While Apple"s iPad users are still awaiting an exclusive Facebook app for its tablet device, the folks at HP are hoping that Friday"s launch of its TouchPad tablet will attract heavy Facebook users with the launch of a free Facebook app that will be made especially for the TouchPad hardware. TechCrunch reports that the app was actually developed by HP using TouchPad"s WebOS operating system, rather than by Facebook itself. Regardless, it looks like HP"s TouchPad will be the first device with a tablet optimized Facebook app rather than a version made for a smartphone.
TechCrunch didn"t get a chance to use the HP TouchPad Facebook app but did get screenshots that show off some of its features. On the left side of the user interface are most of Facebook"s big features such as the Newsfeed, Messages and more. The app has a Places feature that allows people to "check in" to locations on a map. The Photos feature lets HP TouchPad users view photo albums in a tiled album format. It"s currently unknown if the Facebook app will be available out of the box with the HP TouchPad or whether users will have to download the app after purchasing the device. As we have reported before the HP TouchPad is due out on Friday with the 16 GB version selling for $499.99 and the 32 GB version selling for $599.99.
Facebook has reportedly been working for some time on a iPad exclusive app with a recent report claiming that it will finally be released for iPad owners in the next several weeks.