Facebook Says Paper Users Browse 80 Stories A Day, Adds Features That Let It Replace FB For iOS

Facebook just released Paper 1.1, an update that adds features and notifications to make it a more comprehensive substitute for Facebook for iOS. It also gave the first momentum update on Paper since its Febraury 3rd launch, saying “people have explored an average of 80 stories a day“. It didn’t release a user count, though, and some critics are calling it a flop due to low App Store chart rankings and anecdotal evidence.

It’s still a bit early to make a call on whether Paper is a failure though, as it’s still rounding out the core product and Facebook hasn’t pushed growth yet. Paper slowly declined in the App Store charts after its launch in early February. According to App Annie, It slid down past #50 in the US social networking app charts in March to hover around #100 in April, but has picked up to around #60 for the last week. On the overall app chart, it fell from #2 on launch day to well below #1000 earlier this month.

Surely by promoting it to Facebook for iOS users, the company could boost user counts, but it seems interested in polishing the standalone app first. However, its first foray into virality with a March update that added private sharing of articles by SMS, email, and Facebook Message didn’t stop its App Store decline.

What really matters is retention, though. And that’s what Facebook is aiming to improve today. Rather than just a feed reading app, Paper can be used as a replacement Facebook client. Today’s feature updates make it even better at that.

Facebook added Birthdays and Events alerts to the notifications list in Paper so you don’t miss them just because you’re sidestepping the core app. Groups now display unread post counts so you can keep up to date, but they’re awkwardly only accessible by dragging down to reveal the navigation menu and then opening the hamburger button in the top corner.

Facebook had an artist draw custom article covers for 9 more publications, including Bloomberg News, Mashable, FT, kottke, Fox News, Popular Science, The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair and Hacker News. And there’s now an arrow to easily jump to new stories published since you opened Paper.

For Paper, success isn’t a ton of users that open it once and awhile. It’s everday usage by forward-thinking people bored of the classic Facebook app that needs to stay simple so it’s easy for the whole world to use. If these new notifications and features can keep users from slipping back to Facebook for iOS, their loyalty could inspire word of mouth growth for the app. The question will be if a polished version of Paper offers enough added value and delight to get users over the hump of learning an entirely new interface.

Shellfire VPN: browse on Android anonymously and securely

Features & Use

When first launching the app, you’ll have to create a user account and log in immediately. Once this is done, you’ll be directed to the main page of the app, which is divided into three tabs:

First tab: Connect

Here, the current app status will be displayed as well as the selected VPN, the server status, how this connection is encrypted and how fast it is. To connect to the VPN, you simply need to press on the same button and confirm when the message appears (this only happens the first time). In fact, the entire app can be put into action with the press of a button.

With one click you can connect and disconnect. © Shellfire

What’s more, this app only runs in the background, therefore you can close the app at this point in time once it has all been set up. But what exactly happens now, you may ask? Shellfire redirects all data files (internet communications) to a new server provided by the app, just like a detour on a street. The entire connection is therefore encrypted and cannot be read by third parties, like when in public areas with unencrypted Wi-Fi networks. Moreover, websites or apps can now no longer determine your actual location, since the server is "interposed" and is now recognized as a virtual location. So you could pretend to be living in the USA and watch all the YouTube videos or use exclusive "US-only" services. Watching Hulu videos is just as possible as using Zattoo-Abos from Switzerland.

The second tab shows all the various servers to choose from. © Shellfire

Second tab: Server list

The second tab on the main screen of this app shows all available servers provided by Shellfire. There are many to choose from:

• Germany
• Switzerland
• Netherlands
• France
• Great Britain
• USA

More countries are planned to be added to the app, so the user can be even more flexible.

Third tab: Premium

The last tab provides detailed information in graph form about the various payment models and their benefits.

If you already have a subscription, you can get an overview of your account information here, as well as see other details, like the duration of your subscription.

Connect and trust the app to get underway. Soon you will be browsing on a virtual server. © Shellfire

Screen & Controls

Since the app is actually not actively used, the user interface takes on secondary importance. Nevertheless, the design is very practical, though very aesthetically pleasing. The three tabs provide an intuitive structure and the settings are also clear.

The app itself is very stable and fast (connecting to the VPN only takes a few seconds).

Speed & Stability

The connection speed itself depends on your cost model. In the free version, the bandwidth of only 768 kbit/s is available, with Premium, 7200 kbit/s, and Premium Plus provides unlimited speed. Having Premium Plus is a pleasure to use. If you were none the wiser, you would have no idea that you were even using a VPN.

Price/Performance Ratio

Shellfire offers several different payment models, which can also be booked for varying periods of time. Here are the various prices:

• 24 hours premium, no subscription: $0.99
• 24 hours premium plus, no subscription: $1.99
• 1 month premium, no subscription: $5.99
• 1 month premium plus, no subscription: $11.99
• premium, monthly subscription: $4,80
• premium, yearly subscription: $54,85
• premium plus, monthly subscription: $10,92
• premium plus, yearly subscription: $116,71

Subscriptions can be booked monthly or yearly.

The main differences between the free, Premium and Premium Plus packages comes down, on one hand, to the server selection and on the other hand, to the speed and security.

Final Verdict

Shellfire VPN is a great service for surfing with a virtual network! The speed, flexibility and encryption do a lot to impress, especially in the paid versions. Being able to use the internet in a more safe, anonymous and freer way is great. Even if this service is more expensive than existing alternatives, I like it better. Connecting to a VPN worked quickly and without any problems to report (like I’ve encountered with the U.S. Premium Plus server). Connection speed stayed the same. The only negative thing I can point out is the lack of protection against malware on the side of the server, like you have with Hotspot Shield.

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