Facebook launches App Centre

Facebook has launched its social App Centre, at least over in the US, anyway.

The App Centre has just started rolling out to American users, and will be available across the globe in the “coming weeks”.

There are some 600 apps in the initial incarnation of the store, but we’d expect that to grow rapidly. Those apps are of both the mobile and web variety, and encompass the likes of Pinterest and Draw Something, as well as games such as Jetpack Joyride and Ghost Recon Commander.

The store is available via the Facebook website, or the Facebook Android and iOS apps.

As you would expect, the social aspects of the App Centre are emphasised. It shows you what your friends have downloaded, and provides personalised recommendations on apps you might like based on previous preferences.

Facebook will take a 30 per cent cut of the revenue from apps sold, and even those apps which are on Android and iOS – and still purchased via Google and Apple respectively – will mean more Facebook logins (as the definition of a “social app” carried by the store, is one which requires a Facebook login).

In that respect, it’s not an app store in the traditional sense of the word, rather, a hub which points to these external sources for downloads in many cases, and provides recommendations based on your, and your friends’ preferences.

It certainly sounds like a useful idea, and we’re looking forward to giving it a whirl when it finally makes its way across to the UK. Hopefully, that’ll be this month, but we may be waiting until July.