WHAT'S the worst insult you can throw at a fast-moving company like Facebook? Call its iPhone app slow and poky.
Facebook has sought to address gripes with its app for iPhones and iPads with the launch of a faster version. Rather than add a slew of new features, the company said it rebuilt the application from scratch to make it speedier and less clunky.
In a recent demonstration at the company's Menlo Park, California, headquarters, the new iPhone app opened about twice as fast as the older version. Photos and comments also load faster. Users can now "like" comments on photos, which wasn't possible with the previous mobile app.
Mick Johnson, mobile product manager at Facebook, said programmers removed some lesser-used features, such as a way to view the app horizontally, to help speed it up.
The mobile arena presents Facebook with its biggest challenge - and its biggest opportunity. That's where its user base is growing the most.
At the end of June, Facebook had 543 million users who accessed it with a phone or tablet computer, up 67 per cent from 325 million a year earlier. Its overall user base grew 29 per cent over the same time period, to 955 million.
But while Facebook ads are well-established on its website, the company only recently started experimenting with mobile advertisements. That's been a concern for investors, who've sent Facebook's stock down by nearly half since the company's initial public offering three months ago.
The iPad version of the new app now features Timeline, the latest version of the profile page that Facebook is rolling out to all of its users.
The app is available for free from Apple's App Store.
Still absent from Facebook's app is any integration of Instagram. That's because Facebook hasn't closed the acquisition of the photo-sharing app. Though it got a step closer on Wednesday, when the Federal Trade Commission said it has closed its investigation into Facebook's planned acquisition.
The FTC said it is not taking action on the deal, which can now go forward as planned. Facebook has agreed to buy Instagram in a cash and stock deal worth about $748 million, based on Facebook's stock price on Thursday.
The price tag had been about $1 billion when the companies initiated the deal before Facebook's IPO, in April.
Facebook Messages: A Rundown of Its New LookBy Ian Paul, PCWorld Aug 23, 2012
Facebook is taking another step toward turning Messages into a full-fledged e-mail client with a new two-panel layout reminiscent of Apple's touch-friendly design for Mail on the iPad. The revamped Facebook Messages also includes easier ways to attach files and photos, a collection of smiley faces and keyboard shortcuts to get around the new Messages product more efficiently. The new version of Messages is rolling out to all users. While you wait for the changes to hit your account here's what to expect.
Inbox Panel
The current version of Facebook Messages.Facebook's new Messages layout features a simple, clean-looking two-panel interface. On the left-hand side, you have a smaller panel listing the latest messages in your Facebook inbox. You also get a persistent search box in the left-hand panel so you can search for past messages while you're checking your messages. Currently, when you open a message you can only search the thread you're reading; you have to navigate back to your inbox list to search your entire index of Facebook messages.
The much larger right-hand panel is the main message area where you can read and reply to messages, and add attachments. Other than the general layout of the panel, not a whole lot has changed here. As usual, when you're reading a message the text entry response box is at the bottom of the page and includes options for adding attachments and the quick reply check box.
The option to send a message to a friend's phone is also missing, but it's unclear whether the feature has been removed. It's possible the send to phone option is redundant now thanks to Facebook Messenger, the smartphone app that lets you instantly receive messages from friends.
The Messages text entry box now includes a smiley icon to add frowny faces and other expressions to your messages. And the option to send a photo or video from your webcam is now focused on sending still images. At the top of the right-hand panel is the “Actions” drop-down menu for marking messages as unread, opening conversations in chat, archiving, deleting and so on. One new addition to the top right area is a “New Message” option; creating a new message is only available in the main inbox view under the current iteration of Messages.
Facebook has also added keyboard shortcuts to Messages but has yet to provide a detailed list of what they are. Once Messages rolls out to your account in the coming days, you can call up the keyboard shortcuts by typing Alt+Q on Windows or Control + Q on OS X.
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