 "Facebook goes after Pocket's lunch with touted 'save-for-later-reading' feature")
It has been a while since we heard of Facebook trying to create a new product within its social networking service. This time, it looks like the social networking giant wants to explore the read-it-later space so you can bookmark articles.
Technology blog MyTechSkool tipped off AllThingsD about the read-it-later feature that Facebook seems to be testing right now. The feature is very reminiscent of apps like Instapaper and Pocket. It looks like Facebook will now let you save links that have been shared within Facebook to read later.
Save and read-it-later on Facebook
According to screenshots leaked of the mobile app with the feature, there’s a “Saved” option that pops up in the left-hand-side sliding pane now. It can be found under the Apps tab. The iBooks like icon will help you check out links that you saved while surfing through your news feed but didn’t have the time to check out. It’s still unclear whether clicking on a saved link will take you to an external website or have Facebook open up a readable page.
This, surprisingly, is not the first time Facebook has tried to dabble in with the read-it-later feature. In July last year, a similar Saved button had popped up on the web version of Facebook. However, it didn’t catch on too well and was reportedly hard to understand its features, which led to Facebook killing the option off. Hopefully, this time Facebook will get it right.
The company did not say much about this feature and offered a standard statement instead. “We’re constantly testing new features, but we have nothing further to share at this time," it said. Whether Facebook will be able to pose a strong challenge to the likes of the ever-popular Pocket is yet to be seen if and when a wider rollout is started.
(Cover image credit: Getty Images)
Intrigued by all things social, Nishtha will invariably tweet about you. When not tweeting or writing about the next viral video, you will hear her proclaiming her love to Metallica, James Hetfield, Opeth, Akerfeldt and all bands that go 'growl'. She also obsesses about ACP Pradyuman and South Park and you will always find her moving around with a book. Her focus is on all the happening stuff in the tech domain, and she won't hesitate to take a shot at some of the oddball devices that make their way to our labs.