Report: Facebook readying radical overhaul of mobile news feed

January 15, 2013 | By Jason Ankeny

Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) is at work on a dramatic overhaul of its mobile news feed highlighted by full-screen photo tiles and overlaid text recalling apps like Google+ (NASDAQ:GOOG) for iPad and Flipboard, according to TechCrunch.

Stating it has seen the revamped news feed up close, TechCrunch reports Facebook engineers are currently trialing the redesign within an updated version of the social networking giant's app for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS. TechCrunch compares the new visual interface to print magazine covers combining images and text, noting the revamp includes separate feeds for different media formats like news and photos, complete with photo-based sliding header tiles to simplify navigation.

While Facebook has consistently updated its core mobile apps, adding new features and enhancements, the basic visual design has remained largely unchanged over the years as the company has instead focused on rolling out standalone apps like Messenger and Camera. TechCrunch noted it's possible Facebook could employ the same standalone app strategy again here, introducing a separate Feeds app while allowing users to continue accessing the traditional news feed within the original Facebook app.

It is unknown when or even if Facebook plans to publicly release the news feed redesign. The company will host a media event beginning at 1:00 pm ET today: Rumors indicate Facebook may unveil some kind of mobile phone initiative, most likely a device built by a manufacturing partner but running a Facebook-designed operating system. The firm also is expected to introduce a version of its Messenger application optimized for Apple's iPad tablet. Check back with FierceMobileContent later today for coverage of the Facebook news.

For more:
- read this TechCrunch article