Along with many other Mac-users around the world, I was excited to download the new operating system (OS X Lion) when it came out yesterday. There are many new features and updates to the tools we use everyday. The most notable update, in my opinion, is the incorporation of apps. Much like an iPhone or iPad, our computers are now able to download apps to our desktop.
Naturally, I began searching for social networks. Facebook is currently pulling up about 18 options. It looks like this may require some research to find the best fit for myself, so I decided to take some notes here along the way. Here’s my two cents on some of the most popular Facebook Apps.
Facebox Pro for Facebook - FREE
The app claims that it’s “The best Facebook client on your menu bar!” This app appears to be getting the majority of the downloads, and the ratings are good with nearly 4 stars and 826 reviews. After a couple hours of researching the options, I decided on this one. One of my concerns was that I have to be able to seamlessly manage my client business pages in addition to my personal profile. This app posts a little Facebook icon in my upper menu bar. Click to drop down, and I have a mini version of the Facebook window that I’m used to without the ads. I can still switch back and forth between pages and profiles. I can even track the insights for my pages. So far, I’m very happy with this app, but it’s only day #1. I’ll be sure to update if any issues arise.
Desktop Facebook - FREE
There’s a note on this one that says “we are developing some new features as we speak! So stay tuned!” Based on what I see in the current screenshot, I’m concerned that there may not be enough features incorporated. Hence, the note about continued development.
FaceTab Pro for Facebook – $1.99
The first thing I notice is that there are very low ratings on this one – 2 stars with 21 rankings. It looks like the reviews speak of poor functionality, crashes, problems logging in, and some posts are not even registering on Facebook. Sounds like I can pass on this one until the next version is released at the very least.
Ghost for Facebook – $0.99
This app is basically turns your Facebook window into a ghost image that sits atop your desktop wallpaper. You’re probably best off with a visual for this one – see below. Nearly 4 star rating on this one and the reviews are good. You can adjust the transparency, and the app works well. If you like the concept of this ghost image, they also offer a Ghost for Gmail App. Lastly, how awesome is their ghost graphic?
Ghost for Facebook Screenshot
Funny Status Update for Facebook - $1.99
This is a Facebook management tool with a whimsical kick. The reviews are great, and some of of the additional features include having the use of special characters in your Facebook status, random status update generator, backward text tool, pirate translator, on this day in history, and more. One user had an issue with the functionality, but the rest were all very happy with 5-star rankings. If humor is your thing, this is your app.
Facebook Apps: Feature-specific
There are a few apps out there that focus on specific Facebook-related tasks. Here’s the rundown on those.
PhotoFetch – Facebook Pro Downloader - $1.99
This app allows you to easily download photos/albums from yours or any of your friend’s Facebook photo albums. You can save them to your computer or iPhoto. 27 ratings give this app an average 3 star score. There are no reviews posted, so it’s anyone’s guess what the unfavorable rankings stemmed from.
Facebook Alerter – $0.99
This is a little “f” icon that’s located in your menu bar (near the clock, batter level, etc.) The objective of this app is to alert a user when they have a new Facebook message post, tag, etc. We’re looking at 8 ratings and 3 stars here. Users are comparing this app to sightly more complex, Facetab. If you’re looking for simplicity, this may be the right app for you.
Quotes for Facebook - $3.99
This app is basically a library of quotes that can be shared to Facebook. I’m not sure of the value in this app since it seems to contribute to the noise that clogs up the networking space. At $3.99, this is also the most expensive of the apps out there. They’re targeting a niche group of users here. It does appear that this app functions well if posting quotes is what does it for you.
Please let me know of your favorites so we can all check those out too!
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