Facebook Home announced for select Android smartphones

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Facebook has announced Home, a new Android application which changes the way users connect with one another on mobile devices.

Facebook has held a press event in order to introduce Home, a new way of using Facebook on Android devices. The new application will become available only on smartphones, while tablets owners will have to wait a little longer to get access to this new experience.

facebook-home-cover-feed Facebook Home announced for select Android smartphones News and Reviews

Facebook Home is mainly about the cover feed. It will display your friends’ photos directly on your lockscreen and homescreen.

Facebook Home aims to replace your lock and home screens with your friends’ photos

Home for Android is an application which will have an impact on users from the moment they unlock their phones. First comes the cover feed, which will replace your current lockscreen with covers and photos taken from your friends’ albums.

The cover feed will also replace the homescreen with your friends’ photos and status updates. The images will act as a background, while the status updates will be displayed on top of them. Facebook Home users can comment on their friends photos or statuses, and they can like them by double-tapping on the screen.

facebook-home-chat-head-preview Facebook Home announced for select Android smartphones News and Reviews

A “chat heat” preview will show your friend’s profile picture and his message no matter what application you are using.

Chat heads for chatting anywhere, anytime

Another major change consists of the so-called chat heads. They will give Android users the possibility of chatting with their friends even when performing other tasks, like watching a video or playing a game.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims that Facebook is now much deeply integrated into Android, thanks to the operating system’s openness.

facebook-home-notifications Facebook Home announced for select Android smartphones News and Reviews

The new notifications will display the whole message. The background will remain under the influence of your Facebook friends’ photos.

Important notifications will show up directly on your screen

Additionally, the social network is offering improved notifications. When users get a notification, they will see the profile picture of the person who posted on their timeline. Tapping on the notification brings up the post, while swiping away ignores the message so that you can keep doing your work.

The Facebook Home release date is April 12. It will become available for the HTC One X and One X+, respectively for the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2. The upcoming HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones will also get the application as soon as they will be released on the market.

htc-first-facebook-phone Facebook Home announced for select Android smartphones News and Reviews

HTC First is a Facebook phone, but not a real one.

HTC First is kind of a Facebook phone, but not really

Beside the app, Facebook has signed a partnership with AT&T and HTC, which will come to fruition thanks to the HTC First, an Android-powered smartphone designed with Home in mind.

The new smartphone will be released on the same day as the application itself, exclusively at AT&T. Although it has been rumored for a long time, a true Facebook phone has not been announced and will not be announced anytime soon, said Mark Zuckerberg.

Facebook confirmed that Home is aimed at users who want an Android experience focused on people and their photos, not the other way around.

Zuckerberg added that iOS and Windows Phone devices will not get a version of the Home application because they are not as open as Android.

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