Staff Writer
Facebook Home is new Android software that turns your cell phone into a Facebook phone. This product is a type of application called a launcher. A launcher allows users to modify their home screen, launch applications, and perform tasks outside of an application.
So, how does it work? When you use Facebook Home your lock screen changes from a number pad or drawn pattern to a screen with constantly updating Facebook statuses. Your profile picture resides on the lock screen and is called the bobble. The bobble allows you to access your apps, message people, and go back to your last used application. Facebook messenger has received a major upgrade; it can now also send text messages as opposed to only Facebook messages. When you receive a message, the picture of the person who sent it, which is called a chat head, will appear at the right hand side of your screen.
Facebook worked with HTC, a phone manufacturer, on the HTC First which will be the first phone to have this software. Facebook did not work much on the hardware. “We focused primarily on the software and that’s what we build here at Facebook,” said Joey Flynn, Facebook software engineer. The HTC First launched Friday, April 12, 2013 on AT&T for $100, and you can download Facebook Home for free on the Google Play Store.
For more information on Facebook Home, click to view the video below:
