Not satisfied at conquering iOS, Blackberry and even Windows Phone 7 devices, Facebook has now turned their sites upon a market seen as dead in the western world but still thriving in the east.
The Facebook for Feature Phones app works on more than 2,500 devices from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and other manufacturers, and it was built in close cooperation with Snaptu. The app provides a better Facebook experience for our most popular features, including an easier-to-navigate home screen, contact synchronization, and fast scrolling of photos and friend updates.
We also wanted to make it available to as many people as possible. Similar to the 0.facebook.com site, we’ve worked with mobile operators from around the world to let you try this without paying for any data charges. (Official Facebook Blog)
This is a smart move for the social giant as there are still billions around the world lacking access to a decent computer, let alone a smartphone due to their expense (even with the hefty carrier subsidy).
Users will be able to test out the Facebook feature phone app free of charge for the first 90 days, after which carriers will then be able to bill users based upon standard data usage.
Embracing feature phones via Snaptu will also help Facebook compete against their frenemy Twitter, as the latter is already compatible with most (if not all) mobile devices globally.
If Facebook can find a way to expand their market beyond the western world, they could quickly swell past a billion users in order to become the pulse of the planet.
Author: Darnell Clayton
Darnell Clayton is a geek who discovered blogging long before he heard of the word “blog” (he called them “web journals” then).
When he is not tweeting, friendfeeding, or blogging about space, he enjoys running, reading and describing himself in third person.
