Hasta La Gadget!

So who are the lucky people who get to try out Facebook Home first? Well it turns out that those of us who have an HTC One, HTC One X (X+), Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung GALAXY S4, or a Samsung Galaxy Note II will be able to take advantage of Facebook Home when it launches on April 12th. That way you won’t have to grab Facebook and HTC’s lackluster HTC First in order to take advantage of Facebook’s new product.

The HTC First is unappealing, however at the right price point, it may be able to snag some sales. It comes with a dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM, 5MP rear-facing camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, AT&T 4G LTE, and will be the first phone designed around Facebook Home. The specs aren’t jaw-dropping, however if the phone was priced at $49.99, or even for free, it may do well.

Facebook Home is a series of apps that make Facebook the center of your phone. Facebook’s theme for today is that phones should center around people, and not around apps. Facebook Home will bring you Cover Feed, which brings you updates from your friends all in real-time. It’ll be the first thing you see when you open your app. You will also get notifications from apps and friends straight on your home screen. Chat Heads lets you message you friends while you do other things like surf the web or watch videos.

Facebook Home is set to launch on April 12th, and you get to decide whether or not its something jaw-dropping. From the looks of it, it does look pretty interesting, and I’m glad Facebook decided to release it as just an app, rather than an entire OS. That way if you don’t like it, you can revert back to your original Android experience. Be sure to check out our timeline below, and our Facebook Tag Portal for the latest Facebook news. Also check out our Android Hub for the latest, important info on Android.

Future devices that will support Facebook Home is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the folks at Facebook have teamed up with HTC to show off the first of what may be many Facebook Phones in what’s called the HTC first. This smartphone brings the full Facebook software experience to you in an Android-based user interface called “Facebook Home”. This smartphone is a mid-range unit when it comes to hardware specifications and will be offered in a variety of color casings.

With the HTC first you’ll be rolling out with a 4.3-inch LCD display with no less than 720p resolution for your everyday sharp Facebook interactions. This device will be rolling out with a lovely Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor, this being the same SoC that you’ll find on the Samsung Galaxy S III and the DROID RAZR HD. On the back of the HTC first you’ll find a 5-megapixel camera while the front works with a 1.6-megapixel camera for Facebook video chat and messages.

UPDATE: This device is NOT using the Snapdragon S4 as previously noted – instead it is one of the first devices on the market to be using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. This smartphone will also be coming with 3G/4G “multimode” LTE and will be available on the 12th of April for $99 USD attached to a 2-year contract.

You’ll be knocking out the apps with 1GB of RAM and a brand new user interface that’s based loosely on HTC’s own Sense 4.5. You’ll of course have wi-fi, 4G LTE from AT&T (at first, additional carriers on the way we must expect), and Android 4.1.2 right out of the box. We’ll be presenting some fabulous hands-on action with this device soon – there we’ll have additional insight in to how this device functions and if it’ll be the smartphone you’ve just got to have in 2013.

Have a peek at our Android Hub as well for more information on the Android universe at large! We’ll be bringing you more Android and Facebook Phone (and regular old Facebook) action all day – stick around and check the timeline below for updates, too!

HTC first official: Facebook Phone unveiled is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week Facebook has revealed a software experience for any Android device they call “Home.” This experience is a family of apps for any Android device that’s been teased to work on not just the HTC device we’ve already been teased with, but any Android device you’ve got in your pocket right now. This system is build around people, not apps, as Zuckerberg spoke about, and is not a full re-work of Android.

With Cover Feed you’ll be seeing a selection of updates from your Friends. You’ve also got notifications as you’d have gotten before (if you’d had Facebook’s app working with notifications to Android), but here it’ll be appearing right from your Android lockscreen. This system is at it’s base a real Facebook-centric world for your Android smartphone.

With Home you’ll also have access to your normal Android apps. Your lockscreen shows you and your Facebook updates – one swipe up from your Facebook profile image and you’ve got your normal Android apps. Each of these apps load normally, using your smartphone as they normally would. One swipe back downward and you’re back to the lockscreen.

Chat Heads is a messaging system that takes on the full messaging world inside Facebook and applies the Home aesthetic. This system will be your one-stop-shop for talking to your friends on Facebook.

This is part of an ever-expanding world for Facebook on your smartphone that’ll be shown all day long here on SlashGear and through our own Android Hub – grab all the info you need there!

Facebook Home revealed: a family of apps for any Android device is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Hey everyone! In just a few moments, the Facebook Home on Android event is set to go live, and we’re here to bring you all the bits and details as soon as they appear. Earlier today, we saw AT&T CEO and president Ralph de la Vega enter into Building 16 on 1 Hacker Way, signaling that AT&T, like before, will most likely be getting exclusive rights to Facebook and HTC’s upcoming phone.

Facebook is set to debut its new Facebook on Home software, which at first we thought would be Facebook’s custom Android operating system, but it may in fact be more of a launcher. We’ll find out which is which soon, but our bets are lying with the latter option. Of course, the launcher or OS is going to be highly integrated with Facebook, and Facebook will be replacing several default apps with its own. For example, it will most likely be replacing Android’s default messaging app with its own messaging app, which will handle both Facebook Messages as well as SMS messages.

The HTC/Facebook phone set to debut today isn’t much at all. It is codenamed the HTC Myst, however it may be released as the HTC First. The specs are extremely lackluster. It has a 4.3-inch 720p display, dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear-facing camera, 1.6MP front-facing camera, Sense UI 4.5 (with Facebook modifications), Bluetooth 4.0, and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. Jelly Bean and 4G LTE are the only features that make this phone worthwhile.

The event is starting in just a few minutes, so stick around to see the latest features Facebook will have to offer to the Android operating system. Be sure to keep track of our Facebook Tag Portal for the latest news from both this event, as well as future and past events pertaining to everyone’s “favorite” social network. Also be sure to check out our Android Hub for the most important news in the Android world.

Facebook Home on Android event: we’re here! is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Those of you still skeptical about the possibility of an HTC Facebook Phone can toss in the rest of your chips – there’s been a full leak of the so-called “HTC first” this afternoon. This leak includes one extremely clear photo of the device in question from the notoriously accurate @evleaks, leaker of so many devices such as this in this same manner that we’ve simply come to trust the man. This device is one that will be launching with Facebook’s own customized user interface over Android later this week.

It’s also become apparent via this same source that Facebook for Android – the application you’re using right this minute if you’re working with the main Android-based Facebook app – will need to be updated later this week in order to work with the new system. The new system has been once again confirmed to be called “Facebook Home” as well.

For those of you wondering what this device will be like, hardware-wise, we’ve got a bit of a look at that too! Have a peek at the following list, then head back to the post Facebook Home leaked – the HTC Facebook Phone spills its guts. This device will be bringing on some relatively mid-tier specifications and will be aiming at the everyman, if you pardon the expression.

• HTC Myst (code-name)
• 4.3-inch display, 720p
• AT&T 4G LTE
• 1GB RAM
• Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor (MSM8960) (same as Galaxy S III)
• 5 megapixel camera on back
• 1.6 megapixel camera on front
• Sense UI 4.5 (Facebook Home modifications onboard)
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean

Don’t forget to check and see if the HTC Facebook Phone belongs in your pocket! We’ll be live in effect at the Facebook event this Thursday – catch SlashGear through our most excellent Facebook tag portal – we’ll have everything you need to be in the know from start to finish!

[via Evleaks]

HTC first Facebook phone press photo leaked is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.