Facebook's App Center aims to make discovering third-party

Facebook's App Center aims to make discovering third-party apps easier:-

Facebook has built a new application discovery tool to help its users find third-party mobile and Web applications that integrate with the popular social network. The Facebook App Center, which launched this evening with approximately 600 application listings, is accessible through Facebook’s website and mobile applications.

The main App Center landing page on the Facebook website displays personalized app recommendations and a list of the apps that are popular among the user’s friends. A list of application categories in the sidebar can be used to navigate into different sections of the App Center. There is also a toggle button that can be used to filter for Web or mobile applications.

Although the Facebook App Center looks like a conventional application storefront, it doesn’t directly sell any software. Its purpose, at least for now, is solely to help users find Facebook-enabled applications. For mobile applications, it will direct the user to their platform’s built-in application store–Google Play on Android devices and Apple’s App Store on iOS devices. For Web applications, it will help the user connect their Facebook account to the third-party website.

Clicking on an application in the App Center on the Facebook website will take the user to its profile page, which displays a rating, screenshots, and other relevant information. Where applicable, the page will also have a Send to Mobile button that can be used to easily install the application on a mobile device. The button sends a push notification to the user’s phone, which the user can click through to see the desired application in their platform’s built-in app store.

According to a Facebook representative who contacted us about the launch, there are over 4,500 separate applications in existence that integrate with the Facebook timeline. Facebook gaming remains a popular pastime, with a reported 230 million users playing every month. The company also says that, as of May, seven of the top ten highest grossing iOS apps integrate with Facebook.

The company also took the opportunity to highlight the role it has played in driving mobile application sales. It has released statistics indicating that Facebook sent users to the Apple App Store 83 million times in May alone, and sent iOS users into installed applications 134 million times during the same month.

The App Center is rolling out immediately in the United States and will be made available to users in other countries over the next few weeks. It is intended to replace the Facebook website’s existing Apps and Games interface.