All About Facebook Home
Facebook has taken one of the requisite steps to becoming an established software company – their first into the world of hardware.
While it isn’t the Facebook phone that had been rumored for a few months, it’s close. It’s called “Facebook Home” and it’s a piece of software that comes on a phone manufactured by HTC, called the “First.” The app will also be available to download on other android phones.
The app itself is essentially a Facebook operating system that provides a suite of apps and new features to the android operating system. The most touted feature of the app is the cover feed, which sets itself as your device’s “screen saver.” It displays things such as photos and statuses that your friends have posted whenever you glance at your phone. Whenever you receive a notification while using your phone, a message pops up on the screen in the form of a floating box. You can respond to the notification without leaving the app you’re using. The same feature applies to chats: when you receive a message from a friend, a bubble with their face on it and a message appears. You’ll be able to turn Home off at any time though, in case you’re lending your phone or don’t want to be disturbed.
In addition, the software will connect to apps that also connect to Facebook. The apps Spotify, Pandora, and Instagram are some of the most popular apps used by Facebook users.
In Canada, Facebook is testing free calls through its messenger app when the phone is connected to wifi, and can already send SMS messages through the service. No word as if to these will be available upon release.
The HTC First is sold exclusively through AT&T for $450 or $99 with a contract and ships on April 10. The Facebook Home app will be available to download on April 12. There’s no tablet version, but Facebook has said that it’s working on a version for android tablets. Facebook Home is not compatible with iOS devices.
This announcement comes shortly after another in which the company revealed a new visual direction for their flagship website. Facebook appears to be taking on some of Google’s territory with this move, reflecting more thought put into design as well as the push towards totalitarian app networks.
According to a study commissioned for this project, 70 percent of smartphone users use them to browse Facebook. According to their marketing for the software, they hope to see people using their phones solely through Facebook. This move is one step toward Facebook becoming the “Windows” of smartphone. We’ll see on April 10th.
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