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Facebook responds to Home privacy concerns, specifies what it will and won't know
Some of the discussion about Facebook Home since its debut yesterday has related to concerns that it gives the social network too much access to user's information, and now Facebook has responded. Its blog post specifies that Home is subject to the same controls as everything else in a user's Facebook account. It states that Facebook will not track user's location any differently than the existing app, and while it could see what apps are launched, it can't observe what actions are taken within them beyond the already existing Facebook API hooks. As far as information that is collected, it will have a list of apps that are in the Home launcher, and tracks data including which apps are responsible for notification, which is kept identifiable for up to 90 days.
Editorial: The imperialism of Facebook Home
Business battles are often ecosystem battles, in which brands develop a matrix of conveniently connected products and services, in an attempt to lock customers into a dependency. Offline companies follow this tack (think razors and blades). But the internet, with its many connection nodes, crossovers to tangential realms and parallel on-ramps is where ecosystem wars are most elaborately waged. Only rarely do market conditions cultivate a broader ambition in which a company has a chance to step beyond mere ecosystem competition to a higher level of sovereignty. Facebook's imminent release of Home represents a stab at that rare imperialism.
Editor's Letter: The social smartphone
In each issue of Distro, editor-in-chief Tim Stevens publishes a wrap-up of the week in news. There's a good chance 2011's HTC Status, with its portrait QWERTY layout and dedicated Facebook button, never found its way into your social network. That last attempt at the mythical Facebook phone failed to garner much praise, but if social networks gave up so easily, well, we'd all still be using MySpace. HTC and Facebook are at it again, this week launching the $99 First, exclusively on AT&T in the US. Yes, it's a name every commenter could love (or hate). Yes, it's a name every commenter could love (or hate), a title cheekily reminiscent of the HTC One. This, though, is a rather different device, aiming more toward the mid-range and relying on some serious social integration to make it stand out. It's the first phone running the Facebook Home interface, which will be available on many devices starting on April 12th. It delivers a far more comprehensive Facebook experience than the previous apps have managed, and intriguingly Zuckerberg himself said that Home is "the next version of Facebook." The end of the web? Stay tuned.
The Engadget Interview: HTC President of Global Sales Jason MacKenzie
Shortly after Facebook's big reveal this morning, we caught up with HTC President of Global Sales Jason McKenzie and spent a few minutes with him discussing the First. As expected, he was pretty excited about this collaboration between his company, Facebook and AT&T. Jason revealed to us that HTC's strategy involves ultimately catering the First to hardcore (or at least frequent) users of the social network, whereas a device like the One will be more appealing to those who aren't interested in staying constantly connected. Interestingly, HTC seems to have put Facebook in the driver's seat here, as the First will not only come pre-loaded with Facebook Home (and its firmware optimizations), but no sign of Sense anywhere. It's certainly a departure from HTC's usual branding efforts, so it'll be intriguing to see exactly how well the device sells on AT&T. We have our full interview with Jason below, so take a few minutes to get the First scoop.
Facebook Home hands-on (video)
We've taken a closer look at the HTC First hardware, so let's dig into the firmware side -- namely, the Facebook Home user interface featured on the First. As we heard prior to the event, Home is essentially a skinned version of Android OS that unsurprisingly offers a deeper amount of integration with the social network. As the name of the phone implies, this isn't going to be the same one-and-done deal that we've seen on other devices bearing the unofficial title of "Facebook Phone"; Home is likely here for the foreseeable future, so we'll go more in-depth on the UI and our first impressions.
