Recently, Facebook has publicly launched Facebook Lite, a calorie-free alternative to the behemoth pile of 3rd party integration chaos that revolutionized the way we socialize online. The internet is already being pummeled by a cacophony of articles, write-ups, and posts regarding its public launch, including direct attacks on Facebook, criticizing its capitalization on the up-to-the-minute feedback that Twitter currently provides.

Facebook's recent $50 million purchase of FriendFeed probably helps validate these statements, as Facebook is adopting and integrating new technology that keeps its head in the game with live updates and hive-mind search capabilities.

Facebook Lite Status Updates

Capitalizing on realtime reciprocal information may be a large influence on many of their design decisions for Facebook Lite, but Facebook has publicly stated that FB-Lite is specifically targeting slower connections, particularly in developing nations, in order to provide a streamlined version of the core Facebook features. Based on the fact that FB-Lite is testing in India, this very well could be the case.

Massive Hyperlink Attack

With all this in mind, there's more beneath the surface that people haven't picked up on. Facebook has made some strategic moves with FB-Lite that have probably been in the works for quite some time. The UI itself provides a much more usable and enjoyable experience for mobile devices, especially with those larger, fatter hit states on links and buttons. Fat navigation is not just web 2.0 gloss, it's easier to press with your thumb. Navigation is now clear and concise, assisting with the learning curve of novice users.

The UI has also trimmed redundant body fat. On Facebook Classic, there are duplicate links that access your dashboard, namely the "Facebook" logo, as well as the "Home" link. If you check the URL it points to, it's actually running separate analytics on each click. They've been studying users behaviors, and are adopting a new interface to help clean the clutter.

The duplicate links were probably band-aids for novice users to adapt to the latest Facebook redesign and become acquainted with its new features as of last year. Facebook can now use FB-Lite as their vehicle for implementation testing, especially since it's marketed in new countries where users aren't rampant Facebookers.

How a real man browses the internet

Outside of all this field testing and fine-tuning, FB-Lite is extremely stripped down. Almost all Javascript is practically nerfed, and almost every link is a separate page load. Reminiscent of Facebook 4 years ago, it's right on point with the target demographic of mobile phones and dial-up. Plus it lets me personally power-browse Facebook in multiple tabs without crushing my CPU.

As technology begins to rapidly evolve, we can see noticeable patterns emerge as the mobile market plays technology catchup. Facebook Lite serves as a harmonious blend between dial-up connections in developing nations and portable media in industrialized ones.

This may be the ultimate stop-gap solution before mobile devices replace netbooks, or it may just be Facebook on training wheels running around a test track. While there will probably not be complete adoption of FB-Lite by most existing users, Kudos to Facebook for keeping the ball rolling on realtime assimilation. Worst case scenario, they'll just implement the best features into the next version of Facebook Classic while widening their reach on an international user base.