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Facebook smooths the way for carrier billing on in-app purchases
Facebook has known for some time now that its app-monetization process was more SucksVille, than FarmVille. Now, it's just announced that it's rolling out the new silky-smooth two-step payment process. This means you can stock up on Farm cash sans typing, and forget about the real cost until your mobile bill turns up. Currently most US and UK networks are on board, but more international operators will be added as soon as they can. If you already have payments integrated in your app, you should be good to go, but if you don't, and you want a slice of the pie, there's an API and instructions via the source link.
Facebook starts App Center beta, readies itself for paid web apps
Facebook is no stranger to letting members use real money in web apps, but only for in-app purchases. Its new App Center on the web and in mobile versions will let you buy web apps that have an up-front cost to use rather than shoehorning you into a freemium or subscription model. The portal will even have its own shopping portal, although it'll mostly be based around -- surprise -- recommendations coming from your social network profile. The addition should, in theory, lead to premium games and other apps that wouldn't fit into the Facebook Credit mould. Facebook is taking developer beta sign-ups now, although the apps themselves will have to wait.
Facebook to simplify in-app payments with streamlined carrier billing
Need another watering can to irrigate those crops on your highly-profitable Facebook farm? Soon you may be able to boot that expense directly to your monthly mobile tab, just as you do with other necessities, like ringtones and emoticons. The social networking site is working with carriers to streamline billing, eventually enabling Facebook users to pay their app dues along with their monthly phone bill. Naturally, this is a win for developers, since eliminating the need to pre-purchase Credits or enter card information will result in an increased number of impulse purchases -- and let's face it, there's no line item for FarmVille in the monthly budget. Quite a few carriers appear to be on board -- AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in the U.S.; Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica and Vodafone in Europe; and KDDI and Softbank in Japan -- so it looks like devs should have plenty of reasons to celebrate. The service will be automatically activated once providers support it, enabling easier purchases for "hundreds of millions of people worldwide." Streamlined carrier billing is but one recent development, so hit up the source link for the full rundown.
