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Facebook, the world’s largest social network site, has finally rolled out Facebook Lite, a stripped-down version of Facebook.

The new site is simpler and faster than the Facebook main version. The Lite site offers fewer features compared to the main site, and drills Facebook down to its core features.

The Lite edition of Facebook is more like Twitter. Because of this and also because of Facebook’s recent rolling out of Twitter like features e.g. @tagging is seen by tech analysts as a challenge to Twitter.

Facebook said that the new Lite edition is aimed at users from developing countries who don’t have high speed Internet connectivity. But the launching of the Lite edition internationally fuels the hypothesis that the ai of the new Lite edition is nothing but to give the users a Twitter like experience.

The options on Facebook Lite are limited to letting users write on their wall, post photos and videos, view events and browse other people’s profiles. There are no apps or special boxes.

“It appears, at a quick glance, to be a better site for Facebook newbies or for anyone who finds the current site overwhelming and noisy,” said Rafe Needleman at technology website Cnet.

“The new layout feels almost Twitter-like.”

Terence O’Brien at Switched.com gave the slimmed-down version of what he called “ol’ blue” the thumbs-up because it “strips away distractions”.

“The simple site loads noticeably faster, is easier to navigate, and is much easier on the eyes thanks to the lack of people sending you ‘virtual booze’ or asking you to join their ‘vampire fraternity’.

“The new layout seems like a direct challenge to Twitter, which can attribute much of its success to is simplicity and portability,” said Mr O’Brien.

Although the new version was first planned to be launched for developing countries only but huge anticipation from US users has fueled the launch of Facebook Lite in the US. The social technology blog Mashable.com has confirmed that the Facebook Lite edition has also been made available in Europe and other parts of the world.