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Topic: Mobility

Is Facebook on the HTC First and HTC One the savior of HTC?

Summary: The HTC First Facebook phone is available for pre-order now, and the HTC One with BlinkFeed functionality that can be set just to Facebook updates is coming soon. Will a focus on Facebook be attractive to consumers and help HTC stem its financial slide?

Matthew Miller

By for Smartphones and Cell Phones |

You can set up BlinkFeed on the HTC One to just show Facebook updates and quickly post your own status updates, and now we see HTC taking Facebook integration a step further with the upcoming HTC First from AT&T. You can pre-order the HTC First today for $99.99, with availability slated for April 12.

Will the HTC First and HTC One with BlinkFeed help save HTC?
(Image: HTC/Facebook)

Specifications of the HTC First include:

  • 4.3-inch HD 720p display

  • 1.4GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8930AA chipset

  • Android 4.1 with Facebook Home

  • 1GB RAM

  • Up to 16GB storage

  • 5-megapixel rear camera and 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera

  • Wi-fi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS

  • FM radio

  • 2000mAh non-removable battery

  • Dimensions: 4.96x2.56x0.35 inches and 4.37 ounces

My wife enjoyed the Facebook BlinkFeed experience, and since she uses Facebook quite a bit on her phone, she may like installing the Facebook Home application onto a device like the HTC One when it is released in the Google Play Store. However, like James, I am not yet sold on the idea of a phone having such deep Facebook integration and focus. It's been tried before by HTC and didn't do well at all.

HTC needs something to generate excitement for its fantastic hardware, and Facebook may help. Facebook is one of the most popular applications used on mobile phones, and HTC made a good move being a part of the Facebook Home launch event.

I think it also needs to build on the HTC First discussion by letting people know that the HTC One can offer some Facebook home screen functionality while still giving the consumer full control over the experience. HTC has not done well in marketing its products, and should use the opportunity with Facebook to promote the heck out of the HTC First and the HTC One.

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Topics: Mobility, HTC, Smartphones, Social Enterprise

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5 comments
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  • I

    am MUCH less inclined to buy anything that has FakeBook in ANY WAY connected with it. So no, this won't help HTC one bit. In fact I predict it will cost them customers. FB isn't the golden boy it once was...what with all that privacy violation, tracking even offline and giving your photos away.

    They are a bigger pariah today than Microsoft!
    timspublic1@...
    Reply Vote

  • Love my new HTC One

    I've had my HTC One for exactly 30hours now. I love it. Definitely my best phone ever. The screen, audio, speed, design and even the muted Sense are all superb.

    The TV functionality is a bit 'meh' (It can't cope with my convoluted AV system) and although the battery lasted a lot longer than my HTC Sensation ever did even with first day overuse, I still think I'm going to need a rechargeable brick thing. I really wish HTC did a removable battery or made a fatter, longer lasting phone. Those bricks are way too cumbersome and slow compared to a spare battery. All it's going to take is a long boring train journey or a birthday night out including lots of flash photography and I can see me running out before a day is out.
    The biggest disappointment though has to be blinkfeed. There's absolutely no content on there that I want to see. Far too much in the way of glossy pics and not enough text for my tastes. For me, it would have been far better to have a prettied up 'Google News' where I can really filter news down to very specific interests over many sites and avoid anything too glossy and 'markety'.


    The last thing I want on blinkfeed however is any form of social networking. In fact, I won't even use the Facebook or Twitter apps on my phone. It's not as though I don't use these services on my desktop, it's just that I don't want mindless nonsense following me around all day.

    All I can say is that at least the Facebook integration features are optional on my HTC One and there's no loss of functionality (other than lack of Facebook) if it's turned off.
    dale303
    Reply Vote

  • Disappointed

    I was thinking of getting an HTC one, but all this FB crap is a HUGE turn off for me, so I may just go with an S4 instead.
    eye4bear
    Reply Vote

  • 2 different products

    They are 2 totally different products, HTC first is a pure customized product for facebook while HTC ONE is HTC's top-tier product of the year.
    You have mixed them up and the final comment on facebook issue is totally irrelevent to HTC ONE. You are making confusion about these 2 products.
    MythUS
    Reply 1 Vote

  • HTC killing itsself

    Adding anything Facebook not removable or to involved in a phone just makes it a device that is unattractive. What moron would want facebook snooping that much and draining your device so much? I and most I know tend to get a new device and root it so any and all socila garbage such as facebook and twitter can be fully removed. Things like FacebookHome, Blinkfeed, and motoblur just turn smartphone users off. I see HTC failing beyond repair if they ruin greet line ups like the Evo or One lines with social grandstanding. To bad they had great phones. I still love using my Evo 4G original but my galaxy 3 seems to be calling me more to samsung with these htc fails.
    Fletchguy
    Reply Vote
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