|
Yesterday, Facebook unveiled its App Center for web-based apps thatintegrate with the company's social network. Rather than being anew competitor to Apple's iOS App Store however, the program isenabling iOS developers to leverage the benefits of a social graph. Unlike Apple's iOS App Store (or its direct competitors includingGoogle Play and Amazon Appstore for Android-based platforms, RIM'sBlackberry App World or Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace), theFacebook App Center doesn't exist primarily to sell apps. Instead, it aspires to direct the attention of its millions ofsocial network members to Facebook web apps. That positions AppCenter as more of a competitor to Google's Chrome OS, whichsimilarly hopes to shift users from conventional desktop softwareto web apps operating within a web-based platform plugged into aparticular social graph. However, most Facebook apps don't exist only in the bubble ofFacebook itself. A variety of apps are actually cloud basedservices that interact with Facebook to tap into its rich socialnetwork features. Goodreads taps into Facebook Many of the cloud services that work as Facebook apps also exist asiOS apps, allowing mobile users to jump out of Facebook and into astandalone app that connects with Facebook on the back end. Oneexample is Goodreads . From within Facebook, users can interact with Goodreads web app tohighlight books (physical or electronic) they are reading or haveread, and leave reviews. Facebook friends can comment on or reviewand track each other's progress in reading new books. Goodreads also exists as an iOS app for iPhone and iPad (as well as having an Android counterpart),allowing iOS users to interact with the Facebook community both onand off of Facebook itself. The Goodreads app is free on both iOSand Facebook; the service is supported by advertising (and to asmaller extent, affiliate links to books users buy directly thoughthe app). Unlike other e-reader apps (including Apple's own iBooks),Goodreads provides social network features by piggybacking onFacebook and plugging into a user's existing group of friends. Voxer, Nike+ apps similarly leverage Facebook for social links Voxer, an iOS walkie talkie app that allows users to send messages to friends or groups of friendsusing push to talk voice or as text or picture messaging (belowleft), similarly connects to Facebook for single sign onauthentication, allowing users to rapidly get started andimmediately begin interacting with their existing social circlewithout managing another new account. Voxer allows users to send voice messages via any networkconnection, which are then stored temporarily on the cloud. Friendsreceive notifications when they receive a voxer message, and canimmediately launch the app and begin listening to messages even asthey're being recorded. As a conversation builds, users on bothends can review what was said, fast forward through speechrecordings, and trade photos and text messages. The app iscurrently free. Nike+, which is already bundled on iPhone 3GS and later using itsbuilt-in accelerometer, was also represented at the Facebook AppCenter launch event to demonstrate its premium Nike+ GPS app, whichcosts $1.99 (above right). The extra two bucks buys users GPSsupport, as well as social integration features. Users can now post their runs to Facebook as they begin, andanytime their social circle "Likes" or comments on their post, therunner hears cheering to encourage their progress. After running,users can post their runs, join a challenge and set goals. Apple's flat Ping While Apple hoped to launch its own social features within iTuneswith Ping in late 2010, users weren't quick to embrace the new service inlarge part because it lacked Facebook integration, leaving itisolated and useful only for tweeting out one's iTunes purchases. Apple initially hoped to link Ping to Facebook, but Facebook itselfappeared hesitant to give Apple access on its own terms. Or in thewords of Steve Jobs, Facebook demanded "onerous terms" just before Apple deployed Ping that prevented thetwo companies from being able to work together. On stage at last month's "All Things Digital" conference, Apple'schief executive Tim Cook acknowledged that while Apple had "triedPing," the lackluster demand for it from customers resulted in thecompany not wanting to "put a lot of energy into" the service. At the same time, while noting that "Apple doesn't have to own asocial network," Cook added, "But does Apple have to be social?Yes." He further cited Apple's existing Twitter integration in iOSand its already announced integration in OS X Mountain Lion, aswell as iMessage and Game Center features as examples of Apple'sinterest in being socially connected. "You'll see more things like that in the future," Cook said. Andwhen asked if Apple was ready to kill its Ping service, Cookanswered, "Will we kill it? I don know. We l look at that." Cook also referenced a "very solid" relationship with Facebook andsaid to "stay tuned" for news of how Apple and Facebook wouldcontinue to work together. While Apple may announce the beginnings of those plans at nextweek's WWDC, Facebook is already working to extend the reach of itssocial network by partnering with existing mobile apps to give themsocially connected features. In fact, Facebook's rush to deploy itsnew Apps Center just days ahead of WWDC suggests that the companywanted to make a splash before Apple reveals its hand. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Label Rewinding Machine Manufacturer , Hot Coding Foil, and more. For more , please visit Hot Coding Foil today!
Related Articles -
Label Rewinding Machine Manufacturer, Hot Coding Foil,
|