HTC First hands-on (update: video)
After endless months of speculation, the collaboration between HTC and Facebook has finally been revealed to the world. It's not a Facebook Phone per se, it's simply a skinned Android smartphone that just so happens to bestow deep social media integration upon the OS, a move which makes the First -- as well as future devices that feature the newly announced Facebook Home interface -- an appropriate candidate for the term. The First will be available April 12th for $100 on AT&T, but it can be pre-ordered starting today. While Facebook Home is taking the spotlight, let's examine the first piece of hardware it will be featured on. On the spec sheet, the First isn't going to take anybody's breath away: it's a midrange phone with 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear camera and 1.6MP front-facing cam, Android 4.1 and a 4.3-inch 720p display. We're just getting our hands on the device right now and will continue to offer up our First impressions, along with a full gallery of images. %Gallery-184810%
Zuckerberg: Home is the 'next version of Facebook,' not heading to iOS anytime soon
Like what you've seen so far of Home, Facebook's newly announced UI for Android devices? Well, get used to it because, according to Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, it's the "next version of Facebook." The people-centric integration, shown off today on the AT&T-exclusive HTC First, makes your individual user profile the "hub" and relies heavily upon a card-like interface for swipe notifications that can be easily read and dismissed. That Facebook would look to Home, a seemingly mobile-native implementation of the social network, as the framework for its platform going forward is unsurprising -- changes recently made to News Feed were done specifically to adapt it to the smartphone space. Whether or not that means you'll see this new interface take over your desktop anytime soon remains to be seen. But take this as a sure sign that Facebook, oft criticized for lagging behind in mobile, is in major course correction mode. As for when Home will make the transition to iOS, Zuckerberg seemed less optimistic, telling reporters that Android's openness and lack of direct oversight from Google was the major contributing factor to its unveiling today. A version of Home for iOS would require a "partnership" with Apple, which maintains strict control over its "closed" ecosystem; a pairing that would implicitly see Facebook ceding some control to Cupertino. Frame it in that manner and it's easy to see why Home's First debut is a Google-based affair and may continue to be for the foreseeable future. It does seem likely, however, that Microsoft's Windows Phone platform could play host to Home before even iOS, as Zuckerberg's referred to the live-tile OS as falling "somewhere in between" due to the licenses involved.
HTC First coming to Orange and EE in Europe
The HTC First might be launching on AT&T, but that doesn't mean this built-for-Facebook device is going to be limited to the US: we just learned it will eventually arrive in Europe too, on Orange and the UK's EE network. Unfortunately, whereas AT&T came armed with pricing and availability details ($100 on April 12th), we still have no idea when, exactly, the phone will hit these other carriers. If you want to try before you buy, of course, you should be able to download the Facebook Home skin through Google Play pretty soon.
Facebook Home reaching tablets in coming months
Facebook wants to put Facebook Home on as many devices as possible, and that includes tablets -- eventually. It just promised that tablets would get support, but only at some point in the months ahead. For now, it's phones only. The social network hasn't said which tablets might be at the forefront, although its plan to steadily widen hardware compatibility suggests that any support will evolve quickly.
Facebook Home to hit select phones on April 12th in the US
Facebook hasn't made Home official just yet, but we can tell you one thing for certain -- it'll be arriving on April 12th in the US. It won't be available on all Android devices that day, broader availability should be coming in the future. On day one it will show up as a download for select devices, which will include the rumored HTC First that we anticipate will make its grand debut shortly. As expected there will be no "Facebook Phone" or even a Facebook OS. Home is an app that will "transform your Android phone into a great social phone" according to the company. The roll out is starting with "just a few phones," (the Galaxy S III, S 4, the HTC One, One X+ and the Note II) but those lucky device owners will be able to enjoy Facebook's mobile vision starting next week. Update: Zuckerberg and Co. also confirmed that Home for tablets is coming too, but it won't arrive until later this year.
Facebook's Android event liveblog
The "Facebook Phone" sits up there with Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster in mythology and legend, but in reality it's just a term instead of an actual phone branded by the social media service. We've seen the title applied to several phones in the last four years: the HTC Salsa and ChaCha, the Motorola Motokey Social and at least three phones from INQ. Today that term may be attached to yet another device, the HTC First, though we're likely to see a handset with much tighter Facebook integration using a custom Android skin called Facebook Home. We've all heard plenty of rumors about today's event, but now it's finally time to learn exactly what Zuckerberg & Co. have in store for us. Join us for our live coverage of the Facebook event!
Facebook Home UI pictured in more leaked images ahead of tomorrow's event
We've already seen leaked images of the HTC First smartphone purported to be launching at tomorrow's Facebook event, as well as what appears to be its APK, and we now have our best look yet at the Facebook-infused UI you can expect on the device. As you can see above in the image from @evleaks (and others at the source link below), the apparent Facebook Home hub doesn't exactly scream Facebook, although there unsurprisingly appears to be deep Facebook integration throughout. There are only a handful of images though, so there's still a fair bit that remains unknown. We'd say to check back tomorrow for more, but at the rate these leaks have been turning up we may well get yet another look at what's in store before then.
We're liveblogging Facebook's Android event tomorrow at 1PM ET!
