MySpace and RIM in terms of first week application downloads.

BlackBerry users also sent and received more than 15 million messages and updated their mood and status settings via MySpace over 2 million times in the first week, according to a statement.

The large number of downloads shows how much of a force RIM and MySpace have become in the mobile consumer market, according to Chris DeWolfe, co-founder and CEO of MySpace.

But the numbers are also further evidence that mobile users are moving beyond making phone calls. Recently, Facebook also reported impressive numbers, increasing from 5 million active mobile users at the beginning of the year to 15 million, it said in a blog posting.

"We are seeing a real appetite for mobile data, and social networking is a driver for that," said Paolo Pescatore, analyst at CCS Insight.

The increase of data usage is also helped by lower flat-rate tariffs, according to Pescatore.

The MySpace application is available for a number of different BlackBerry smartphones, including the Bold, Curve, Pearl and the 8800 Series. It will also be available to BlackBerry Storm users beginning Nov. 24.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.