Remember these? When was the last time your far-flung buds actually heard your voice?

The original spirit of Facebook was all about free, easy communication with old friends, new friends, far off rellies and folks who like the same weirdly specific stuff as you.

It’s gradually degraded into a zone of annoying apps and games, Farmville-ing their way into your private data and clogging up your newsfeed with dim-witted updates and the hollow, worthless achievements of your acquaintances.

Ok, so we don’t love annoying Facebook game fads, but we buy U.K laptops, smartphones and tablets that often carry the remnants of Facebook apps and games. You can do the whole sell for cash thing with or without erasing your data – we’ll ALWAYS do it for you!

So, the new app centre

Facebook have finally got their act together and created a specialist area where we can go and browse apps when we actually feel like it (rather than being assaulted with invitations and pop-ups every time we log in. Oh wait, we get that too. My bad!) The overlords of Facebook will be nabbing 30% of the revenue from each app sold, making them more money. Sorry, EVEN more money. Basically, since going public, Facebook shareholders have been terrified of losing money, and the app centre just feels like the first of what will likely be a slew of unsportsmanlike money-grubbing initiatives.

The service launches in the U.S first, available on desktop computers, Apple devices and Android gadgets running Facebook’s own app. Facebook boffins reckon only the highest calibre apps will be included in the app centre. We’ve browsed a few of the contenders; EA’s The Sims for Facebook is pretty good, and we’re happy to see the usual suspects like Pinterest have found a place in the free area of the app centre.

Facebook’s been under fire for some time about apps and games that wheedle through your private info and make it troublesome to actually control the privacy settings. They say their aim with the app centre is to make apps and games more transparent and appealing to users, enabling more straightforward privacy control and sharing. And to make money, of course.

Want to sell laptops, smartphones and whatever other gadgets you’ve got lying around to fund your Farmville addiction? Facebook will appreciate your custom!