Is Facebook Home The Test Version Of A Mobile Platform?

When Facebook introduced Home, as well as the flagship HTC First device, it felt weird to call it a phone. There's little to no customization, as there is with most smart phones on the market, and it seems like that's what turned off users. But the planned updates announced Thursday show that Facebook is planning to turn Home-enabled phones back into, well, phones. However, Facebook Home could just be a guinea pig for the company to develop something better in the future.

When Facebook introduced Home, as well as the flagship HTC First device, it felt weird to call it a phone. There’s little to no customization, as there is with most smart phones on the market, and it seems like that’s what turned off users. But the planned updates announced Thursday show that Facebook is planning to turn Home-enabled phones back into, well, phones. However, Facebook Home could just be a guinea pig for the company to develop something better in the future.

Reading through the one-star reviews of Facebook Home on the Google Play store (as Facebook Director of Product Adam Mosseri has been doing), it’s evident that users want more phone, less Facebook:

  • It won’t let you launch the app without clearing your preference for a home screen, the app doesn’t have customizable shortcuts for the main screen, adding apps to the app screen is lame.
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