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Social Experiment: 90 Days Without Facebook. Can YOU handle THAT?

We depart from the usual Android talk about gadgets and apps with this piece of news that caught my eye:


This is the story of a guy who had decided to forego the usual things that the modern human, especially us wired, techie folk, are accustomed to: Facebook, Twitter, Texting, and even Email. In this experiment, Jake Reilly lived without a mobile phone, no email, and did without all of his social networking accounts and profiles. Indeed, he lived just as an Amish person probably would have: disconnected.

Read more on the story HERE.

This certainly isn't the first time anyone tried to do a disconnect, and this may not be the last time. But it gives us wired folk reasons to rethink the way we live, don't you think?

I did try living with less Facebook and less online presence around the first weeks of 2012, and it was refreshing. In fact, I believe my life was made richer because I connected more, read more, and was able to enjoy life more, because of less connectivity.

So how about you? Will you be able to survive 90 Days without being connected to the rest of society?
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Android App Review: FriendCaster for Facebook -- A Space-Saving Alternative



We'll bet that most Android users are Facebook addicts who got their Droids to be able to go online for Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, and just the occasional Email update. This is why one of the most essential Droid apps is the Facebook app.

There are several Facebook apps available on the Android Market. They include the official Facebook app, Tweetdeck, Nimbuzz, Seesmic, and if you haven't heard of it yet, FriendCaster.

Tweetdeck, Nimbuzz and Seesmic are heavily used by Twitter aficionados and social media experts who also want to be able to update their Facebook accounts from one single app. But for casual users, the up-and-coming app, FriendCaster, is fast becoming a favorite.

While we had raved about how amazing the Facebook app for Android was, and how it creates a complete Facebook experience on the Droid, we discovered one major flaw along the way: it eats up too much space.

We discovered that over time, the app doesn't trim the data it downloads; rather, it allows the data to keep accruing on your Droid's internal storage, letting the space used balloon. From the original application file size of 3.2MB, the app will expand up to 11++ MB. If you're on a standard Froyo Droid that can only accommodate around 120 to 170MB, 11MB is already a whole lot.

That is where FriendCaster comes in. Upon installation, the app will only take up only 2.2MB. But as you use it over the days, it tops off to only around 5MB. A world of difference from the 11MB that the Facebook for Android app can balloon up to.

Interface-wise, FriendCaster is admittedly kitschy. Also, it lacks the Chat function that's already embedded in Facebook for Android. There is also another bug that you may find annoying: some of the notifications, when you click on them, will redirect to a browser instead of being opened in FriendCaster itself.

If the only reason you aim to use Facebook on your Droid is to keep up with the updates or post some of your own while on the run, then FriendCaster will suffice. It will do the job for posting statuses, photos, Like-ing other people's posts (or your own) and let you have the standard fun you may be after, on Facebook.

In our opinion, the Like function on FriendCaster is actually better than the same function in the Facebook app. As we said, if you can put up with a bit of kitsch, then FriendCaster may serve you well.

For a while, something was up with Facebook and they stripped the "via iPhone" or "via Android" suffixes for users' posts. So, only users from FriendCaster (and possibly some other apps) were able to enjoy bragging that they were posting "via FriendCaster for Android." Nowadays, Facebook restored the labels, and anyone using a brag-worthy gadget can now boast about it via their statuses, again. If ever Facebook feels like stripping the "via KickAss Gadget" note once more, then trust that you'll still have your kickbutt "via FriendCaster for Android" label, since it's an independent app.

That being said, you now have a space-saving alternative to Facebook for Android.

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Android App Reviews
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Social Networking Services: Apps vs. Browser Use Part 1 - Introduction, Facebook And Twitter


If you’re like most Filipinos, you probably have a Yahoo account, a Facebook account and a Twitter account. Then if you’re a bit more adventurous, you probably have a Gmail, a Plurk, a Foursquare, and probably even a Formspring. Then when you’ve hung out for at least a year or so in the social networking arena, you probably have your own preferences. Even if you have accounts in the other websites, we bet you have one or two closest to your heart.

Be it Facebook, Twitter or Plurk, we bet that there’s one or two social network that you’re a rabid die-hard of. And you may be thinking of getting the app for your Android, if you haven’t already done so.

However, there are just some social networking sites that are better used on the browser. Here is our review of the Top Four Social Networking websites and which ones are better off used through Android Apps and which would be better used via which browser.

Facebook. Let’s face it, Facebook is the king of social networking at the moment. Having rendered MySpace, Friendster, Orkut and even Yahoo 360 obsolete, Facebook, even at  the threat of Google+, has yet to die down in popularity.

Get the Android App. While we warned that the app was painfully slow for lower-spec phones, we’re pleased to report that it must have been Éclair and the WiFi connection that made it slow. Because on Froyo, via 3G, and using 600MHz CPU/256MB RAM, Facebook forAndroid really rocks. It’s the total experience of using Facebook, and in fact, compared to the desktop version, it’s even more addictive.

