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Re: Facebook Home

#51

Post by rhizome »

dotBen wrote: post #16

I take issue with the problem statement: "today, phones are built around tasks and apps. To see what's happening with your friends, you pull out your phone and navigate through a series of separate apps." Firstly, the value to me in owning a smartphone and paying the charges associated with it is ultimately task orientated - from running my business, to getting driving directions, to wanting to play a specific genre…

Well, it wouldn't be very professional for them to just come right out and say, "Say goodbye to the days of checking your Twitter feed separately by no longer using Twitter!"

Re: Facebook Home

#52

Post by freshfunk »

lost_name wrote: post #27

Sometimes, I hate being such a cynical person. I see what appears to be a fine product, which adds a lot of desirable features for communication -- chat heads look especially nice -- but all I can really wonder is what else Facebook might be mining out of my phone usage that the regular Facebook App doesn't do already. Maybe they want to take over SMS messaging on the phone completely and route it through Facebook (c…

These worries are true for anything you install on Android. This is just another app, just presente differently.

Re: Facebook Home

#53

Post by rhizome »

zwieback wrote: post #30
danso wrote: post #8

To echo a complaint that is common when designers show off prototypes/imagined-redesigns...what does all this look like when your friends aren't as attractive/good at photography? I'm talking about the Cover Feed function. In the life stage I am now, I'd say that my Facebook Phone would be showing random baby photos 80% of the time, food photos 10% of the time. I'm also curious how that feature interacts with what I'…

Random baby photos and food - I'd say you could do a lot worse.

Does a picture of someone's feet on a beach with a comment that "it doesn't get any better than this!" qualify as worse?

Re: Facebook Home

#56

Post by djanogo »

JSadowski wrote: post #17

I like Android intents and all, but I think Facebook is misguided if their plan is to release a new version of Home every month. The intent preference is only remembered for the same version of the app... that means if they choose to update the version the user will be asked if they want to launch the intent with Facebook Home again ("Just Once" / "Always").

Facebook already knew this, that's one of the reasons why AT&T and HTC are included in this project, for HTC first device they will install it as system app which will avoid this problem.

Collaborating with HTC and AT&T allows them to install 'Home' as system app in future devices, this will allow their app to add 'layers' on top of any app. This can only be done if device is rooted or app is installed as system app.

Re: Facebook Home

#57

Post by mbrock »

danso wrote: post #8

To echo a complaint that is common when designers show off prototypes/imagined-redesigns...what does all this look like when your friends aren't as attractive/good at photography? I'm talking about the Cover Feed function. In the life stage I am now, I'd say that my Facebook Phone would be showing random baby photos 80% of the time, food photos 10% of the time. I'm also curious how that feature interacts with what I'…

Just unfriend them. Life's too short.

Re: Facebook Home

#58

Post by JumpCrisscross »

dotBen wrote: post #16

I take issue with the problem statement: "today, phones are built around tasks and apps. To see what's happening with your friends, you pull out your phone and navigate through a series of separate apps." Firstly, the value to me in owning a smartphone and paying the charges associated with it is ultimately task orientated - from running my business, to getting driving directions, to wanting to play a specific genre…

"Maybe I don't fit the demographic, but I don't want [task-orientation] to become second-class citizens over friend communications."

You're not their demographic. Phones are still a primarily social technology for most people. The most popular features, voice calls, text messaging, and possibly email, revolve around people.

P.S. I know several people who friend news sources and bloggers and use Fb as an ersatz RSS feed, mitigating the death-by-cat-pictures eventuality.

Re: Facebook Home

#59

Post by rhizome »

freshfunk wrote: post #52
lost_name wrote: post #27

Sometimes, I hate being such a cynical person. I see what appears to be a fine product, which adds a lot of desirable features for communication -- chat heads look especially nice -- but all I can really wonder is what else Facebook might be mining out of my phone usage that the regular Facebook App doesn't do already. Maybe they want to take over SMS messaging on the phone completely and route it through Facebook (c…

These worries are true for anything you install on Android. This is just another app, just presente differently.

Consider the source. FB has much higher and invasive corporate and government connections who would love to use that data than the SuperGronk "just another app" game company does.

Re: Facebook Home

#60

Post by daigoba66 »

It turns your Android phone into Facebook. I'm amused by the App Launcher description: "Get right to Facebook, Instagram and other essentials". Because the only reason I use technology for social media things...

But to be fair there might be a certain demographic for which this makes sense. And in many ways it's a lot like what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows Phone (but I don't know how successful that is).

The product seems pretty cool even though I'd never use it.

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