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Facebook Lite trims the fat

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 11 Sep 2009 at 14:46

Facebook's stripped-down version of the service, dubbed Facebook Lite, has launched in the UK.

At the heart of the service is simplicity, with Facebook Lite removing much of the clutter - including apps and chat - that many believe has become the bane of the social network.

Essentially, Lite is just a series of wall posts from friends with three buttons allowing you to write comments, or add videos and pictures to your feed. It's Facebook with a Twitter feel, which is undoubtedly what the social network was aiming for.

However, while the redesigned Facebook Lite may be seen as an attempt to cash in on the Twitter phenomenon, Facebook claims the site is aimed at emerging countries, and those with slower broadband counties.

"Similar to the Facebook experience you get on your mobile phones, Facebook Lite is a fast-loading, simplified version of Facebook that enables people to make comments, accept Friend requests, write on people's Walls, and look at photos and status updates," the company says.

Intriguingly, Facebook goes on to suggest that the complexity of the fully-featured service may be putting off new users: "We are currently testing Facebook Lite in countries where we are seeing lots of new users coming to Facebook for the first time and are looking to start off with a more simple experience."

Facebook Lite