Facebook launches reader app, will allow anonymous accounts
11:57 AM ET · FB
With its shares soaring above $60 following a big Q4 beat, Facebook (FB +16%) has announced it's launching Paper, its rumored mobile reader app.
Like Flipboard (the market's leader), LinkedIn's Pulse, and Google Currents, Paper allows users to browse articles (split up into topics) and social media updates via horizontal swiping, and features an image-heavy UI. But it (naturally) places a much bigger emphasis on Facebook browsing, and also offers advanced tools for uploading content.
The Verge: "[Paper is] much more than just a news-reading app — it's a complete reimagining of Facebook itself. Once you've used it, you may never want to open the standard Facebook app again."
Product design lead Mike Matas ambitiously hopes the app, part of a broader push by Facebook to launch new standalone apps to grow its mobile engagement, will result in better content being uploaded. "As you start changing the way you’re displaying this content, we hope that it will change the way people think about posting content."
Meanwhile a BloombergBusinessweek cover story about Facebook's 10th anniversary mentions the company will (like Twitter and Instagram) soon allow users to log in anonymously.
Such a move comes amid concerns Facebook's insistence on real names, along with a focus on private sharing with friends/family, has led to waning interest among teens and certain other demographics.
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