Facebook’s new Home on Android: from rumors to reality – The Verge

Facebook Home now available for Galaxy S4 and HTC One

2013-05-10T03:15:53-04:00

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs One (875px)

Since the release of Facebook Home last month, the software has been limited to a small handful of phones headlined by the new HTC First, but it appears that Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One owners can now give their phones a Facebook makeover, too. Android Central reports that after an update to the official Facebook app (but strangely, not the Home app), both phones are reportedly able to run the launcher. In the case of the S4, you'll first be greeted with a popup asking if you want to "Use Home Anyway," but everything works fine. The One, on the other hand, has no such confirmation, and we've been able to confirm that installing Home does wo …

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Facebook Home hits 500k downloads in nine days

2013-04-21T21:00:17-04:00

Facebook Home hero (1024px)

People are interested in Facebook Home. In the nine days since the app launched on Google Play, it's amassed over 500,000 downloads, reports TechCrunch, despite only running on a handful of devices. Home, Facebook's new OS-wide experience for Android, was first announced at the beginning of the month alongside the HTC First, but didn't make it to Play until the 12th of April. And while Facebook has grand designs for expanded compatibility in the future, so far it's only available on the aforementioned First, HTC's One and One X, and Samsung's Galaxy S III and Note II.

People are at least curious

It's tough to compare the app's popularity to …

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Talking heads: how a late-night hack turned into Facebook’s next big thing

2013-04-16T12:17:43-04:00

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On a Wednesday almost one year ago, Facebook product designers Joey Flynn and Brandon Walkin decided to work from home. They discussed how frustrating it is that modern smartphones aren't designed with texting in mind, since that's what we're doing most of the time. It's impossible to multitask while texting with friends - who are, more often than not, faceless entities organized by row inside a texting app.

"We had always talked about how apps with messaging components inside them are always the best," Flynn says. "We thought that it would be awesome if every app could have a messaging component." Or, what if your friends could somehow be …

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Mark Zuckerberg stars in new Facebook Home ad, only to be ignored by his employees

2013-04-13T11:23:03-04:00

zuckerberg facebook ad (2)

Facebook has released a new commercial with an unusual star - CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The company's "Launch Day" ad, published to the web yesterday, sees Zuckerberg deliver an address to his employees prior to the release of Facebook Home, Facebook's new Android-integrated mobile operating system.

"Guys! This is it," Zuckerberg exclaims upon entering the scene at Facebook's headquarters, before telling his team that Facebook Home is ready to ship. The focus then shifts to Joey, an employee playing around on his HTC First handset while his boss speaks. As Zuckerberg's voice fades into the background, Joey flips through status updates and photos …

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How to get Facebook Home (or get rid of it)

2013-04-12T13:59:11-04:00

how to chatheads

Starting today, you can have a Facebook phone - and all you need is your current Android phone and about five minutes. Facebook Home, a suite of apps that replaces the homescreen of your Android phone with your Facebook News Feed and overhauls your messaging setup, is now available in the Google Play store. Home lets you keep track of what your friends are up to without ever having to launch an app, and the newly-added unification of Messenger and SMS makes keeping in touch even simpler. It's a handsome and clever way to interact with friends with your existing Android handset - and you can easily go back to your old homescreen at any time, …

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HTC First review: a Facebook phone that’s pure Google at heart

2013-04-09T21:01:05-04:00

HTC First hero 2 (1024px)

The HTC First is going to be best-known as the pilot "Facebook Phone," shipping with the all-new Facebook Home software running in lieu of a traditional Android phone skin. That would be enough to make it notable, but the First has a couple of other things going for it, things that lots of people have been waiting for in an Android phone. First (and before we go any further, let's just put it on the table that "First" is a ridiculous name), HTC is finally zigging into a smaller screen size while the rest of the Android ecosystem is zagging into ever larger form factors. Second, beneath that Facebook launcher lurks a pure version of Android t …

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Facebook Home review: are people more important than apps?

2013-04-09T21:00:46-04:00

Facebook Home hero (1024px)

On April 12th, the much-vaunted Facebook Phone will arrive - but it's not a phone at all. Facebook Home, as it's called, is a couple of pieces of software that transform any Android smartphone's homescreen into a Facebook feed, and put Facebook Messenger chats on top of any app. Instead of making a sucker's bet that it can take on Apple and Samsung directly, Facebook is doing what Facebook does best: making software.

It's a clever strategy, but it will only work if the software is actually compelling enough for people to want to install and use it. Facebook needs to convince a wide swath of users who never gave their homescreens a second th …

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Facebook Home beta apps leak, can be installed on Nexus 4 and 7 (update)

2013-04-08T06:11:38-04:00

facebook home beta leak

MoDaCo has just leaked a pre-release version of Facebook Home. Set for launch on April 12th, Facebook's new launcher will initially only be compatible with five handsets, but MoDaCo says this pre-release version works on a wide range of devices including Google's Nexus 4 phone and Nexus 7 tablet.

Facebook Home su Nexus 7 twitter.com/robyroby27/sta…
- Roberto Branni (R27) (@robyroby27) April 8, 2013

There are a few caveats: Facebook's new "Chat Heads" feature isn't working, and the maximum supported resolution is 1280 x 768. It's also a little difficult to get up and running in the first place, although it doesn't require any major trick …

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Facebook details Home data-collection policies to assuage privacy fears

2013-04-05T20:29:49-04:00

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Yesterday Facebook announced its newest mobile initiative, Facebook Home - and today the company has posted a lengthy set of answers in an attempt to address any privacy concerns potential users may have. Simply entitled "Answering Your Questions on Home and Privacy," the document ranges from whether users will have to continue to use Home once they install it - as shown yesterday, it can be turned off - to what information it collects.

Obviously, the company collects any Facebook-related information like likes or comments, but it also keeps track of what apps you have installed in Home's launcher. "We store this information in identifiable …

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Facebook Home is beautiful, but what if your friends aren’t?

2013-04-05T13:05:03-04:00

facebook home 640

Facebook Home, a lock screen and launcher replacement for Android, looks very good. In fact, maybe it looks too good.

In the social network's promo trailer for Home, you first witness a woman picking bright orange pumpkins in a field. A white digital clock typeface contrasts beautifully against the blue sky behind her. An image on Facebook's Home website shows a woman donning a bright blue life vest paddling through crystal clear waters. Another shows a group of friends climbing a glorious green hilltop. These images are meant to represent stories you might find in your News Feed, which becomes your lock screen if you're using Facebook Home …

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