Android gets with the times, new Facebook brings FarmVille Express

Android just got caught up with the Joneses. Facebook announced recently that the new Facebook Mobile platform has hit Android devices everywhere, meaning fans of Google's smartphone operating system can access all the mobile web apps Facebook Mobile has to offer. Most importantly (of course), that includes HTML5 games like Zynga's FarmVille Express.

In fact, that means a number of HTML5-based social games are now available through Facebook Mobile for Android, including wooga's Magic Land, Moblyng's Word Racer Live, Storm8's World War and more. That's according to Facebook's announcement, which doesn't include games like the HTML5-based Words With Friends and Zynga Poker.

However, HTML5--a web application development method used commonly for games played in mobile web browsers--is largely available on both iPhone, iPad and Android devices, it's a safe bet that these games are accessible through Facebook on Android. (Before the Facebook update, Android users could simply visit "m.farmville.com" to access FarmVille Express.) HTML5 is making big strides in becoming a viable method for making and playing social games.

In fact, Happy Aquarium maker CrowdStar's CEO Peter Relan thinks that HTML5 is the path to 1 billion players of a single game. However, if you ask folks like Zynga Germany's Paul Bakaus, we're a long way from that kind of reach through HTML5. If game makers want to beat Rovio's Angry Birds to the coveted 1 billion fans, they might have to do it the old-fashioned (?) way: get on every game platform you can possibly imagine.

How do you prefer to play games like FarmVille while on the go: mobile web or mobile app? How long will it be before HTML5 games look like their standard app counterparts?

That's a big table: Zynga Poker hits the big screen on Google TV

Is that 13-inch laptop screen you're dealing in on in Zynga Poker simply not big enough? How does a 55-inch HD screen sound? We thought so. Zynga announced that its hit poker game has landed on Google TV, the search giant's ailing set-top box platform. Players can download the Zynga Poker app on Google TV, the first TV platform to offer the game.

VentureBeat points out that Zynga Poker (and we imagine other Facebook games) were already accessible through Google TV's support for Flash-based websites. But this dedicated version is "especially optimized for playing poker from the comfort of your own couch," Zynga said in a blog post. According to AppData, Zynga's age-old poker game has over 29 million monthly players across Facebook, iPhone, Android phones and more.

Of course, Zynga is looking to grow that player base with this release, but things aren't looking so hot for Google TV. Logitech, the primary partner for the platform, just ditched Google's effort after losing $100 million on its Logitech Revue box since last year, according to VentureBeat. Regardless, this could serve as a launchpad for Zynga Poker--and other games from the publisher, for that matter--to expand onto other connected TV options.

Devices like the Roku box have already invited big time casual games like Angry Birds, and PlayJam is making strides in smart TV gaming. In the grand scheme of things, it only makes sense. If companies like CrowdStar and Rovio want to hit that 1 billion fan mark, the most popular screen in the home is a fine place to start.

Would you rather play your social games on a bigger screen than what you play on now? Is mobile or TV-based social gaming more appealing to you?