Twitter. Twitter is among the social networking giants because of its commercial value. The major companies, Hollywood’s celebrities, and even the Philippines’ stars all seem to bask in the extension of their PR machinery on there.

Stay on Opera Mini. While the Twitter app’s interface is definitely sleek and gorgeous, the icons are confusing and not at all like the web version. If you’re new to the app, some functions are unfamiliar, and even confusing. The first time we used the app, the “Your Tweets, Retweeted” function somehow appeared on the button denoting mentions (the @ button). Later, we tried looking for the area to access this function, but even after tinkering with the buttons accessible from the Home area or the My Profile area, we turned up with nothing.

Refreshing the app is okay in the Home area, but times out in the other sections of the app, like in the mentions or the messages. Also, if you’ve hated the web version of Twitter because of its heavy, resource-hungry nature, you’ll find that it’s almost the same with the Android app version.

While the mobile site is definitely not eye candy, especially compared to the Android App, you may find that it’s lighter on your system, simpler to use, and won’t take up ROM space.

These are the first of the Big Four Social Networking websites we’re reviewing for the Android. Wait for Part 2 of this feature later this evening. 


Note: The links to the social network services mentioned lead to the Android App available on the Android Market. We linked it there for your ease, because we're considerate and caring like that. :)  


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Photo Credits: No Beer For A Year*

*Android Alliance Philippines does not necessarily agree with the views and opinions of the websites whose pictures we borrow. We just make it a point to give credit where credit is due.
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Bloatware Again?! Facebook For Android App Review



Do you Facebook on your Android? What do you use?

Most likely, readers of this blog use Facebook. And whether you use Android, an iPhone, a Blackberry, a Nokia with WiFi capabilities, or even a Filipino phone like a Cherry Mobile, MyPhone, Torque, or a Chinaphone with WiFi capabilities, we're betting that one of the reasons why you got yourself a WiFi-capable phone is that you wanted to remain logged on to Facebook.

Most generic WiFi-capable phones, especially the Chinaphone and Filipino phone types, use browsers for social networking. Phones with proprietary OS's logon to Facebook using their own native apps. For the Android, there is a native app for Facebook available.

Our resident app tester uses Opera Mini for logging on to her pet social networking sites like Facebook, Plurk and Twitter. She doesn't use the native Facebook for Android app. Here are her reasons why:

  • Opera Mini has a Speed Dial. So when she logs on to the Internet, she can head on to Facebook with one click.
  • Opera Mini or even Dolphin Browser HD allows her to multi-task. She can read the news while keeping tabs on who's commented on her posts.
  • Compared to Opera Mini or Dolphin Browser, Facebook for Android is throw-your-phone-out-the-window-now slow.

We don't know what it is about Facebook and their penchant for bloating their software, but they just do. We won't get into the recent changes in Facebook that's gotten a good majority of the users in an uproar, but here's the review of the Facebook for Android app:

Initial Impressions:

The app actually attempts to create a consummate Facebook experience on mobile. There are a few things to love about it: the organization, the comprehensive features and the beautiful interface cannot be found on the browser-based Facebook for Mobile. If you can't live without chat, groups and if you prefer a better experience in viewing your photos as well as your friends', then the Facebook app is definitely better than using the mobile browser version.

Upon sign-in, you will be taken to a simple, easy-to-understand version of the News Feed. On the top area, there are three buttons: Photo, Status and Check In, which you can tap to update your wall with whichever option you chose. If you want to Like or Comment on your friends' or your own posts, there is a button with a + on the bottom right area of each post which opens up to two other buttons: Like and Comment. This style of Like-ing and Commenting is similar to how Facebook for Mobile appears on the Dolphin Browser HD rendering of Facebook for Mobile. By contrast, these two options appear only as linked texts on the Opera Mini.

When you tap on the Facebook logo on the topmost left corner, you will be taken to a menu with 9 choices:

Top Row: News Feed, Profile, Friends
Middle Row: Messages, Nearby, Groups
Bottom Row: Events, Photos, Chat

Then below that area is a row of photos your friends shared recently. On the bottom-most area is a bar that shows your notifications.

Great Things About The App:

If there's any reason to keep Facebook for Mobile, it has got to be the fact that it's comprehensive and beautifully laid out. Also, the capacity to chat and the shared photos that you can see at a glance are handy features as well.

Bad Things About The App:

BLOATWARE. If your phone is on the low-spec side, forget it. If you're only on Facebook to keep a running commentary of your day's activities and have little use for chatting or any of the snazzy features, then maybe it's best to stick to the browser versions. As we mentioned, Dolphin Browser HD gives a great rendering of Facebook for Mobile. Saves you some ROM space, as well.

Verdict:

If your phone is a Superdroid, and will be running this app smoothly and snappily, go for it. But if your phone is on low specs, as we said, skip it. Yes, you can live without chat and a live update of your friends' shared photos.

Rating:

3/5 Stars. 4/5 Stars because it looks beautiful, but we took down 1 star because it's slow and slows down everything else in a low-spec Android.


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Photo Credits: Talk Android
Android App Reviews
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