Love Facebook but hate the app for it?
Almost regularly, I hear people complain about how much they hate the Facebook app on their iPhone or Android. It’s too slow, it crashes, the search functions don’t work properly, it doesn’t update information…the list goes on and on. If you’re one of these Facebook app naysayers, you’re in luck: there’s an app for that.
Facebook introduced a new app this morning called Paper for iPhone users. While it was previously thought to be a news-reading app meant to rival Flipboard or Google’s Newsstand, it’s more than that. Paper pulls in your Facebook News Feed while filtering out all of the other distractions. Browse through news stories from your friends in a full-screen sleek design, allowing you to beautifully view larger pictures and open links in a new way. As you can see in the video below, pressing buttons to see content has been almost eliminated and replaced with gliding gestures and iPhone movement for smooth transitions between your timeline and opening up content.
In addition to being able to read content from your News Feed, you can add in content from outside sources in sections such as sports, tech, design, pop culture, science and more . While we don’t know exactly where Paper will pull from, Facebook promises they will be “emerging voices” and trusted publications.
If you’re an iPhone user, the app will be available on February 3 (there is no release date yet for Android). Something to note about the app’s release: Paper will launch without an ads. This marks the premier release for Facebook’s Creative Labs department (a 15-person team), which promises more standalone apps in the future.
Will you download Paper? What other types of apps would you like to see from Facebook’s Creative Labs team in the future?
