Something is happening in the tech world - companies or services created before the age of mobile-first have become redundant on mobile platforms, but instead of creating an entirely new experience, the developers at these companies have shown a glimpse of the future in a new app.

Like Us on Facebook

The first service to get a revamp was Facebook, with Paper. This magazine style offers almost the same content as you would find on your News Feed, but better organized, with beautiful images and video, alongside news stories from around the world.

Almost everyone who has used Facebook Paper has never gone back to the original app. Even though it doesn't have some of Facebook's main app built in features, that is part of why it is such an immersive experience. It removes the annoying parts of Facebook you don't want to check while browsing your News Feed.

Microsoft got in on the mobile-first app as well with Sway, a new type of presentation service that allows users to pull from all different types of resources, while simultaneously not feeling like a downgrade on mobile in terms of functionality.

Even though it isn't the powerhouse that Powerpoint is, Microsoft has implemented a host of new features automatically to make presentations on Sway looks remarkable. In a time when presentations might not be the most interesting thing to do on a mobile, Sway is potentially the icebreaker for a younger audience.

Another service worth mention is Inbox, the new Gmail service for mobile. This, like Sway, can be used on mobile or Web, but it is built to be powerful on both platforms, instead of having huge advantages on the Web or desktop.

Inbox incorporates a new style of email to Gmail. Instead of having emails in chronological order, it will sort them by importance and also add smart-labels, allowing the user to check , for example, Travel, Receipts and YouTube all at once.

It also adds smart functionality on mobile like swipes to snooze or remove an email and touch to find more information. Clicking on a flight receipt will pull up the activation needed to pass through the boarding area with NFC, alongside the date, time and gate, instead of simply showing the text displayed on the email.

Skype Qik is another mobile-first app that is trying to move away from long calls and into shorter videos, which can be sent back-and-forth from two participants or more. This type of quick video allows users to get information out quick, but also offers a more informal way to interact on Skype.

The difference is Skype Qik is an inherently different service that removes the core audience, while Facebook Paper can still pull news from the main Facebook app, Sway can still use a lot of the functions available on Powerpoint and Inbox uses all of the Gmail functionality users have come to love.

This sort of mobile-first design gets rid of all the unnecessary functions for average users, while setting up new interfaces that work on small and large screens. The added mobile functionality allows users to be more productive on these apps, while getting a lot more enjoyment out of them.

This is only the start of the mobile first change. Twitter could use a reshape for mobile, removing some of the unused functions and changing the design of the interface to fit perfectly on a smartphone, tablet, Web browser or desktop. Amazon is another app on mobile in need of a major facelift.

TagsFacebook Paper, Sway, Google Inbox, Gmail, Skype Qik, mobile-first, apps