Picture-friendly: Facebook divides newsfeed into tabs including pics, music

Facebook Inc introduced a visually richer, mobile device-oriented "newsfeed" on Thursday, in the most significant changes to date for the social network's most recognizable feature.

Facebook-CEO-Mark-Zuckerberg-speaks-during-a-media-event-at-Facebook-s-Headquarters-office-in-Menlo-Park-California-AFP-Photo

Facebook Inc introduced a visually richer, mobile device-oriented 'newsfeed' on Thursday, in the most significant changes to date for the social network's most recognizable feature.

The changes to the newsfeed, whose look and feel has remained largely unchanged since its inception, include a division into several sections, with separate areas for photographs and music. They will begin rolling out in limited fashion from Thursday.

The overhaul, which standardizes the feed across mobile devices and desktop computers, is designed to keep users active and interacting as well as appeal to advertisers, as Facebook battles Google Inc for Internet market share.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg had singled out the feature as in need of a makeover as recently as January, when the company introduced 'graph search' to address inadequacies in allowing users to trawl for information across the world's largest social network.

Facebook's newsfeed, an ever-changing stream of photos, videos and comments uploaded from friends, is the first page most users see upon logging in. It is one of three 'pillars' of the service, along with search and user profiles.