So Facebook Home has been announced and we know that it will be launching in the US on April 12th, but with any new product there are lots of questions coming from the announcement, especially for us in the UK.
Firstly, which handsets will be available to support Facebook Home app?
Well, that’s easy as Facebook has outlined a selection of Android handsets that will be able to run the new app from its launch. These are:
- HTC One
- HTC One X
- HTC One X+
- Samsung Galaxy S III
- Samsung Galaxy S4
- Samsung Galaxy Note II
This means that people with the Android flagship Google Nexus devices won’t be able to download Facebook Home straight away, and the same will go for Sony smartphone owners. Currently the app is on Android but if the app is a success then hopefully Apple and Microsoft will have to take note!
Now we want to know when we in the UK will get the Facebook Home and HTC First phone.
Well, EE has already been slated to supply the HTC First “Facebook Phone” which will come with Facebook Home built in, but the network has only slated the phone for a “summer” release. The network is staying vague on when the handset will land, stating:
“The HTC First will be exclusively available this summer on EE’s superfast 4GEE service, with details on pricing and availability to be announced in due course,”
EE will be exclusively stocking the phone and with its 4G network the phone can make the most of the speedy data on offer, but with other smartphones getting the Facebook Home app it’s an exclusive that won’t be massively missed.
Pocket-Lint reports that a conversation with Cory Ondrejka, director of mobile engineering at Facebook, has revealed some new information:
“We expect the download to be available internationally very quickly. Days or a week, not weeks or months.”
So this could mean only a short wait for people with the above Samsung and HTC phones to get their hands on the new Facebook Home app, which is good.
It’s an interesting time for Facebook as the company has seemingly reached its peak with the Facebook web service but is continually moving forward with new products and ideas, especially into the mobile sector. Who knows what could be next!