Does The HTC Facebook Phone Belong In Your Pocket?
This week the Facebook Phone has been revealed. Unofficially, of course, but in a run-down of the software that comes within the device more in-depth than we'd otherwise be skeptical about. What we've got here is a midrange smartphone from HTC that runs the big news: Facebook Home. This software is at once a simple app for Android AND a user interface that takes over Android fully. The HTC smartphone hardware is almost like an afterthought.
We had a quick look at what Android Police discovered today, HTC Facebook phone should have you covered for all the gruesome details. If you're all about the hardware, however, all you need to know is this:
1. 4.3-inch 720p Display
2. AT&T 4G LTE
3. 5-megapixel back-facing camera
4. Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor (same as Galaxy S III)
5. Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
This device's pricing structure will be very, very interesting. If Facebook has enough clout to create a smartphone without a need for voice and text messaging service, they may very well be creating a whole new segment in the mobile smart device industry. If they release this device for something more like $50 USD with a 2-year contract with AT&T, they'll be better off not releasing the device at all.
Or perhaps an inexpensive not-the-best-but-decent smartphone is exactly what Facebook needs to start their smartphone party off right? This release will certainly center around the software experience first and foremost – maybe the marketing for this release will be successful with just talk of how this will be the one true Facebook Phone?
Based on what we know – or what we think we know – about the software experience being presented by Facebook this week, this device will need to be all about the hype.
Would you buy the smartphone outlined above if it were packing the Facebook Home user interface over Android? Let us know! Then join us later this week as SlashGear covers the Facebook event live and in-person! That's Thursday, April 4th at 10AM PST, don't miss it – stick close to the Facebook tag portal right up and through that time!