Facebook Phone is Out and It is Not What You Think

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg was with HTC CEO Peter Chou and AT&T President and CEO Ralph dela Vega at the launch of the Facebook Phone. The concept has been the stuff of speculations for years and now it is finally here.

What is the Facebook Phone?

The Facebook Phone is not a proprietary hardware, nor is it a simple proprietary operating system. There is still no consensus on what to call it, but under the hood it runs Android. The aim of the phone was to show a full immersive experience around Facebook as an always-connected platform. To create the experience, a layer of Facebook interaction was created on top of Android, rendering the OS invisible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J4aecKl7dY

It looks like a user interface (UI), but the way Facebook interacts with the user, this is more than just a UI. Facebook implemented several interface changes which make Facebook more accessible. These changes in the UI make it easier for the user to access Facebook features. Among other features, it uses Chat Heads which are bubbles that show friend avatars; notifications are seamlessly embedded; and the home screen is (for now) a big blank desktop. Facebook is still deciding whether to put ads on it.

Target market

For the dedicated Facebook user, this is a Facebook centric phone which makes sharing and chatting on Facebook easier. The use of Chat Heads make for a better notification, and somehow forces users to have unique avatars. The trend for avatars nowadays is to use them for advocacy as well as a fashion statement or like a status symbol. There are a lot of people who use the same avatar, and this might lead to some mistakes and misunderstanding. The user might think that he’s communicating with a specific person, when in fact, it is a different person with the same avatar.

Some features

Unlike the Facebook app version on iPhone and Android, the notifications popups can be accessed immediately and with a swipe can be sent back to the background. Facebook fans would appreciate that they don’t need to dig deep in order to answer messages or read user status. These can also be dismissed one at a time or all at the same time.

The home screen shows the user’s avatar and a cover page. Zuckerberg mentioned that this open space may be used someday for ads, or for some other user item. Alternatively, Facebook can decide to put the status feed on the home screen, along with the ads.

Facebook does not present a compelling reason for users to have a Facebook phone. However, the Facebook phone gives a compelling reason for advertisers to go with Facebook. If this phone gets more people to share pictures and thoughts, it would drive content and traffic to Facebook.

Video by: jordontin