Facebook has launched its application centre -- App Center -- in India and six other countries, a move that will help users to find games, music services and media content easily.
The social networking giant had launched the App Center in the US last month.
"The App Center is now available to everyone in the US, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK," Facebook Software Engineer Drew Hoskins said in the blog yesterday.
In addition, Facebook said that it will be launching App Center to users in Brazil, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey "in the coming weeks".
The launch is part of a plan to expand its reach to a large number of Facebook users, with 80 per cent residing outside the US and Canada. Facebook has over 900 million monthly active users across the world.
The users can access new App Center icon located on the left side of the home page on Facebook.com recommending apps to users based on their interests. Additionally, the service is also available on Apple andAndroid mobile devices.
The company said the centre has driven millions of app installations. The centre does not host apps, but sends users to the appropriate app store for their device.
"App Center makes it easier for people around the world to discover the best apps and games for them, wherever they are," Hoskins added.
Some of its most popular apps, including Spotify and Angry Birds Friends, come from developers outside the North American countries.
The social networking giant had launched the App Center in the US last month.
"The App Center is now available to everyone in the US, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK," Facebook Software Engineer Drew Hoskins said in the blog yesterday.
In addition, Facebook said that it will be launching App Center to users in Brazil, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey "in the coming weeks".
The launch is part of a plan to expand its reach to a large number of Facebook users, with 80 per cent residing outside the US and Canada. Facebook has over 900 million monthly active users across the world.
The users can access new App Center icon located on the left side of the home page on Facebook.com recommending apps to users based on their interests. Additionally, the service is also available on Apple andAndroid mobile devices.
The company said the centre has driven millions of app installations. The centre does not host apps, but sends users to the appropriate app store for their device.
"App Center makes it easier for people around the world to discover the best apps and games for them, wherever they are," Hoskins added.
Some of its most popular apps, including Spotify and Angry Birds Friends, come from developers outside the North American countries.
Facebook also added a localisation tool to the App Dashboard that would allow developers to translate the names and descriptions of their apps into other languages.
Facebook has launched its application centre -- App Center -- in India and six other countries, a move that will help users to find games, music services and media content easily.
The social networking giant had launched the App Center in the US last month.
"The App Center is now available to everyone in the US, Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK," Facebook Software Engineer Drew Hoskins said in the blog yesterday.
In addition, Facebook said that it will be launching App Center to users in Brazil, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey "in the coming weeks".
The launch is part of a plan to expand its reach to a large number of Facebook users, with 80 per cent residing outside the US and Canada. Facebook has over 900 million monthly active users across the world.
The users can access new App Center icon located on the left side of the home page on Facebook.com recommending apps to users based on their interests. Additionally, the service is also available on Apple and Android mobile devices.
The company said the centre has driven millions of app installations. The centre does not host apps, but sends users to the appropriate app store for their device.
"App Center makes it easier for people around the world to discover the best apps and games for them, wherever they are," Hoskins added.
Some of its most popular apps, including Spotify and Angry Birds Friends, come from developers outside the North American countries.
Facebook has extended its App Center to India and six other countries. The company made the announcement via a blog post on Monday.
Last month, Facebook had launched the App Center to help users find games and other applications with social components more easily. The App Center, available on Facebook's website and on Apple and Android mobile devices, recommends apps to users based on their interests, the types of apps their friends like, or the apps they have liked in the past.
Initially, the App Center was available to users in the United States, but with Monday's announcement, Facebook users in Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom will enjoy access to over 600 apps.
"We spend all day, every day building a platform (so that) great social games and apps can exist," Matt Wyndowe, product manager for apps and games at Facebook, had commented upon App Center's original launch. But a common question has long been where to find them. "Up until now, we haven't had a great answer to that question."
Facebook also revealed that it will be launching App Center to users in Brazil, France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey "in the coming weeks".
Facebook had previously stated that on mobile devices, the App Center won't compete with other app stores, such as Apple's or Google's. Rather, the App Center will send users to those other stores to download the programs. People can also get mobile apps from their regular computers by using a feature called "send to mobile."
Does using Facebook lead to depression? Not really, says a new study, debunking the theory that hooked on to the social networking sites could cause the mental illness among adolescents.
The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health study suggested that it may be unnecessarily alarming to advise patients and parents on the risk of "Facebook Depression" based solely on the amount of Internet use.
Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a report on the effects of social media on children and adolescents. The report suggested that exposure to Facebook could lead to depression.
In the new study, published online today in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers led by Lauren Jelenchick and Megan Moreno surveyed 190 students between the ages of 18 and 23, using a real-time assessment of Internet activity and a validated, clinical screening method for depression.
The students were surveyed with 43 text-message questionnaires at random intervals over a seven-day period between February and December of 2011. The students were asked if they were currently online, how many minutes they had been online and what they were doing on the Internet.
The study found that the participants were on Facebook for over half of the total time online. When Jelenchick and Moreno evaluated the data including the depression-screening results, they found no significant associations between social-media use and the probability of depression.
"Our study is the first to present scientific evidence on the suggested link between social-media use and risk of depression," Jelenchick said
"The findings have important implications for clinicians who may prematurely alarm parents about social-media use and depression risks."
Moreno added that parents don't have to be overly concerned if their child's behavior and mood haven't changed, they have friends and their school work is consistent.
"While the amount of time on Facebook is not associated with depression, we encourage parents to be active role models and teachers on safe and balanced media use for their children," she said.
According to estimates, over 70 per cent of adolescents use social media sites, most commonly Facebook.
