HTC First hands-on

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/firstdsc0417.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> After endless months of speculation, the collaboration between HTC and Facebook has finally been revealed to the world. It's not a Facebook Phone <em>per se</em>, 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.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> 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: <span>it's a midrange phone with dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear camera, Android 4.1 and a 4.3-inch 720p display. </span>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.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="title"><strong>HTC First hands-on</strong></h3><br /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc0406_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc0408_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc0411_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc0414_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc0417_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc0421_95x95.jpg" /> </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> The First won't be the only device featuring Facebook Home, as it will be available for download on a limited number of flagship phones next week, but the idea is for the First to offer more optimizations in the experience: it's a cleaner setup process since it's pre-loaded on the phone, and it can take advantage of a few additional service integrations that legacy devices won't offer.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> While we don't have the phone's exact dimensions just yet, it's safe to say the First is one slender and lightweight handheld. <span>We're also pleasantly surprised by its rounded edges and matte rubberized shell -- both result in a comfortable and pleasant feel when cradled in the hand. </span><span>The 4.3-inch 720p screen seemed bright enough under the demo room's task lighting, though it's obviously not as sharp as the One's. Flipping through Home's UI felt zippy enough thanks to that dual-core Snapdragon processor, but it didn't strike us as a super speedster either. </span><span>On the whole, the First strikes us as a pretty simple phone, and its design reflects that.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>

HTC First hands-on

After endless months of speculation, the collaboration between HTC and Facebook has finally been revealed to the world. It's not a Fac...

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Zuckerberg: Home is the 'next version of Facebook,' not heading to iOS anytime soon

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="copy post-body" dir="ltr" itemprop="text" style="text-align: left;"> <div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Zuckerberg Home is the 'next version of Facebook', not heading to iOS anytime soon" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/lb2107-1365098312.jpg" /></div>Like what you've seen so far of Home, Facebook's newly announced UI for Android devices? Well, get used to it because, according to Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, it's the "next version of Facebook." The people-centric integration, shown off today on the AT&T-exclusive HTC First, makes your individual user profile the "hub" and relies heavily upon a card-like interface for swipe notifications that can be easily read and dismissed. That Facebook would look to Home, a seemingly mobile-native implementation of the social network, as the framework for its platform going forward is unsurprising -- changes recently made to News Feed were done <em>specifically</em> to adapt it to the smartphone space. Whether or not that means you'll see this new interface take over your desktop anytime soon remains to be seen. But take this as a sure sign that Facebook, oft criticized for lagging behind in mobile, is in major course correction mode.<br /> As for when Home will make the transition to iOS, Zuckerberg seemed less optimistic, telling reporters that Android's openness and lack of direct oversight from Google was the major contributing factor to its unveiling today. A version of Home for iOS would require a "partnership" with Apple, which maintains strict control over its "closed" ecosystem; a pairing that would implicitly see Facebook ceding some control to Cupertino. Frame it in that manner and it's easy to see why Home's First debut is a Google-based affair and may continue to be for the foreseeable future. It does seem likely, however, that Microsoft's Windows Phone platform could play host to Home before even iOS, as Zuckerberg's referred to the live-tile OS as falling "somewhere in between" due to the licenses involved.<br /> </div></div>

Zuckerberg: Home is the 'next version of Facebook,' not heading to iOS anytime soon

Like what you've seen so far of Home, Facebook's newly announced UI for Android devices? Well, get used to it because, according ...

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