When Facebook unveiled its “Facebook Home” launcher for Android – everyone us were wondering: Do we even want or need this? The answer to that question seems to be a “no”, at least in its current form.

The Home-equipped HTC First isn’t a bad handset, but already there has been reports of poor sales and AT&T even cut the price after just a month from $99 with contract to just $.99 with contract. There are even rumors that AT&T is preparing to discontinue the First.

In light of mixed to poor reception for Facebook Home, the HTC First is now being delayed from its expected UK launch.

It was supposed to arrive this summer through EE and Orange, but is indefinitely delaying the launch. Here’s Facebook’s official statement:

We’ve listened to feedback from users on their experience using Home. While many people love it, we’ve heard a lot of great feedback about how to make Home substantially better. As a result we’re focusing the next few months on adding customization features that address the feedback we received. While we focus on making Home better, we are going to limit supporting new devices and think it makes a lot of sense for EE and Orange to hold off deploying the HTC First in Europe.

The question is whether this delay means that Facebook Home is dead or not. Personally, I think that Facebook invested enough time and money into Home that they will keep working on it, adding more improvements that help it become more useful. Will it be enough for them to find success? I have strong doubts, but you never know.

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The Sony range of Xperia phones will soon be joined by a new budget minded device, if these leaked photos and rumored specifications are found to be genuine.

According to the leak, the S39h will be a 4.3-inch 720p Android phone, and will go on sale in China to compete in the fiercely competitive smartphone market. A full specification sheet hasn’t been made available yet, but tipsters suggest the phone to offer dual-sim support, and either a 5 or 8 mega-pixel rear camera. The Xperia S39h might even end up being powered by a quad-core Mediatek chip, if reports in China are to be believed.

Personally I’m not a fan of the design of the S39h and believe Sony will need to improve their styling to compete with high spec, low-cost phone offered by local Chinese brands. What do you think of the S39h, how does it compare to other Chinese-marketed handsets out there?

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We’ve been hearing about the Nokia Lumia 928 for what seems like forever now. Rumor this, rumor that. Sick of the damn rumors? Don’t worry, they are finally over, the Lumia 928 is now official!

That’s right, Nokia has come forward confirming that the Lumia 928 will arrive on Verizon’s network in just six days. May 16th is certainly a quick turn-around from announcement to release, but considering everyone saw this phone coming – it’s not that shocking.

Largely the phone’s specs are the same as the older Lumia 920. The Lumia 920 has a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 2000 mAh battery, 32GB storage and 4.5-inch OLED display. There are liekly a few small changes in the specs, but most of the change in the design.

While the Lumia 920 had a bold, sexy design that was different from other phones out there, Verizon’s variant only comes in black and white. It is also a bit boxier than the Lumia 920. Honestly, it is still a very attractive handset, but some folks will be a bit disappointed with the lack of color.

How much will the 928 cost ya? $99, after a $50 mail-in rebate, and after signing a contract of course. Additionally, they will run a limited time promotion that gives new buyers a $25 credit for Windows Phone apps and games.
That’s about all we know “for sure” about the Lumia 928, though Nokia tells us to “stay tuned” for more in-depth details and coverage coming soon.

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Fans of Blackberry’s QWERTY equipped phones will be interested to hear that a new budget-oriented phone could be making an appearance next week at the Blackberry Live conference.

The news comes in the form of a leaked photo of the R10 along with purported specifications from Chinese website DGtle. According to their sources the Blackberry R10 will feature the same 3.1-inch display and 2GB RAM as the more costly Q10 but with a lower spec 5 mega-pixel camera, 8GB ROM and just an 1800mAh battery.

The R10 will be aimed at the entry-level market but would also make a great replacement for anyone wanting to update their older Curve handset. What’s interesting is that Blackberry has said that they will be focusing mostly on the high-end with BB10, so either they’ve changed their mind or they are simply billing this as their first mid-ranger. What do you think, would you be interested in a cheaper variant of the Q10? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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Qualcomm announced at an event held earlier today in Beijing that the big daddy Snapdragon 800 will see production toward the end of May. The Snapdragon 800 features some key performance updates over to Snapdragon 600 (found in the S4, HTC One, Optimus G Pro etc) including Krait 400 architecture and Ardreno 330 graphics.

What these improvements actually mean though are the new chip is capable of being clocked at 2.3Ghz and will happily play 4K video at 30fps, although it remains to be seen just how useful this will be on a phone size display. It is rumoured that China’s ZTE will be the first company to launch a Snapdragon 800 phone, but we’ll have to wait until later this year for confirmation and further details.

