HTC and Facebook launches 'First'

HTC is launching the first phone to have the new Facebook Home suite of integrated apps. Called “First,” it will be available on April 12, 2013 and cost $99.99, through an exclusive carrier deal on AT&T in US.

On Thursday Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook Home, a family of apps that would sit as a integrated layer on the Android operating system. Zuckerberg said Home was not an operating system or a “forked” version of Android akin to Amazon’s Kindle, but a separate software layer that could act as a home screen for smartphones.

The specs for this device are mid-range, having no cutting-edge technology. It's equipped with a dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor and 4.3-inch screen. Hardcore Android users are likely to find this device less tempting.

   

Although Facebook has a list of hardware makers and carriers already interested in doing such devices including Samsung, Sony, Huawei and Alcatel One Touch.

Home will not work on all Android phones, but form April 12 will be available to download for free on the HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Home will also work on the forthcoming HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4, “and on more devices in the coming months,” a Facebook spokesperson said.

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