The term "Facebook Phone" has been used in association with specific devices for over four years, and each time it's involved phones with tighter integration of the social media network rather than an Facebook-branded device. Tomorrow we'll be hearing about yet another one of these handsets, though rumor has it that the gadget in question -- which may or may not be called the HTC First -- will at least fit the description better than ever before, offering a home screen launcher and other Android services dedicated to the Facebook cause. We're just as curious as you as to what exactly will be shown off in Menlo Park 24 hours from now, and we'll be there to liveblog the event so you can discover the goods right along with us! Join us at 1PM ET. April 4, 2013 1:00 PM EDT
HTC First pictured ahead of Thursday's Facebook event (update: now with more colors)
The mysterious Facebook event is quickly approaching, and as luck would have it, @evleaks is hooking us up with an image of the device that we'll be introduced to on Thursday, known as the HTC first. If this is indeed accurate, the press render you see above is what was previously known as the HTC Myst (as well as the Opera and Buffy, if you go back in time far enough). We still don't have any confirmation on specs, but there are whispers that it will feature a program called Facebook Home, which will serve as the phone's home screen and launcher. While we can't glean much from the image itself, it at least seems as though the first will offer the same three-button capacitive key layout as most Android devices -- this is important to note, as HTC's last attempt at a Facebook-integrated smartphone featured a unique button specifically for the social media service. In terms of actual specs, Android Police leaked quite a few: it's a midrange phone with dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 processor, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear camera, 1.6MP front-facing cam, Sense 4.5 on top of Android 4.1.2 and a 4.3-inch 720p display. We'll have a lot more info coming your way on Thursday morning, but this is a good taste to get you going in the meantime -- if you have a love for smartphones with deep Facebook integration, at least. Update: If the black casing of the purported HTC First left you feeling a bit... uninspired, then fret not, because @evleaks has just released additional glimpses of the device in question -- this time in red, white and blue. Hop the break for a peek of the patriotic colors. [via 9to5Google]
Facebook phone dev-edition APK reveals details about HTC Myst, new Facebook Home features
Facebook already told us all that it'd be announcing something new and Android-related at an event on April 4th. Android Police has just given us a new heaping helping of evidence, via an APK teardown, that the social network will, at long last, announce an oft-rumored, never revealed Facebook phone and a FB-themed version of Google's mobile OS. The ROM reveals that it's built for an AT&T-compatible HTC Myst handset with a 4.3 inch display, 1GB of RAM and a dual-core MSM8960 SoC. There's also a 5-megapixel rear camera, 1.6-megapixel front shooter, Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi a/b/g/n radios, which confirms earlier spec leaks about the phone. As for software, it runs Android 4.1.2 and Sense 4.5, and most importantly, a new Facebook program called Facebook Home. As you might expect, it'll serve as the phone's home screen and launcher. To that end, it has more system controls than the existing Facebook app, with permission to turn off the lock screen, start up when the phone boots and control your WiFi connection, among others. The APK also revealed that there's a host of circular Facebook-flavored icons and tight Facebook Messenger integration. Oh, and in case you aren't looking to buy FB-specific hardware, fear not, for the presence of TouchWiz compatibility indicates that Facebook Home will be available for other phones as well.
Facebook expected to introduce themed Android OS, HTC handset next week
HTC's Status may not have been a tremendous hit, but it looks like Facebook hasn't severed its ties with the smartphone maker just yet. According to TechCrunch and New York Times sources, April 4th's "Come See Our New Home on Android" event is set to feature an HTC smartphone with a custom, Facebook-centric OS. It's perhaps the next best thing to a phone designed and manufactured by Facebook, but instead, HTC will be tasked with creating the hardware. The integration is expected to run deep, however -- when you power on the device, a Facebook home screen is what you'll see first. Additionally, the device's camera and messaging apps will default to Facebook, according to the New York Times report. Hardware specifications have yet to be revealed, but software will clearly be the focus here. Tune in at 1PM EST next Thursday for our liveblog, direct from Facebook HQ.
Facebook planning Android-related event on April 4th
It looks like Facebook's got an Android-related event up its sleeve next Thursday April 4th right here in the Bay Area. So, what's this about? A major revamp of Facebook's Android app? An Android-based Facebook phone like HTC's rumored Myst? Whatever it is, we'll obviously be there to liveblog the announcement in great detail, so be sure to tune in at 1PM ET (10AM PT). While focusing its recent efforts on features like Graph Search and News Feed, Facebook's been clear that mobile is a top priority for 2013. Let's just hope this event brings something more exciting to fruition than HTC's half-baked Status.
