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Facebook won't bring HTC First smartphone to the UK after all (update: due to bad feedback in the US)
After a series of rumors about the HTC First not selling too well in the States, we've now heard that the customized Facebook / Android handset won't be coming to the UK. Mobile News initially reported that UK pre-orders will be cancelled and we've just confirmed this with our own sources, who said that it was Facebook itself who made the decision, rather than HTC or either of the European carrier partners (EE and Orange). We've reached out to HTC and EE for confirmation and will update if we get a response. Update: We've just heard back from EE, who confirmed the rumor and attributed Facebook's decision to "customer feedback" that resulted in a need to improve the Facebook Home interface before spreading it to further markets: "Following customer feedback, Facebook has decided to focus on adding new customization features to Facebook Home over the coming months. While they are working to make a better Facebook Home experience, they have recommended holding off launching the HTC First in the UK, and so we will shortly be contacting those who registered their interest with us to let them know of this decision. Rest assured, we remain committed to bringing our customers the latest mobile experiences, and we will continue to build on our strong relationship with Facebook so as to offer customers new opportunities in the future."
The Daily Roundup for 04.19.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Distro Issue 87: The HTC First goes super social with Facebook Home
Talk of a Facebook phone had been making the rounds for some time when the social network pulled the wraps off of a Home-draped Android handset. While it's not solely dedicated to those shades of blue, the HTC First does put friends in focus and we judge its merits in a fresh issue of our slate magazine. Two of Sony's latest offerings -- the Xperia ZL and the NEX-3N -- also hit the review gauntlet in this installment. Eyes-On hits the trail with Pentax shooters, Weekly Stat tallies PS shipments and Visualized seeks Clarity. Those trusty download links lie below for quick access to new issue of your very own. Distro Issue 87 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro in the Windows Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
The Weekly Roundup for 04.08.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Switched On: Extreme takeover, Home edition
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Facebook's management doesn't see any dichotomy in the phrase, "Go big or go home," at least as far as it might pertain to Facebook Home. After being dogged for years with questions about whether the Land o' Likes would create its own smartphone despite consistent denials, the company explained that its own phone wouldn't give it the reach it would need for its more than 1 billion members. With the exceptions of the iPhone and the Galaxy S series, a successful handset today might sell 20 million units. That's a number that many services would dream of reaching, but it's just one-fiftieth of Facebook's user base. And yet, Facebook Home will start out factory-installed on only one device: the HTC First, a mid-range Android device available exclusively from AT&T. Home is also available as a download from Google Play for a handful of other popular Android handsets, including the Galaxy S III.
HTC First with Facebook Home review
With a billion users, it'd be an understatement to say Facebook has done a good job conquering the desktop world. Mobile, however, is the social network's next frontier: although it has a significant presence on every major smartphone and tablet platform, the company has a reputation for bringing its key features to the PC environment long before they arrive on mobile -- if at all. But the April 4th reveal of Facebook Home, a solidly built Android launcher, reflects a change in attitude for Mark Zuckerberg and Co. Instead of simply maintaining a smartphone presence, Facebook is ready to go to battle and is putting mobile on the top of its list of priorities. It's even adding a proper piece of hardware to its arsenal in the form of the HTC First, a 4.3-inch device on AT&T with LTE, reasonable mid-range specs and a gorgeous display. Is it worth $99 with a two-year commitment to purchase a handset dedicated to the social cause? Should you just wait until Home is available as a free download in the Google Play Store? Or is it best to ignore it altogether? Continue reading to find out.%Gallery-185111%
Get an early look at Facebook Home with these leaked pre-release APKs
Facebook Home's making its official debut on the HTC First and a handful of big-hitting Android handsets this Friday, but MoDaCo has come across a trio of APKs which offer an early taste. The leaked APKs have been stripped from a pre-release HTC First ROM, with MoDaCo noting they're "rather buggy" and not fully functional -- Chat Heads doesn't work, for example. You'll need a handset with a max screen res of 1,280 x 768 and must be able to remove the current Android Facebook app, as the newer APKs won't install otherwise. MoDaCo lists a workaround for phones that have Facebook baked into the ROM, but it'll still need to be rooted. Hit up the source link if you've got the side-loading skills and feel like giving Facebook Home a preliminary poking.
The Daily Roundup for 04.04.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
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.
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%
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.
HTC First announced, coming exclusively to AT&T on April 12th for $99.99
Continuing its obsession with the number one, HTC has officially announced the First, an Android device with a bit more Facebook influence than most other smartphones we've used in the past -- including other handsets given preferential treatment from the social media network during the last four years. HTC's Peter Chou and AT&T's Ralph de la Vega took the stage at the event to announce the phone, which is the world's first Home-optimized device. What exactly that means remains to be seen, but HTC's Chou indicated it will be a "unique experience." There were no specs announced for the device, other than it having LTE, of course. But, earlier leaks have indicated it will be 4.3-inch, 720p mid-range phone, not threatening the HTC One by any stretch of the imagination. It will be available on April 12th exclusively in the US on AT&T for just $99.99. And, it will be available in four colors: red, turquoise, white and, of course, black. You can pre-order yours today at the More Coverage link below, and there's a brief video after the break to explain how the new notifications work. %Gallery-184818%
The Daily Roundup for 04.03.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
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]
