When we released the Facebook app last week we talked about how we wanted to develop a nice cadence of releases. We are writing on webOS, so surely we can get features out on web time right?
When our full developer program went live, our App Catalog began supporting a Beta channel which enables you to get new versions out to a community that is willing to live on the edge.
Today we are launching our first Facebook Beta application. It is only a week after our 1.1 launch, but has some cool new features:
- Facebook Video support: You will now see Facebook videos in your stream and can play them. Facebook started to encode their videos into the H.264 format, and for those that they have encoded, you will be able to watch.
- Shortcut keys: Power users want to be able to access areas in an app as quickly as possible. You can now jump to different sections by holding down the SYM key and: N = news stream, P = photos, S = search, I = inbox, U = your profile, E = events. We have found this particularly handy for Pixi users where the keyboard is always just there.
- Your Comments: You will notice that your comments in a thread are colored Facebook blue to make them stand out.
- Access Updates in Facebook Mail: You can now access the updates messages, joining messages and sent mail
There are also bug fixes and enhanced error checking on the Facebook API side of the house.
What can you expect from Facebook Beta releases?
Beta means beta. These releases are not tested in the same way as full releases, and new features may not be fully internationalized or localized. You get to play with new features that we are working on, and hopefully give us feedback along the way.
You can help us find bugs early, give us ideas on new features, give us real world advice on how certain features and ideas feel, and help us prioritize exactly what you want out of the app.
We will update the beta channel pretty frequently, and the usage will help us cut final releases. You should note that the beta version and full version are on two different channels. You can install both versions, and they update independently.
- Ben and Dion on behalf of the Developer Relations Facebook team
Notifications and chat. I need those more than morning coffee. Need I say more?
Please add Notifications. This is a great app but I still use the web browser very often to see my notifcations. Thanks
Excellent explanation. You answered every question I had about the beta version and what it would do if I downloaded it!
so…where are the notifications? Also, can we please get some sort of status bar when uploading a foto. I always seem to load about 6 pictures on my facebook because of this.
thanks
please make it have a facebook chat, like how myspace ables you to chat….beacuse facebook is way better than myspace. Thanks!!
It’s only available in the US. No good to me in Australia
This is great! Keep up the good work. One small feature ild liketo see is the ability to see who “likes” something rather than simply a count. Perhaps you can do it similar to how x.facebook.com does it.
notifications and chat
On the FB website, I’ve filtered all the farmville (and similar) posts. Would be great if that filtering could be respected in this app.
I would really love if you added a notifications tab. This is highly used on the facebook web page and is so important because if someone comments on a pic in my album or an old post of mine it allows me to click on the notification and takes me to what they commented on so that I can reply. Thanks and great job!
PLEASE distribute this beta-app for Germany too – or better make it available worldwide! We also speak english and use facebook (who would have thought…), so no need to leave us behind from testing! Thanks!!
I think phone-intergrated Facebook Notification would come in handy. With the program right now, we don’t know if anyones commented or posted something on our wall. The notifications take out the guess work!
Great job guys! I’ll be sure to use and update the blog with any useful feedback. Obviously notifications is the biggest request to be made for the Facebook App. Sidebar: a webOS enabled tablet device like iPad, with rich media features would be Palm’s salvation. I’d certainly, buy it the day it launched. I so want/need a color e-reader for books, magazines and surfing. I’d much rather it be a super sexy, super smart webOS device over an Apple product. Anything I can do to help Palm stay in the game! Been on-board since Treo 650, and I’m here to stay!
I’m a huge fan of your latest beta release cause I am now shooting more videos thanks to my WebOS 1.4 update.
Here’s my Wish List for Facebook on the Pre (I don’t know if any of this has to do with the app or not)
1. Notifications built into WebOS as it is with Messaging and Email.
2. Facebook Chat being an option in the Messaging app to function just like TXT, GTalk, AIM, and YAHOO.
3. Facebook in the Universal Search
Is there are special reason for not allow us, Spanish Pre owners, to not have access to a Beta application?
