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Bet On HTML 5 Kept Facebook from Entering Mobile Market Early

I was reading an article on BBC about Facebook’s future and came upon the reason why the social network got into the mobile market so late. BBC has the answer from Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg:

 

Mixed reviews for Facebook Home

Facebook Home - BBC

Facebook's Home app for Android phones has been downloaded more than 500,000 times from the Google Play store since its release on 4 April. But it has received mixed reviews from users, with an average rating of 2.2 out of five stars.

 

LinkedIn spruces up mobile app to widen appeal

Online professional networking service LinkedIn is dressing up its mobile application to impress people who are increasingly scrolling through content on smartphones....

 

The joke may be on Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerber - CNN

Douglas Rushkoff says Facebook's new app just increases disorientation and isn't getting rave reviews from users... And when I looked up Facebook Home online to try to find out just what it was, the first search results that came up were from users sharing how to disable it. This way, consumers can buy the discounted phones on which Facebook Home ships, and turn them back into a regular Android smartphones, where Facebook is just another app we can use in our own good time.

 

Insight: On Facebook, app makers face a treacherous path

Facebook Apps

Last spring, the future for Viddy, a video-sharing Facebook app, seemed as sunny as southern California's skies. Based a block away from Venice Beach, the 30-person startup impressed prospective investors with skyrocketing user growth figures and won funding from them at a $370 million valuation. The tech press hailed it as the "Instagram for video," potentially ripe for a billion-dollar-plus buyout. Justin Bieber wanted to invest — and the pop star eventually did just that.

 

Opaque Instagram ad policy change riles users

Instagram

Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service that Facebook bought this year, is the target of a storm of outrage on Twitter and other sites after a change in its user agreement hinted that it might use shared photos in ads.

 

Microsoft nears deal to buy Yammer: source

Yammer

Microsoft Corp is close to buying business software company Yammer Inc for more than $1 billion, according to a source familiar with the details. Microsoft's interest in Yammer, known for its social networking functions, could allow the software giant to beef up its offerings for corporations.

 

Loyal Instagram users fret about Facebook's reach

Poor Instagram users. First, their beloved photo-sharing application moves from iPhone-only exclusivity to the Android phone masses. A week later, Facebook swallows up the tiny startup behind the app for $1 billion. The purchase sparked worries that Facebook might shutter Instagram or change it for the worse by harvesting their personal information or shoving ads into their carefully curated photo streams.

 

Can Instagram be worth $1bn?

Can a two-year-old photo sharing app really be worth $1bn? It would buy you some some 2,100 Rolls Royce Phantoms. Or 200 million mosquito nets to fight malaria. Or the whole of the New York Times company (with $50m change to spare). If you are Microsoft, it buys you some 800 AOL patents to fight the next patent war.

 

After long wait, Facebook releases application for iPad, updates iPhone app

One of the big, enduring questions of the technology world: “When will iPad users get their very own Facebook app?” The answer is —now. Facebook is releasing an updated version of its iPhone application on Monday afternoon, one that’s also designed to fill out the larger screen of the iPad. Like the previous iPhone version, it’s free.

Senh: I don't understand the point of iPad apps for websites. You can access the web from your iPad, and the screen is large enough that you don't have to zoom in and scroll.

 

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