Facebook for iPhone: Other Developers Have a Lot to Learn!
By: Hillel Fuld
The newest Facebook app for iPhone has to be the biggest improvement any app has ever displayed in one release. The new UI is completely new and more than doubles the functionality provided by the last version. This is an iPhone app review, so I am not going to go into this in depth, but comparing the iPhone Facebook app to that of BlackBerry or Android is literally like comparing two different apps. Facebook for iPhone might even bypass the need to ever log in to your Facebook account on the computer, it’s that good.
The first time you open the app, you are presented with a standard login screen with the option to log in using the traditional email address or Facebook’s new feature of your vanity username. Once you log in, that is the last time you see that screen, which is something I cannot say for many other apps that require a login every time. The app then automatically redirects you to your main Facebook news feed, which they obviously assume is the way most people access Facebook, a fair assumption. You can scroll through the updates with complete ease and smoothness, something only the iPhone/iPod Touch knows how to do. So far, pretty simple and straight forward.
Here is where the app blew me away. On the top left corner of your display, there is a small box, that when clicked on, opens a Facebook home screen, very similar to the iPhone’s home screen. In fact, just like the iPhone, the Facebook app allows you to create more home screens with different shortcuts to your favorite Facebook friends or pages. That means you can add one particular person to your home page, knowing you like to read their updates and be presented, in two clicks, with their entire timeline. Same applies for your favorite Facebook pages.
The app is up to date on the newest additions to the Facebook feature portfolio, and it is as simple to use as the iPhone itself. Other icons that are on the main home screen include Profile, Friends, Requests, Chat, Inbox, Notes, Photos, and Events. I would say that pretty much anything I use Facebook on the computer for, can be easily accessed on the iPhone app.
So far, we are talking Read Only, so let’s get into what you can do with this app besides read things… The Facebook iPhone app also supports an advanced picture upload mechanism to allow you to choose any picture on your iPhone and easily upload it to your Facebook account. Anyone who has ever done this on their computer knows that the whole Java interface needs some work. Here is your solution… Also, if you are using the 3GS and have that fancy video camera, you can add upload video as well, not too shabby.
If I really had to find something to complain about, I would say that the lack of support for push technology leaves room for a next version, but honestly, I am pretty sure having my Facebook notifications pushed to me would get a little much. Between your email, your IM, and other apps pushing you messages, no need for more… I am sure some people would disagree, and like I said, here is something that can be added to the next release.
There really is so much more to review about the new Facebook iPhone app dubbed Facebook 3.0, but to be honest, the more I use it, the more I discover about it, and that is half the fun. I would strongly recommend that any Facebook user download this app immediately, and if you are not a Facebook user (are there really such people?), download it anyway, to witness first hand the true potential of iPhone development in all its awesomeness.
Our Rating: 5/5
Developer: Facebook
