These days there is a lot of talk about a new phone that will be launched by Facebook, but there is still nothing concrete. What is certain is that Facebook is about to put on the market a "launcher”(Launcher) for Android that takes Facebook integration to a whole new level.
“Today, we're finally going to talk about that Facebook phone,” joked Zuckerberg as he took the stage at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, Califorinia.
The application - available for download from 12 April - is called HOME and it is a "launcher" (ie a launcher) that changes the way users interact with their Android phone, rather than a totally new operating system.
HTC First will launch this app in the US on April 12 on AT&T. Zuckerberg has also confirmed that it will launch on Orange and EE in Europe in a couple of months.
Zuckerberg said this “Home” app was designed to fundamentally correct the way people interact with modern computing devices. "For the past 30 years or so, computing has been about applications," he said. "You could turn on your computer, open the application you want to use, and then close it when you're done."
"What if our phones are designed around people rather than applications," he asked. According to Zuckerberg, Home was designed from the ground up for making people the focus of cell phone use.
Stressing that cell phones are at the heart of the modern social experience, he said: “Facebook itself has used apps in the past. When you wanted to see photos, you had to log into the photo application, and so on. Then we introduced the news feed, and interactions with all the different content posted by friends increased dramatically overnight. We wanted to bring this experience - of knowing what's always going on around you - to your phone as well. "
The launcher runs on Android and then apps, which means you can run all normal Home based Android apps.
He said Android has allowed the company to completely change the way people interact with their phone, without having to fight for market share. "Android was designed from the ground up to support this kind of integration."
Packed with features
The launcher replaces the standard Android one. The feature features full screen photos and also allows users to directly comment on home screen.
Another example of putting the person at the center of the experience, according to Facebook is Chatheads. A messaging widget, which appears on top of any applications or functions the user is currently using. It allows users to read and reply to messages without having to exit their current application.
Chatheads works with both Facebook Messenger and text messaging.
Which phones?
According to Facebook, owners of the HTC One, HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy S4, and the Galaxy Note II will be able to download the launcher upon launch on April 12.
Facebook has announced a partnership with HTC which will see a phone with the new launcher already preloaded launched on April 12th.
The HTC First appears to be a mid-range HTC phone that has been optimized to work with Facebook Home.
20
