Facebook targets entry-level smartphones with new ultra-lightweight Android app

“This app is incompatible with all of your devices.”

We don’t usually report on products that would never be accessible on any devices sold in Canada, but Facebook’s new app for developing nations, dubbed Facebook Lite, is interesting on its own.

Weighing in at a scant 252Kb, Lite was released in testing in several countries last week, including “Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zimbabwe,” according to Techcrunch. Mirroring Facebook’s low-bandwidth mobile site, Lite is optimized for 2G and low-speed WiFi networks in developing nations.

Facebook recently overhauled its regular Android app, bringing it more in line with Google’s flatter Material Design features.

[source]Techcrunch[/source]