Adequately named, the HTC First will be the first smartphone to run with Facebook Home added from the start. Impressively, Facebook has managed to keep neutral in the mobile operating system/hardware area, while adding a huge advantage in connectivity with Android users.
Facebook Home was all explained in this previous post, but to quickly summarize, Facebook Home is a new custom Android skin. Cover Feed will replace the lock screen, and allow you to check your latest Facebook updates without unlocking the phone and opening the Facebook app.
The new Cover Feed will also act as a notification centre and a way to use Facebook quickly. The new user interface is natively integrated into Android and works very well. Facebook has also added Chat Heads, a simple way to use Messenger in any application you are running, without stepping out the app.
HTC First is the rumoured HTC Myst, we suspect. The specs are pretty alike and both will run Facebook Home’s skin from the start. The HTC First will not be a top-tier smartphone, with mid-range specs and price.
The HTC First has a 4.3-inch 720p Super LCD display, with a slab rubber design which looks very nice and minimalist in black. The phone will also come in white, blue and red, all very toned down colours, unlike the Lumia 920Â palate.
Inside the HTC First is a 1.4GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. The smartphone has a 5MP rear camera and a 1.6MP front facing camera. It is running Android 4.1, with Facebook Home slapped on top.
The device will be coming to US carrier AT&T and Orange, EE in the UK. We are unsure what price it will be coming to the UK, but we suspect a contract will be slapped on it, unless you want to pay £450 or more for the phone off-contract.
