Angry Birds Friends squawks its way onto iOS, Android devices

Launched last year on Facebook, the social game Angry Birds Friends is finally bound for Android and iOS smart phones and tablets. 

Last year, Finnish video game developer Rovio released Angry Birds Friends, a Facebook game that allowed users to square off in weekly pig-toppling tournaments. Today, Angry Birds Friends launches on iOS and Android devices, meaning that you no longer need to be shackled to your home computer in order to demonstrate your bird-flinging talents to the rest of the world. 

"Every Monday a different tournament gets under way, with all-new challenges for you and your friends," reps for Rovio wrote this afternoon on the company blog. "Use power-ups such as the King Sling, Super Seeds and Birdquake – or call in the Wingman to give you that winning edge on a new level. And when it’s game time, play for that gold crown and then brag to your friends about your glorious victories." 

You can download Angry Birds Friends from the Google Play store or iTunes; both versions of the app are free. 

Mostly free, anyway. Like a whole lot of new mobile games, the basic Angry Birds Friends experience won't cost you anything, but in-game extras most certainly will. For instance, if you find yourself stuck, and decide to call in the Mighty Eagle, well, that'll set you back a buck. And those small purchases can add up pretty quickly, especially when you face off against an army of talented opponents. 

"You might tell yourself that you’d never resort to spending cash to climb a virtual leaderboard," notes Justin Davis of IGN, "but let’s see how you feel when you’re just a few points away from climbing to number one. That power-up will start to look a lot more attractive." 

In related news, Rovio recently opened an Angry Birds Space Encounter exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, in Florida. 

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