I really hope that this “not worldwide by default” nonsence goes away when we get paid apps.
The applications should be only restrictd to a certain country if there is a REAL reason, not by default.
The language is not a good enough reason. For only show your language by default, maybe, but not for COPLETELLY block us from access the English apps
Think its great. Thanks! Would LOVE to have notifications though, even if the card is closed, so we could get notified on postings and whatnot. Great work!
Excellent! Any chance of you guys offering the ability to rsvp for events within the app, as well as an option for all facebook links within emails to run thru the FB app you’ve developed?
There’s also no ability to view images one has been tagged in, which may be the bulk of one’s images.
Thanks for all the quality additions. Excellent, and mighty appreciative thus far…
Please add Notifications. This is a great app but with out notifications it is almost useless. With that said I would like to see notification linked with the WebOS notification system. Personally I would like to see the notifications only come in when the app is open.
It’s hilarious. I’m from Germay and cannot install the beta, as it is only available for the US, Canada and the UK – probably because it isn’t localized? It’s beta so it doesn’t matter… Please stop this annoying geo locking
how to look at notification?
great job so far. Notifications would be awesome. Would be nice to be able to delete messages in my inbox with the standard webos swipe to delete. Also ability to accept or initiate frind request would be much appreciated. Thanks for your hardwork
Please release this beta for Germany and other countries too (simply release it worldwide!!). We all speak english, so no problem if localisation is not yet finished.
Please don’t leave us behind…
I hope you add notifications and facebook chat to the app beta. thanks
I’m loving the new update so far. … thank you
Updates are ok…..how about notifications?? Would love to actually know when people are trying to interact with me. This is the biggest thing holding this back from being a really good application that makes me want to come and look at it on a regular basis.
It would be nice to have a notification in the top bar to tell you there are new Inbox messages. Currently you have to manually check to find out. Good job otherwise though, I’m starting to replace using the browser to check Facebook!
Unable to use either facebook 1.1 or the beta app. Original 1.1 app does nothing after clicking sign in, beta app shows “Server Error”.
This is great! To make the webOS version the BEST version on any mobile platform only 2 more things need to be done;
1) Notifications
2) Chat
Personally i don’t see what the big deal about chat is, but i know people would love to have this feature.
On a side note: It would be great to be able to pick and choose which facebook contacts were sync’d to our phone’s contacts. Just a little request
Why did you apply the same restrictions in distribution (CA, GB, US) to the facebook beta that already hurts your product so bady internationally?
I am really enjoying the new Facebbok app for Palm. My only issue is that it doesn’t allow you to see your notifications. I have to jump to the web based Facebook link to see them.
Not Good – I installed this on my wife’s phone, not realizing that all her face book ‘friends’ would be added to her contact’s, Now she has 400+ useless contacts to sort thru to find the people she really wants to call!
I tried to delete the contact, the phone replies “Facebook Profiles cannot be deleted”
I’m tempted to ‘Doctor her phone, but will the Backup from the ‘Cloud’ have all these ‘friends’?
Really, how hard is it to have notifications. That is the one thing in facebook i use 90% of the time…all other Facebook apps have this, why can’t it be done?
I would love to be directed to which photo is getting commented on AND also be able to view photo comments. I always have to go through my email just to see what the comments actually say.
please add chat, to be able to see who likes my comment, notification would be awesome!
since Facebook now supports the Jabber protocoll, adding Facebook chat directly to WebOS Synergy should be a matter of hous for an able dev. The underlying technology should already be in there. Palm pleeeeease! This would make the Pre the mac daddy of all social media handsets
The ability to delete Facebook profiles from contacts! I don’t want them cluttering my contac list! I want to delete them from my contact list not Facebook. Even after uninstalling the app it is not allowed – “Facebook profiles cannot be deleted”
I figured it out. Don’t remember being prompted to sync though
Very simple: how ’bout a ‘back to top’ capability?