Last week at Facebook headquarters, CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg officially announced Facebook Home, a small suite of applications that users can install on their Android devices to essentially “Facebook-ize” their phones. The event came after rumors that the social networking giant was finally pulling the trigger on an official handset. Facebook didn’t announce a Facebook phone, but it did reveal a partnership with HTC to produce a mid-range handset that would come pre-installed with Facebook Home.
Specs at a glance: HTC First
Screen 1280×720 4.3-inch (341 ppi) glass display
OS Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
CPU Dual-core 1.4GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
RAM 1GB
GPU Qualcomm Adreno 305
Storage 16GB, no expansion slot
Networking 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
Ports Micro-USB, headphones
Camera 5.0MP rear camera, 1.6MP front camera
Size 4.96″ × 2.56″ × 0.35″
Weight 4.37 oz
Battery 2,000 mAh
Starting price $99 with a two-year contract.
Sensor Ambient light, GPS
Other perks Facebook Home
Facebook intended to introduce a new way to make the smartphone experience “people-centric.” Zuckerberg made the case that most mobile operating systems keep social interaction sequestered to several specific applications, forcing them to exist independent of each other and limiting them to particular lanes. But with an app like Facebook Home installed, the social network becomes the core of the mobile operating system. Notifications and status updates from friends or family become a priority rather than a grid of icons screaming for attention with loud, red-numbered badges.
To be clear, the HTC First is a nice looking phone, but it’s not a “Facebook phone.” At its core, the First is an Android phone with a Facebook overlay. Once Facebook Home is officially released on April 12 in the Google Play store, five supported devices will all have the same Facebook Home functionality. The HTC First is its own product, which will also arrive at AT&T on April 12, but we’re going to review both the application and the handset as one entity because they’re sold as a package. Think of it as getting two reviews for the price of one.
HTC First

Full Story: HTC First review: Don’t call it the Facebook phone | Ars Technica.