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Facebook Social Networks Software

Facebook Launches App Center With Over 600 Apps 55

Posted by Soulskill from the since-there-aren't-enough-app-stores-already dept.
Mattygfunk1 writes "Facebook is following the leader and launching its own app store. The move is intended to encourage longer browsing sessions from users and attract attention from software developers, in addition to allowing more personalized advertising. 'Each app will generally allow the user to install it as a Facebook application. However, a "send to mobile" will also appear if the app has a mobile app from either the Apple iOS App Store or else the Google Play store. In either case, the app can be sent to a user's phone and can be installed there.' It's currently only available in the U.S., with more countries to follow in the coming weeks."
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Facebook Launches App Center With Over 600 Apps More

Facebook Launches App Center With Over 600 Apps

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  • Let me be one of the firsts to say (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08, 2012 @10:39AM (#40257999)

    No Thanks...

  • "The White Album" (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Fishbulb ( 32296 ) on Friday June 08, 2012 @10:41AM (#40258025)
    The way things are going, buying Angry Birds on every new platform is going to be the "buy the White Album again" of the app generation.

  • Facebook Fone? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Metabolife ( 961249 ) on Friday June 08, 2012 @10:48AM (#40258143)

    This could be the first step to fb making a smartphone for dumb people.

    • Re:Facebook Fone? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by swb ( 14022 ) on Friday June 08, 2012 @11:06AM (#40258405)

      This is exactly what it is for.

      They are borrowing the app store model from Apple and the advertising-supported model from Google to produce low-end smart phones for the "facebook generation", probably with some kind of data plan subsidy to make them cost competitive for the lower-income types who'd own a real smartphone if the data plans weren't so expensive.

      High-profile app vendors who are on iOS, Android and Windows will just add another platform to be on, giving Facebook the "10% of the apps satisfy 90% of the people" kind of popularity, which is probably adequate for the people who would consider a Facebook phone anyway.

  • My account is where app and game requests and chain statuses go to die.

    It has probably let me hang on to the "classic Facebook" look instead of Timeline, because "this app will install timeline." No...no it won't.

    --
    BMO

  • i'm psyched! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08, 2012 @10:53AM (#40258209)

    I can't wait to run applications provided by an organization whose entire purpose is to collect every possible bit of data about me and sell it to others. I'm eagerly looking forward to the experience of needing an internet connection for my computer to do things that it's always been able to do on its own before.

    Even better, it's gonna be awesome that I now need Facebook's permission to run those applications, each and every time I want to.

    Man! I'm psyched for this. Hope you guys are too!

    • Yep, since Facebook will splatter the people who use their apps all over, it'll help me identify people I shouldn't be friends with that much faster!

      • Just ignore Facebook. I have an account, and honestly I'm thinking about cancelling it. It's really a cool thing talking to people face to face as opposed to through a medium that limits us to what people want us to hear as opposed to what people really are (while of course making a few people exceptionally wealthy).

        The only thing I ever thought much about using Facebook for was pictures. After re-reading the EULA and ToS I had to re-think that, and now won't even upload a picture.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I can't wait to run applications provided by an organization whose entire purpose is to collect every possible bit of data about me and sell it to others.

      You mean like Google Chrome, Google Android, and the whole search and internet suite you probably use on a daily basis?

  • so this is what is happening (Score:5, Insightful)

    by berashith ( 222128 ) on Friday June 08, 2012 @10:55AM (#40258247)

    I tried to read an article from wall street journal, and I get a damn pop-up telling me that I am able to install their facebook reader app. As I wasnt sure why I couldnt just read the article at wsj.com using my "browser app" I just closed the tab and went on with my life. I am pretty sure I didnt lose out on much. If they really want me to share with my friends, I will, as long as the article is something I feel like sharing and discussing. Just because I look at something doesnt mean that it should be publicized and tracked.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      http://theoatmeal.com/pl/state_web_spring/yahoo [theoatmeal.com]

    • Usually if you cancel out of it, then cancel again, you can get to the article anyway. I just discovered that yesterday.

      • i wasnt forced into the reader on the way to the article, although i did click from fb originally. it was just a pop-up that wanted me to install something that I am sure would require me to give access to friends of friends to be able to do the same thing that I did that morning. Not a big deal really, but annoying, and it makes sense that everyone is building these "apps" if facebook is pushing a store.

        I normally do the actions in the oatmeal strip from the AC above this. just close out and search for the

  • Oh good! (Score:3)

    by DWMorse ( 1816016 ) on Friday June 08, 2012 @10:55AM (#40258257) Homepage

    Because anyone that's ever used the iPhone or Android Facebook apps know that, you know, apps are just what Facebook excels at.

    Call me when they can produce one of their own that isn't a steaming pile of terribad.

  • The anti-Java (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 08, 2012 @11:12AM (#40258519)

    All these app systems, walled gardens, whatever. It's sort of an anti-Java philosophy: Write everywhere. Run nowhere.

    There's room for one, maybe two or 3 at best. It's just like when Atari and Commodore were big home machines. Maybe you can port to two, and then you're done. The long tail of platforms isn't worth it. Welcome to no. 3 at best, FB.

    • It's anti-Sun Java. Oracle Java is write once, sue everywhere.

      (Stolen from a user comment on the This Week in Tech podcast network.)
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Although I disagree they "don't get it", and what they are doing may work out well for them... I do agree that your idea is a REALLY excellent one.

      Even if all Facebook did is succeed where OpenID kind of failed (hey, it's still around, I use it, but you know what I mean) that would be really good for users.

    • Sure, that's a good idea and it would be nice. However providing value and extracting revenue are at best tangentially related.

  • Pure PR; stock is in the ICU (Score:5, Funny)

    by optimism ( 2183618 ) on Friday June 08, 2012 @11:13AM (#40258541)

    From TFA:

    The service, called App Center, debuts with 600 applications, including Zynga Inc. (ZNGA)’s “Draw Something” game

    Huh? How is someone going to play "Draw Something" effectively on a laptop or desktop with no touch screen? Have you ever tried to draw with a mouse or trackpad? Haha.

    If you want to play on a smartphone or tablet, of course, you'd just download the native app from the app store/marketplace.

    This looks like a pure PR play, one of many that will prop up the Fakebook stock until the early investors have exited to their satisfaction, and FB employees with options have been sufficiently comforted that the stock will not drop below their strike prices before the end of the year.

    I love this sport. It's like watching a huge train wreck in slow motion, except that no one will be directly killed by it.

  • Facebook is just building on Google's model, yet somehow they do it in significantly more irritating fashion.

    Say what you wish about Google, at least the advertisements they offer up seem to have some relevance to what I want or need. Facebook seems intent on flogging sketchy weight-loss plans, corrugated steel garages, debt-reduction schemes, and criminal pardons. Somehow most of these scream out SHYSTER! BEWARE!

    And that's without EVER accepting invitations to whatever Zygna game, poll, friend finder

  • So, this is so I can leak more of my personal info to them and they can fail more efficiently at protecting it, right?

  • So, the company wants to enter into the app market against Apple and Google. Yeah that's an easy one. I give this a 9 out of 10 chance of failure in the short to mid run. This reminds me of Microsoft entering the phone market. Such a brash, so full of ego, "we are gonna take over" kind of approach to a market that is well already.....crowded. It is like a strategy designed around the press release to drive retail investors to the stock, its a borderline scam. How could management really think they can

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