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Version 3.4 of Facebook is currently rolling out, introducing features that were previously only available in the beta version. New features include the ability to share News Feed stories with friends via a private message and the ability to store the app on a MicroSD card, freeing up precious space. Facebook Home has also received some tender loving care. While the app hasn't been expanded to any additional models, current users can now create folders by dragging on app on top of another.
Head Of Android Sundar Pichai Talks Google I/O, Android, And Chrome - Confirms Focus On Developer Tools, Not A Major Android Revision
Newly appointed head of Google's Android division Sundar Pichai - who perhaps not-so-incidentally also leads the Chrome OS team - recently sat down with
Newly appointed head of Google's Android division Sundar Pichai - who perhaps not-so-incidentally also leads the Chrome OS team - recently sat down with Wired for his first interview since Andy Rubin's departure. Though he didn't speak to specifics about any mysterious Motorola smartphone or Chromebook Pixel follow-up, Pichai did shed some light on the state of Android, Google's open-source philosophy, and future projects.
HTC First Review: The Phone You Didn't Realize You'd Actually Want
Facebook phone. Those two words in that order have been repeated over and over again for the last couple of years, simply as rumors for the longest time.
Facebook phone. Those two words in that order have been repeated over and over again for the last couple of years, simply as rumors for the longest time. Then the HTC Status hit the scene with an integrated Facebook button – still, Zuckerberg himself claimed that it wasn't Facebook's phone.
PSA: Facebook Home Updated, Now Available Outside Of The US
Facebook did a soft launch of its new Home launcher late last week, which left a lot of its international users out in the cold. Good news: if you've
Facebook did a soft launch of its new Home launcher late last week, which left a lot of its international users out in the cold. Good news: if you've been dying to get your hands on Home, it's now available outside of the US. Of course, device restrictions still apply, as the app is only available on a handful of handsets right now:
Tip: Use Facebook Home Alongside Another Launcher By Leaving It Enabled, But Not Making It The Default
When I went hands-on with Facebook's new launcher a few days ago, I stepped away pleased with the overall experience, but felt that it lacked a lot of
When I went hands-on with Facebook's new launcher a few days ago, I stepped away pleased with the overall experience, but felt that it lacked a lot of the features a power user (or even a regular user who does stuff) would like. Still, I found the "lock screen" functionality to be a very pleasant experience – turning my phone on to nothing more than a scrolling photo and the time is very minimal and relaxing. I even made the comment that I wish I could use it as my lockscreen and return to Nova for my actual launcher. Turns out doing just that is actually extremely easy.
Schmidt: Android Reaches 1.5m Daily Activations, Facebook Home Is Exactly What Android Was Designed For
Back in September of last year, Google chairman Eric Schmidt told us that Android had reached 1.3 million daily activations every day. Today, he tells
Back in September of last year, Google chairman Eric Schmidt told us that Android had reached 1.3 million daily activations every day. Today, he tells us that number is up to 1.5 million, which is actually not that staggering of an increase. Andy Rubin said the number was 900,000 per day in June of 2012, so the increase from there to September was much, much faster than the increase from September to now. Still, it's an impressive number on its own. Oh and the total number of devices activated will cross one billion in "six to nine months." Not bad.
Facebook Home has arrived, and whether we like it or not, it's here to stay. The 2.5/5.0 rating at the close of the day isn't exactly inspiring, but it's likely a knee-jerk reaction from Facebook haters, which I am confident will go up to somewhere in the 3.X range with further improvements. Cameron addressed the current state of Home pretty well earlier today, so now that the dust has settled, it's time for a fun video to finish off the work week, both for Facebook employees who worked on the product and us, its potential (but unlikely) users.
Hey! Facebook Home is here, and you can totally have it. So long as you have a compatible phone, of course. It just so happens that I have one such phone laying on my desk (an HTC One X+), so I figured I'd give this whole Facebook as your phone experience a shot. Been playing with it for around an hour or so when I started writing this, and it's... different. The experience is strange, and I find myself continuously hitting the home button in an attempt to escape this parallel universe and get back to the comfort of my "normal" launcher. Since I made Home my default as soon as I installed it (as a means to ensure I'd actually play with it), those attempts are in vain. But now I have a pretty good idea of what Home is all about (read: Facebook everywhere), how I'd use it (read: I wouldn't), and who might like it (read: probably not you).
Just in case getting chat heads in your Messenger app, and downloading Facebook Home wasn't enough for you, the social network die hards can pick up the HTC First from AT&T starting today for $99 with a two-year contract. The device comes in black, red, white and "pale blue."
We just saw updates to Facebook and Messenger that were preparing for Facebook Home to arrive on Android. Now, the app is rolling out to the Play Store, albeit slowly. As of right now, links to the app here are pulling up the entry on some devices. We've been trying it out here at AP and some of us can get the app to come up, some can't, but it's clearly on its way.
Today, both of Facebook's current apps have been updated to prepare for the arrival of Facebook Home. The main app merely added an extra permission that Home will eventually use. However, the real fun came to Messenger, which now has the ability to pop out Chat Heads, regardless of if you're using the replacement launcher.
On April 12th, Facebook Home will arrive in the Play Store... for select devices. It's a homescreen replacement app, and for those who use Facebook regularly, might be something worth looking into. The demos of the app looked smooth and simple - there's a lot of that gesture business going on - and while I'm not exactly big on Facebook, I know I'm going to give it a whirl just to see what it's like.
Today, Facebook announced the Facebook Home suite that we've been hearing so much about. Well, to be more accurate, we've been hearing that Facebook is going to build its own phone and fork Android and create its own special social OS and that it would be the end of Google and that civilization will crash around us and we'll all wear monkey pelts and "Like" statuses by hurling spears through our enemies. Or something. Well, as it turns out, the world didn't end, Android is still whole, and Zuckerberg even thinks the idea of forking an entire OS to make an app is silly.
Who's ready for the Facebook phone?! Honestly, it really doesn't matter either way – it's coming whether you want it to or not. And as much as people are trash-talking this upcoming device, one thing's still pretty certain: everyone is curious about it. What's it going to be like? How much Facebook are we talking about here? Should I be afraid? While we can't answer or quantify all of those, we can shed a little light as to what the UI should look like thanks to a new post by @evleaks over at 9to5Google.