Facebook Home was unveiled today by Mark Zuckerberg, a new software allowing the integration of new social networking platform in smartphones equipped with Google’s Android operating system. In a press conference at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, California, Mark Zuckerberg presented the main features of the Facebook Home.
Starting April 12, the new application can be installed on any smartphone, but it will be built at the factory in HTC First, HTC One, Samsung Galaxy Note II, Samsung Galaxy SIII and S4, reports New York Times.
“The home screen is the soul of your phone. It sets the tone. We feel it should be deeply personal,” said Zuckerberg. He added: “It’s putting people first in your phone.”
The new interface will focus on images as well as recent changes made in the news of Facebook.
“We’re not building an operating system. We’re building something that’s a whole lot deeper,” Facebook CEO said.
Analysts say Facebook needed a way to play a greater role in providing services that customers expect on smartphones: communication possibilities, searching for information, making online shopping and entertainment.
There was a lot of speculation in the media since last week that Facebook could launch a special version of Google’s Android system, modified so that the social network will appear on the home page which will make its debut on a phone manufactured by HTC.
An employee of Facebook, quoted by the New York Times said that a version of Android will be launched that will put Facebook in the spotlight. For example, when opening the phone, the Facebook page of the user will be displayed, said one source.
Mobile services segment represents a major element of the Facebook future, given that users spend more time on Facebook through mobile applications than on computers.
Facebook’s business strategy is to get people to use social networking as much as possible, so they can be served more commercials. A phone with an operating system focused on Facebook will cause users to use the social network more than other competing applications and services.
Amazon has also changed the Android for its Kindle Fire tablet. Facebook has been considering for two years to make its own smartphone, but the project named “Buffy” is still stagnating internally because the company has not decided whether to produce the device itself or with a phone maker.
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