For those lucky enough to get the new Twitter through iOS or Android or limited sneak peeks, Twitter's redesign sends a clear message to the social networking universe: Facebook, we're coming for you.

When Twitter began, it characterized itself as an information network, more focused on disseminating opinions and news than on creating a social world like Facebook had been from the beginning.

Just as Mark Zuckerberg is planning to make Facebook more like Twitter, unveiling plans for Facebook Open Graph and Facebook Gestures to make the social site more in tune with real-time activity, Twitter is launching a redesign to make itself more like Facebook, including poaching some of the same advertisers.

Rather than simply an aggregation of tweets, the video and photo-sharing tools and activity feed launched in the past year have been trying to expand beyond the notion of 140 characters, always a frustrating and limiting side-effect of a web site centered around individual Twitter posts.

With Twitter's new redesign, however, the social media networking site is aiming to expand its audience, making it more accessible and understandable for everyone. As more and more adults join Facebook, the obscure language of hashtag trends and tweeting is still passing many potential users by, something that won't help Twitter attract posters or advertisers.

That's way Twitter's redesign was so important to executive chairman Jack Dorsey, who rejoined the company this year blueprints in hand. The Twitter redesign is already available for iOS and Android users, but for those who're relying on laptops and home computers, here's a sneak peek for the redesigns hottest features, and how they challenge Facebook's status as the premier social network.

From Twitter Profiles and beefed-up advertising to in-line conversations featuring photos and videos, here are five ways the Twitter Redesign is taking on Facebook.

Facebook Mark zuckerberg Advertising Twitter