Friday App-Test: Facebook Camera & Pages, Score, Paper Airplanes

Facebook-Camera app: Despite the upcoming Instagram-Purchase FB decided very surprisingly to offer an own developed camera app. The reason? I suppose this project started month ago before the IG-deal and it simply display the recent development FB has made. What is it good for? Well, it is a very slick and beautiful made app with quick view on all of your friends (not pages or groups) shared and your own pictures. You can share single & multiple pictures and you have a crop feature and 15 filters to "beautify" your photographs. Additionally you can tag, like and comment on all pictures, but that's basically it - very basic, very beautiful but nothing ground-breaking. I expect that this app came to stay and will get all the sexiness and features of the upcoming IG-developments. A nice to have I would say http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/facebook-camera/id525898024?ls=1&mt=8

Facebook-Pages app: Another logical "outsourcing" of the FB-App after the Messenger and the Camera app is an app for page administrators. Obviously it is too hard to integrate the admin tool into the old app and FB seems to be focusing on keeping their mobile service slick. The app does as expected: quick and easy access to owned pages, basic input & insights - simply made for the first quick overview. It is expected that features will added very soon and that this is app is also made to stay :) A must have for FB-Page-Admins.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/facebook-pages-manager/id514643583?mt=8

Score (0,79€): I stumbled upon this one because it stayed for some weeks now on the very top of the download charts. It is a beautiful little game that let the user replay very famous soccer goals by passing and shooting as it happened years ago. It is exactly the game you will look for in some weeks when the European Championship has started. Definitely worth a try for all soccer fans :)
http://itunes.apple.com/de/app/score!-classic-goals/id490952152?mt=8

Paper Airplanes: Do you remember, 20 years ago, when you were in school and you built that cool paper airplanes? You forgot? Well - me too! But "there is an app for that ;) Follow the easy instructions and get some youth back :)
http://itunes.apple.com/de/app/how-to-make-paper-airplanes/id479845845?mt=8

Google+ iOS app with fresh and beautiful UI

As noted earlier today (http://j.mp/LmvXdt) Google provided its iOS app (only made for smartphones) a really beautiful new UI with a lot of graphical elements that are completily revamped and differ completely from the old version.

In comparison to other social network applications (Facebook et al) this sets a great new standard and proves Google's capability to improve and develop software, especially for mobile.

Unfortunately social networks' UI is only one component of the complete experience and especially the lacking activity of Google+ users is significant low compared to users at Facebook or Twitter etc.

Driving activity to social network applications could be created by a better UI, but social interaction (sharing, messaging, gaming) needs to be pushed harder to get people switch from other networks.

The recent attempt by Facebook to integrate applications and especially mobile apps into theor offerings is exactly a step to keep users even tider to the framework of FB then the UI optimization of G+ for mobile could possibly bring to the table.

Google+: a mobile app with sense and soul

Facebook announced its own AppStore (for desktop & mobile)

This is going to be very interesting: Facebook moves into the territory of Apple & Google (and Amazon) and is offering its own AppStore. Given the amount of time the average online user is visiting Facebook the possibility of success for the Facebook Store (especially for mobile) is very high.

The assumed social component (what apps are my friends downloading etc.) has not been really successfully adopted by the others and might be the critical success factor for the upcoming store.

What will change? Well, basically Facebook will ensure that every app offered has some sort of facebook integration and the login and profile building might even increase. App usage and user interactions are tider linked to Facebook and world domination continues ;)

Introducing the App Center