HTC First won’t be coming to the UK

Facebook has confirmed that the HTC First will not be coming to the UK as planned in the next couple of months.

Originally due to launch in the coming months initially as an EE exclusive, the HTC First will not be arriving in the UK.

UK network provider EE said the decision came from Facebook itself, as it is choosing to focus on making the Facebook Home experience better.

“Following customer feedback, Facebook has decided to focus on adding new customisation features to Facebook Home over the coming months”, said a statement from EE. “While they are working to make a better Facebook Home experience, they have recommended holding off launching the HTC First in the UK, and so we will shortly be contacting those who registered their interest with us to let them know of this decision.”

The HTC First is a Facebook Home centric handset offering a deeper integration of the Android skin than that available for selected Android smartphones.

“Rest assured, we remain committed to bringing our customers the latest mobile experiences, and we will continue to build on our strong relationship with Facebook so as to offer customers new opportunities in the future.”

The handset went on sale in the US on April 14, but within a month American network provider AT&T cut the HTC First price down to just $0.99.

Having signed an agreement with HTC and Facebook to feature the HTC First within its stores, AT&T will be removing the device from sale and return any unsold handsets when this expires.

According to sources, AT&T managed to shift only 15,000 HTC First units during the week commencing May 6, just a couple of week after the Facebook phone launched.

Playing host to a 4.3-inch 720p HD display, dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU and a 5-megapixel camera, we’re not sure if the UK smartphone market will miss the HTC First’s presence at all.

Next, read our Facebook Home review.

Via: Engadget