UPDATE: Seems like iOS version is only available to those on US and other selected country stores. Thanks @luc_sohow for the headsup.

Here’s a new addition to your messaging complication channel. Facebook has announced its Messenger service which is available for both iPhone and Android devices. It offers instant messaging among your Facebook friends directly on your mobile.

So what makes it different from the Messaging via native Facebook app? It promises faster access with supposedly instant delivery and response. Basically taking on the likes of Whatsapp and Kik. The key differenciator we can see is that your conversations are both available on both web and app. This means no messages to lose in case of hard resets or when switching devices.

In addition, you can do group conversations, enable locations and attach photos. The Messenger app is now available and you can get it by searching for “Facebook Messenger”.

iPhone users can get it here while Android folks can download it from the Market.

More info here or via Facebook Blog.

	Android, iPhone OS, Mobile Apps, Mobile OS
	Android, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, facebook mobile, iOS, iPhone

Did the headline caught your attention? Well, it is not because there’s something wrong with Google’s Android platform but it is due to developers involved in the application. Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared that their vital programmer involved with Facebook mobile apps had been acquired by Google, leaving the Android app hanging compared to iPhone which is far better in terms of usability.

If you’ve tried the Facebook app on Android, it is the worst app for Facebook yet. The experience isn’t that good and most links are linked back to the mobile website which is pointless.

Quite a funny situation indeed and Zuckerberg says that it wasn’t really a huge deal but will definitely set them back in a while. Why can’t they get someone else to do a better job? Staff turnaround is expected for this industry and they should be able to manage this better. Read the full story at TechCrunch.

[ SOURCE, VIA ]

	Android, Mobile Apps, Mobile OS
	Android, Facebook, facebook app, facebook mobile, google, Mark Zuckerberg

Techcrunch has a scoop that Facebook is in the midst of developing its own mobile phone. No full details yet, and it could either be a big scale mobile app or an actual Facebook device with its own custom OS.

According to the article, Facebook is concerned that the mobile landscape being heavily dominated by iPhones and Android which prompted them to do something about it. They have 2 high level employees, Joe Hewitt and Matthew Papakipos that had experience working with Firefox and Google Chrome OS respectively. The duo are believed to be linked to this secret mobile project and they are capable in developing OS particularly mobile.

So do we really need another Mobile OS when most of them have Facebook integrated already? Apparently this facebook mobile platform may not necessary compete with the giants head on. It could be a cheap mobile device with Facebook heavily integrated that’s easily within reach of the masses. We’re thinking along the lines of Nokia’s entry level Social Networking phones like the Nokia C3.

Another speculation is that Facebook could be hooking up with INQ, a social networking mobile device maker which is invested by Li-Ka Shing. The same tycoon also runs 3 Mobile, and he also happens to invest in Facebook too. So this could be another possibility of 3 Mobile, INQ and Facebook partnership for a dedicated FB phone. Perfect Software + Hardware + Network combination, don’t you think? It is too early to tell now but lets see how it goes.

[ SOURCE ]

	Industry in General, Mobile Devices, Rumour Mill
	Facebook, Facebook Device, facebook mobile, Facebook mobile phone, FB, INQ, mobile

The Facebook App for Android has finally received a new update. The previous one was seriously in dire need of a revamp and lags poorly behind the iPhone version.

With the latest version, you can play videos, and photos/videos appear as a scrollable reel at the bottom. Viewing notifications is easier by dragging up the Notification bar below. Events is now included but Facebook Chat is still missing.

Overall it fixes a lot of kinks and the app is much more refined than ever before. To update, just head to the market to download the latest version.

[ SOURCE ]

	Android, Mobile Apps, Mobile OS
	Android, Facebook, facebook app, facebook mobile