HTC First Reviews

HTC First Review at Engadget

The HTC First is compelling for two reasons. For Facebook fans, it's now easier to maintain social connections with friends and family. For the tech-savvy crowd who has little interest in the service, the phone is a stock Android 4.1 device that comes with AT&T LTE, which is still something of a rarity. Facebook Home isn't perfect, nor will it convince many non-Facebookers to start Liking and commenting with reckless abandon. But it's aesthetically pleasing, and surprisingly polished for a 1.0 product. Besides, if you download it onto an existing phone through the Play Store, it's free to use and easily removable, which might give the software broad appeal from the get-go. In its current state, Home isn't the best fit for productivity-minded people, although it does offer a bit of mindless entertainment for anyone just looking to burn a minute or two throughout the day. More importantly, Home is proof that Facebook wants to attack the saturated mobile market. It's hard to say if it will win the battle, but it's bringing a heavy load of artillery to the fight. Read more...

HTC First Review at CNET

As a standalone smartphone, the HTC First is a basic little number. It acts as a totally adequate vessel for Android Jelly Bean, and has some nice hardware considerations, including a 720p HD screen and 1080p HD video capture. However, the phone's industrial design is a real snoozer and the handset's nonremovable battery and absent microSD card slot will turn some people away.

Thanks to the HTC One's debut, the more premium HTC One X and One X+ are on sale for the same price or less. I'd consider either of those ahead of this HTC First, especially since both smartphones are also compatible with Facebook Home. In fact, Facebook, HTC , and AT&T would have been better giving this phone away for free. Read more...

HTC First Review at PCMag

If the HTC First were the only way to get Facebook Home, it would likely receive a slightly higher rating. But as it stands, this is just an average smartphone that comes preloaded with a shiny new app. It's a decent choice for the money, and a decent choice if you can't be bothered to load the Facebook Home suite onto a different Android phone. But you can get the Samsung Galaxy S III$189.99 at Amazon Wireless for the same price as the First, and that gets you a bigger screen, a microSD card slot, a better camera, and Samsung's TouchWiz UI layer. Or you can wait for the Samsung Galaxy S4, which promises to be bigger and better than the GS3 in every way, if also more expensive. The HTC One is also more expensive, but it gets you more memory, a fantastic camera, and the sharpest mobile display available, along with HTC's innovative new Sense 5 UI. It'll be a little extra work to download Facebook Home, but you'll be rewarded with a more intuitive experience all around. Read more...

HTC First Review at Wired

WIRED Chat Heads rule — an innovative interface that makes messaging a truly multitasking experience. Full-screen Cover Feed images are pretty and won’t drain battery or data. Simple integration of a complicated web service that doesn’t take away from Android’s strengths. Tactile navigation is smooth and sensible. An easy way to spend more time on Facebook.

TIRED Still has bugs that need working out; syncing contacts, for example. No photo or events integration option. You still need to jump in and out of Cover Feed to the main Facebook app to see people profiles. Could start to suck once ads creep in. An easy way to spend more time on Facebook. Read more...

HTC First Review at SlashGear

You could argue that the HTC First is in a category on its own, the first and so-far only dedicated Facebook Home device. That’s certainly how HTC and AT&T would like you to see it. However, there are plenty of ways to do social aggregation – HTC’s own BlinkFeed for instance, on the One, pulls in Facebook updates among other things – and viewed in the grander scheme of things, the First simply doesn’t feel like a $100 device. We’d certainly argue strongly in favor of spending the extra $100 upfront and going for the more refined build quality, better camera, and generally more impressive hardware and software experience of the HTC One, for instance. Read more...

HTC First Review at Mashable

If you've felt yourself moving away from Facebook, Facebook Home will suck you back in. There is something undeniably compelling about the scrolling imagery. A tap shows your friend's latest status comment, which may or may not be related to the photo. All this can be done without logging in to Facebook (you're always logged in) or even unlocking the phone.

The Facebook notification cards remind you of the world of activity happening on the social network, but they also tend to make your forget about other activities. Twitter notifications are there, but they don't wrap lines so the context of the Twitter interaction disappears outside the right side of the notification card. Gmail messages are listed, but only as a number ("18 new messages"). Facebook notifications prompt a phone vibration by default. Everything else quietly glides in.

There are currently no ads, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has promised that they'll eventually arrive in cover feeds. I'm sure they'll get the same preferential treatment as everything else Facebook. That may annoy some people. Read more...