Mark Zuckerberg Introduces ‘Facebook Home’ for Android

Facebook Home

Facebook HomeWhat would it feel like if our phones were designed around us, not our apps? Today, Facebook has revealed a new integration on Android devices that puts social network updates directly on the home screen. It’s a family of apps called “Home” that looks to help you stay connected with people, not apps, making your phone friendlier. So did Facebook actually introduce a new phone? Not exactly, but we did get a sneak peek at the first Facebook optimized phone to hit the market, the new HTC smartphone due out April 12th for about $100.

“You’re going to be able to turn your Android phone into a great social device…” Mark Zuckerberg said. “We’re building something that’s a lot deeper than just a normal app.” Facebook Home is going to integrate with the Android at every level: home screen, notifications, app locations, SMS and more. If you’re wondering about iOS integration, it’s not looking good. When asked about Apple, Zuckerberg praised Android’s open environment whereas Apple’s iOS is much more limited in what control apps can have. “Android was designed from the ground up to support this kind of openness,” Zuckerberg said. Google is aware of what Facebook had planned today, but they are not yet working directly with them on the Facebook Home experience. But as you can see from the diagram, Facebook Home is basically a new layer that exists between you and your apps and phone.

facebook home layer
 

Check out the first Facebook Home ad:


 
What do you think about Facebook Home?
 

Daniel Zeevi

By Daniel Zeevi

Daniel is a social network architect, web developer, infographic designer, writer, speaker and founder of DashBurst. Full-time futurist and part-time content curator, always on the hunt for disruptive new technology, creative art and web humor.

5 comments

  1. Looks great! Thanks to Apple’s inflexibility Home will only be on Android! A good way to show all the kids that their little iToys are not as great as they thought, and Android is the way to go!

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