Facebook for iPhone 3.0: What it’s got, what it’s not
By Ronald O Carlson
A slickly redesigned user interface that puts search and commonly used functions on a new homescreen, plus new and extended features have all made the cut. However, the one piece of functionality that everyone’s certain to want—queue the catcalls and sneering a la AT&T—won’t arrive until later this Summer.
Facebook’s “Joe” has posted an iPhone Note about FaceBook for iPhone 3.0, which hasn’t been scheduled for release but is expected “very soon” as it’s 98 percent done.
New n’ notable in Facebook for iPhone 3.0:
1. The “new” News Feed
2. Like
3. Events, including the ability to RSVP
4. Notes
5. Pages
6. Create new photo albums
7. Upload photos to any album
8. Zoom into photos
9. Easier photo tagging
10. Profile Pictures albums
11. A new home screen for easy access to all your stuff, search, and notifications
12. Add your favorite profiles and pages to the home screen
13. Better Notifications (they link to the comments so you can reply)
14. Quickly call or text people right from the Friends page
15. Messages you are typing will be restored if you quit or are interrupted by a phone call
The newsfeed is ripe for a makeover and one hopes it’s full featured (ie equivalent to the functionality offered by the desktop web interface). Additionally, Facebook has made great efforts to improve photo functionality, which is all very nice considering the iPhone 3GS’ greatly improved camera and editing features.
Yet mobile video—the marquis feature of Apple’s latest run away handheld hit and the flavor of this year’s zeitgeist—unforgivably didn’t make the cut. This might be OK if the improved iPhone 3.0 YouTube functionality allowed Facebook sharing, but it doesn’t.
Still waiting
Lastly, the other big omission from this list should be pretty obvious—push notifications. Here again is another reason for iPod touch owners to skip iPhone 3.0 until Apple and its partners are able to put some meat on the table.
Thereupon, Facebook’s Joe says push notification will be coming in Facebook for iPhone 3.1 “later this Summer,” which in all likelihood means September 30.
All of that pissing and moaning aside, I’m liking how the new interface looks and can’t wait to get my mitts on the new features.
In addition to mobile video integration and push notifications, do you see anything missing from Facebook for iPhone 3.0? What’s looking particularly attractive to you?
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Read more entries by Ronald O Carlson.
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July 4th, 2009
I think it’s just the start of new trend and may be in recent future we will see mobiles replacing our desktop. Is that really going to happen?
July 4th, 2009
The trend has been ongoing since the beginning of computing—smaller, faster, cheaper. The first portable computers were (in) warships and spacecraft. Now, an iPod touch has more power than the first “super computers.”
I’m looking forward to subcutaneous computing…
July 5th, 2009
I’m lookin forward to having a phone implanted on my hand. I’ll be making calls by extending thumb to the ear and pinky to the mouth.
July 5th, 2009
What kind of an idiot would recommend that iPod Touch owners shouldn’t update to OS 3.0 yet? Just because there aren’t many apps with push notification at this time? With all of the new features of 3.0 there are so many reasons to update that you could have written an entire article about them instead of writing such a nonsensical line as, “Here again is another reason for iPod touch owners to skip iPhone 3.0 until Apple and its partners are able to put some meat on the table.” Oh look, I used copy and paste, something people with 2.1.1 can’t use! Congratulations, you have managed to string together a number of words in the English language in such a way that it became the dumbest sentence ever written.
September 2nd, 2009
Updated to facebook 3.0 last week and love the overall accessibility to many “desktop” functions…although I won’t be completing missions in my Heroes Ability, I love the pages, notes, and albums features, as well as linking to the newsfeed item and not just being directed to the friend.