More details have emerged regarding Thursday’s Facebook Home event, at which the social network is expected to announce an Android-based Facebook Phone, made by HTC.
The Android Police website appears to have obtained details from the software APK that suggests the phone’s interface will feature a Facebook Home launcher that sits on top of HTC Sense version 4.5 rather than a full Facebook-themed version of Android.
It also appears from the information gleaned that Facebook Home will not differ from the existing Android app too much, but will simply appear on the phone as a new launcher. Indeed the core Android experience will not be altered at all, judging by Android Police’s report.
In terms of hardware, it looks like the HTC Myst – as it has been dubbed – will boast a 4.3-inch, 720p display, a 5-megapixel camera, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 1GB RAM.
Although those specs are far from official, they aren’t much to write home about. Few expected this device to challenge the likes of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 in terms of hardware, but those listed by Android Police are decidedly mid-range.
According to the system software dump, the device will also run Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2, which would mean neither the latest versions of HTC Sense or Android were present on the device, but that’s unlikely to be too much of an issue to those interested in owning a Facebook-themed phone.
Android Police was also able to glean evidence that Facebook Home will be a standalone app that becomes available on the Google Play store, which would enable it to run on devices other than the HTC Myst.
The event, which promises the arrival of ‘Facebook’s new home on Android’ was officially announced last week following months, nay years, of rumours about a Facebook Phone.
Are you looking forward to the event? Is the Facebook Phone on your radar for a potential purchase? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
