The company’s data compression could also make the social network more friendly to the wallet experience.
Facebook has just announced another acquisition, this time involving a startup from Tel Aviv called Onavo, which has apps that include services that are designed to compress and monitor mobile data.
This could help Facebook to improve on two very meaningful levels.
As Facebook has been honing its mobile credentials to attract the spotlight, the services from Onavo apps could prove to be very helpful as it could help to encourage more marketers to shed their doubts and give the social network a try.
Equally, these apps could help to enhance Zuckerberg’s efforts with Internet.org.
The compression technology might assist the Internet.org program’s attempt to bring internet connectivity into regions that are out of reach for other forms. It could also make Facebook a realistic option within regions of the developing world where data consumption is considered to be a costly luxury. Moreover, it would shrink the roaming charges that would be applied to consumers in the rest of the world.
Beyond having been adopted as a new Facebook subsidiary, Onavo will also be converted into a Facebook satellite office in its home town in Israel, which will become the first time that the social network has had a direct presence in that country. At the moment, no information has been revealed regarding the amount of money that was involved in the acquisition, but there have been speculations ranging anywhere from $100 million to $200 million.
Onavo expressed in a blog post that “We’re excited to join their team, and hope to play a critical role in reaching one of Internet.org’s most significant goals – using data more efficiently, so that more people around the world can connect and share.” They also went on to add that “When the transaction closes, we plan to continue running the Onavo mobile utility apps as a standalone brand. As always, we remain committed to the privacy of people who use our application and that commitment will not change.” It has also been speculated that the tech will be integrated into the Facebook mobile applications in order to make them more efficient in terms of data consumption, as well.
Smartphones and tablets aren’t just for business anymore. They’re portable personal entertainment devices, too. You don’t have to stare glumly into space while waiting for the doctor to call you back for your appointment or while riding the bus on your morning commute. Just download some fun, free apps. You’ll never be bored again and you won’t pay a dime for the privilege. Here are five awesome ones to get you started.
Face Swap
What could be more fun than putting your face on someone else’s body? Nothing, right? The sheer simple genius of this app is part of its addicting appeal. All you need is a picture of the person with whom you want to swap faces (you can Photoshop this if necessary). Did you ever want your brother and sister to switch faces? Have you ever wished your boyfriend had the body of Brad Pitt? Does the thought of putting your annoying mother-in-law’s face on the body of Honey Boo Boo’s mother amuse you? This app will provide you with hours of innocent to semi-wicked amusement.
Duck Dynasty Beard Booth
Who doesn’t love “Duck Dynasty“? You watch it. You know you do. The Duck Dynasty Beard Booth allows you to choose from one of several beard styles worn by the men of “Duck Dynasty” and place that beard on a photo of anyone you know. It works on both new and existing photos and allows you to re-size the beard to fit the face. Beard up all of your family and friends. You can even share the results on social media and add custom captions.
Talking Ben the Dog
This app is simply astounding in its inherent hilarity. You’ve got to get Ben the Dog (a retired chemistry professor, no less) to talk to you. He prefers to read the paper, so you have to get his attention. Poke, tickle, or slap him and he’ll put down his paper and interact with you. Go to voice mode and you can have a conversation with him. Go to lab mode and you can get Ben to perform some awesomely funny chemistry experiments. Best of all, you can record all of these interactions and share them with your friends.
Break
The Break app has the serious potential to keep you in stitches for hours at a time. Once you start it up, it’s hard to put it down. A companion to the humor site, Break.com, this is a funny videos app that goes beyond the everyday video showcases. There are picture galleries of funny photos, videos of side-splitting pranks and fails, movie trailers, funny songs and Break.com exclusive web series and celebrity interviews. It’s all there in one free app that is more addictive than chocolate.
Ghost Detector
Now is your chance to see if your house is haunted. This wonderful app has built-in radar that will detect ghosts within a nine-mile radius. It also has an EMF filter so you can hear if the ghosts are trying to talk to you. Don’t sit around wondering what’s going bump in the night. Find out for sure and maybe even make a new ghostly friend with the Ghost Detector.
