Facebook buys mobile app firm Gowalla

Social networking website Facebook has acquired mobile application firm Gowalla for an undisclosed amount.

The Gowalla application allows people to share their location and favorite places with friends.

Josh Williams, one of the founders of Gowalla, announced in a company blog that talks with Facebook started after F8, the Facebook developer conference held in September.

"We were blown away by Facebook's new developments.

"A few weeks later Facebook called and it became clear that the way for our team to have the biggest impact was to work together.

"So we're excited to announce that we'll

be making the journey to California to join Facebook," Williams said.

However, the company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

Gowalla, as an independent service, however, will be winding down at the end of January.

Facebook is not acquiring Gowalla's user data as part of the acquisition, he added.

Last month, Facebook acquired two firms -- Strobe and MailRank -- for an undisclosed amount in a bid to expand its services on smartphones.

Strobe provides technology that helps developers create and distribute applications that work on devices like smartphones and tablet PCs, while MailRank prioritises e-mail so that the user can focus on the content that really matters.