Katango brings Google+ circles to Facebook, making Facebook better. Much much better. It’s a shame Katango is just an iPhone app right now.
Katango is an iPhone app which makes managing Facebook friends and privacy easy. It’s what katango calls – personal crowd control. For the sake of simplicity and relating to something we already know, this is what I call Circles as in Google+ circles.
The timing of this apps is as exquisite as the timing of Sachin Tendulkar’s straight drive. It’s just too perfect. There is no way this app could have been developed in a week after Google+ is released. There is a significant amount of work involved in this app as it uses algorithmic approach to the catch-it-all bucket called Friends.
Here’s how the app works. Download the app, login to your facebook, do the customary stuff of accepting whatever Katango throws at you and voila you will see magic. At least I did. It has stuffed all my facebook friends into 5 groups. Guess what, I wouldn’t have made the groups that perfectly. I’m not sure how Katango did it but it just did it and I don’t have any complaints. Not one bit. Once the groups are created by Katango you can change the group name and send out a message to that particular group explaining just how awesome katango is.
Katango could have been the ‘awesome’ feature Zuckerberg wanted to share with all of us. Except that it isn’t.
If Facebook have acquired Katango and included this in their Facebook app somehow and released it last week instead of the ‘not so awesome’ single user video chat with Skype, we would be having a totally different discussion right now.
Katango vs Google Circles
It’s inevitable to compare Katango with Google Circles. Let me tell you how they are different. Katango is a reactive approach to a persistent problem. Google+ Circles is a proactive approach to the same problem. Circles takes care of, well the circles right when a ‘friend’ enters your mind space on Google +. Katango lets things run wild for a while and based on the intelligence built over a period of time, it will sort the groups out for you. In a way, if Facebook had circles right from the start, Katango would never exist.
Katango is set out to make Facebook better, albeit in an iPhone app. Given the amount of chatter I’m picking on Katango it has succeeded. Which is one big fat ratification to Google + circles. Not that it needs it.
While I still got you here, why don’t you watch this video and tell me what Katango is trying to say in this sleazy video. And also please tell me what katango means.
