First! HTC hasn’t thought too hard to name the first Facebook phone, if a new leak is to be believed. A new Android smart phone with Facebook features slapped all over the home screen is set to be unveiled this week, and it’s reported to be called the HTC First.
Facebook is reported to be planning new software called Facebook Home that reinvents Android, placing Facebook features front and centre on your phone. Features such as messages and contacts are set to be built right into the front end of the phone rather than tucked away in the Facebook app.
And the first phone to show off Facebook Home will be an HTC phone called the First — previously rumoured to be the Myst — according to a picture published by mischievous Twitter-based phone gossip EVleaks. That’s it pictured up there, with its central home button flanked by two function keys. Does that look real to you, or has someone just photoshopped the word ‘First’ on a nondescript phone?
We’ll find out for sure when Facebook unveils Facebook Home on Thursday evening, so keep it CNET for all the first First news and First first impressions.
How far Facebook Home will transform the Android experience is unclear. Many smart phones have modified versions of Google’s mobile software, with manufacturers adding their own features to distinguish their phones and tablets from other Android devices. The extent of the modifications range from a relatively slight change to the look and feel in Samsung TouchWiz and HTC Sense, to a complete reinvention of the software as seen in the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet.
Do you think HTC and Facebook make a good match? Should the First be the first of many Facebook phones? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.