One of Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s big challenges over the last few years has been translating its strong online presence to the mobile computing space, where people interact with apps through a mobile platform instead of interacting with websites through a browser. While it has arguably managed the transition, Facebook appears to have learned its lesson and is preparing for wearable tech with the acquisition of ProtoGeo, the company behind the popular exercise app Moves.
“For those of you that use the Moves app – the Moves experience will continue to operate as a standalone app, and there are no plans to change that or commingle data with Facebook,” the company wrote in a statement (h/t Nick Summers at The Next Web).
Acquisition aimed at app developers more than the app itself
The acquisition appears to be more about bringing in skilled developers than owning the Moves app. First, the idea that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) isn’t going to commingle data means that they must not be that interested in the app itself. Saying that there are currently no plans to use Moves user data to sell Facebook ads is a far cry from a promise that it will never happen, but it doesn’t seem to be the driving force behind the deal. Also, the Moves team said in their statement that they will be working on Facebook products and services going forward, so don’t be surprised if Moves doesn’t get updated as often as it used to.
It also won’t be surprising if Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) updates its privacy policy to include Moves data, it wouldn’t be the first time that the company quietly made changes to its user policy knowing that any backlash would fade away after a couple of weeks. Moves recently added more than 60 activities for people to track, and knowing the exact mix of exercises that people like to do has to be valuable to someone.
Moves developers will give Facebook a boost on smartwatch apps
Even though Moves is used on smartphones, exercise and activity trackers are among the most obvious apps that will help sell the rumored Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iWatch or Android Wear, so bringing in people who have already developed a popular tracking app puts Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) a bit ahead of the curve. Since people already share pictures of their food and Candy Crush accomplishments on Facebook, integrating run times or calories burnt seems like an obvious extension that will keep people in the Facebook ecosystem while using their new gadgets.
