Facebook's in an app-making frenzy these days.
Asha 200 is based on the Series 40 platform, and its interface is pretty simple. It lets you set shortcuts to your favourite apps on the home screen. Additionally, you can customise the Menu view.
They're developing mobile apps like they're going out of style!
They now have stand-alone mobile apps for:
These are all in addition to the main Facebook mobile app -- and not including Instagram & Whatsapp, which Facebook owns.
My problem with the Facebook mobile app is it requires so much storage space on my phone & drains the battery. This is a big challenge if you have an older phone or live in a country with slower internet speeds.
And that's why they launched 'Facebook Lite'.
But before you get all excited for a new app, remember Facebook Lite is only available in 8 countries right now.
Still... it's not hard to find other places. ;)
In this article, I'll tell you where you can get it, walk you through different parts of Facebook Lite & tell you why Facebook launched the service in the first place.
NEW Facebook Lite App is Less Filling (250kb) But Works Great!
Facebook Lite was quietly launched officially in these 8 countries on January 20, 2015:
Facebook probably chose these places because they have limited internet service & a lot of people using low-end smart phones.
The app was mainly built for older & lower-end Android phones on 2G & slower connections. And it truly is 'Lite' at only 252KB -- compared to 27MB for the regular Facebook mobile app.
Luckily, I was able to take the mobile app for a test drive -- even though I live in Texas. ;)
Facebook Lite: My Test Drive
BEWARE: Facebook Lite is cluuuunnnky!
It feels like you've taken a step back in time.
News Feed
I could only fit about 2 posts on my screen, and everything was a box: notifications, Likes, comments, etc.
There's only one news feed. There's no 'Top Stories' or 'Most Recent' feed like you're used to. I assumed I was seeing the top stories.
Login Screen
Even the login screen seemed old school:
Notifications
But the 'Notifications' screen was probably the most clunky view of them all:
Messages
In case you're curious, the 'Messages' screen looked like this:
Status Updates
Here I tested the posting features on Facebook Lite (and shot a selfie).
I was shown this screen after I clicked 'Post a status update':
I could have added some effects to the pic:
Groups
You can also use Facebook Lite to access groups.
Feature List
When I tapped the '3 line' icon on the far right (sometimes called the Menu or List), it looked similar to the regular Facebook mobile app.
Settings
And there weren't many app settings on Facebook Lite.
Account Settings
These were similar to what you'd see on your desktop or smartphone.
Graph Search
The search tool provided results for people, pages, groups & events.
Photos
It was easy to use Facebook Lite to view photos on my Timeline.
Comments
I felt a little cramped leaving a comment though.
Conclusion
Overall, Facebook Lite wasn't bad.
And there must be a HUGE need for this kind of slimmed down app in tons of places around the world. It was downloaded more than 10,000 times within just a few days of the release.
But you probably won't ever need the app if you have a newer phone & decent Internet connection.
If you're still curious, check out LifeHacker.com or the Google Play store to download Facebook Lite.
Nokia has today announced the Asha series in India with the launch of Nokia Asha 200 and Nokia Asha 300. Also Nokia has launched the Nokia X2-02 and free Music service on all the devices launched today in India.
Nokia 200
The Nokia 200 is Nokia’s first QWERTY dual-SIM device offering one-click access to email and chat via Nokia Messaging and other social networking services like Facebook. The phone comes with Nokia Browser and Webapps for rich internet experience.
Like other dual SIM phones from Nokia, Nokia 200 offers smarter multiple SIM management that allow the user to personalize up to five SIM cards and an Easy Swap option that lets users change SIM cards in seconds without having to turn off the phone or remove the battery. The device comes with a 2 megapixel camera with 4X zoom, high performing loudspeakers and enhanced stereo FM radio.
Nokia 300
The Nokia Asha 300 features both a touch screen and keypad to make it easier than ever to text and message friends. It is also one of the first mobile phones to offer Angry Birds pre-installed.
The colorful Nokia Asha 300 gives fast and easy 3G access to the internet and thousands of apps in the Nokia Store. The Series 40 phone has a sharp 5 megapixel camera for taking great photographs, which can then be easily organized and edited in the Nokia gallery before being uploaded to favorite online communities such as Facebook. Music lovers can enjoy the Nokia Asha 300’s great music player, built-in FM radio and Bluetooth connectivity.
Nokia X2-02
The latest addition to Nokia’s dual SIM portfolio, Nokia X2-02 comes with Easy Swap and gives users the option to personalize up to five SIM cards. With its music features like Play via Radio feature, FM recording, in-built loud speakers and dedicated music keys Nokia X2-02 offers complete music experience. The Nokia X2-02 comes with a Nokia Browser and Web apps for a superior internet experience and expandable memory capabilities of upto 32GB.
Nokia has also announced the Nokia Music Unlimited service which will be available on the devices above. The service was so far available on select hi-end devices and had received positive response from the consumers and Nokia is now all set to give price-conscious music lovers an unparalleled & faster entertainment experience by offering this innovative music service on its latest affordable range of phones.
Nokia’s DRM free music offering for the masses is set to democratise legal music consumption in India as it comes packed with features such as: DRM-free tracks; pre-activation (on the device); easy browsing, downloading & renewal through the device itself, among others.
Nokia Music Store includes extensive catalogues from major global labels like Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music and Nokia’s local partnership with Indian Music Industry (a consortium of more than 150 music companies), Hungama that represents major labels including Yash Raj, T-Series, and SIMCA (South Indian Music Companies Association), amongst others.
The prices of the devices will be announced soon, so keep a lookout over here. Comments are closed.
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December 2022
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