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Samsung are once again pushing the boundaries of what can be done with a mobile device. Their latest concept is a brainwave controlled tablet. The idea might sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the Korean electronics giant actually have a working prototype based on the current Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tab.

The current system uses a wearable cap which is studded with EEG sensors. Researchers working with Samsung on the system have found that it is possible for users to open an App and select a contact simply by concentrating and using the blink of an eye. The system is far from market ready though, but with considerable research we could see thought controlled mobile devices entering markets in the near future. 

Imagine the potential for this kind of control system for those with disabilities. If such a control method could be perfected, it could truly be a life-changer for some folks.

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The Sony Xperia ZL has been available for purchase in the United States since mid-March, though only through Sony’s website for an outright price of $759. For those of us that can’t afford such a huge upfront cost, the ZL is finally making its way to a carrier, though one that many of those in the United States have probably never heard of: Cincinnati Bell.

Unless you live in the Cincinnati, Ohio or one of its nearby suburbs, you might not be aware that such this independent regional carrier exists and even has roughly 500,000 subscribers. If you do happen to live in the area and are interested in the Sony Xperia XL, it will touch down on May 1st for $249.99 after a mail-in rebate and after committing to a two year contract.

For those that need a refresher course when it comes to the Xperia XL’s hardware, it is powered by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, has a Full HD 5-inch display, a 13MP rear cam, 4G LTE and has Android 4.1 Jelly Bean onboard. There are also a few other useful goodies like NFC and infrared capabilities.

It’s a shame that Sony’s best handsets to date (the Xperia Z and ZL) have yet to really make much of an impact in the North American market. Cincinnati Bell is a good start, and hopefully it will bring the attention of a larger carrier such as Verizon or AT&T.

What do you think of the Sony Xperia ZL? Anyone happen to be a subscriber to Cincinnati Bell? If so, does the Xperia ZL interest you or not?

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For years there have been rumors that Facebook would jump into the mobile market with its own OS, or at least some kind of Android fork. Today the company officially unveiled Facebook Home, which is essentially a custom launcher for Android.

Unlike a fork or new OS, this is just Android with a custom skin and no changes to the core of the OS. That means all the Google apps like the Play Store are still there.

What makes Home worth having? For those that are heavily invested into the Facebook world, it creates an immersive experience that is designed around “people” and, of course, Facebook posts.

Home lives both on the ‘home screen’ and the lock screen, using a new cover follow to engage in messages, as well as a new app system called “Chat Heads” that is designed to combine SMS and Facebook messages into a unique experience that runs on top of any app you are currently using.

Introducing the HTC First

Later this month, there will be two ways to get the Facebook Home experience. One of these methods is to download the app when it hits Google Play on the 12th of April, as it is designed to work with many existing Android handsets.

Installing is a simple process, but for those that simply wanted a pre-installed experience, there is also the HTC First. This Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core powered smartphone features 1GB of RAM, a 720p 4.3-inch display, a 5MP rear cam, 1.6MB front cam, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, 4G LTE and Android 4.1 using Facebook Home.

In the United States, the phone can be had through AT&T for $99 with a two year contract.

What do you think of Facebook Home and the HTC First? Interested or not?

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Sammobile is reporting that Samsung will announce the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini later this week with a launch date scheduled for around the end of May.

According to previously leaked specification details and from purported images of the new phone, the S4 Mini will have a 4.3-inch display, 8 mega-pixel rear camera, plus all the usual Android smarpthone features. In addition to a single SIM S4 a dual-sim model is also thought to be heading to stores too both of which ail be available in Black Mist or White Frost colour options.

This will be a similar pattern to what we saw with the S3 Mini, which resembled the looks of its bigger brother but didn’t have even close to the same specs. What do you think of the idea of the Galaxy S4 Mini, interested or not?

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If a new rumor is to be believed, Facebook’s upcoming April 4th event will be focused on the social network giants first foray in the mobile operating arena. Like many before them, Facebook has opted to adapt Google’s Android OS to incorporate their own social media apps including Facebook Messenger, Photos and Contact applications.

The first phone to run the Facebook Home OS is rumoured to be running on the all new HTC Myst which sources close to the company say looks a lot like the iPhone 5 and will feature a physical home button and 4.3-inch display.

It’s going to be interesting to see what the custom Facebook Android OS is going to look like. What we are really curious about is how well it will be accepted, though. What do you think, interested in the idea of a Facebook Android fork?

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