For now, Brits will be spared HTC and Facebook’s collaborative smartphone, the HTC First, according to a report from Engadget. The device is notably a prominent showcase for the Facebook Home experience, but given the amount of negative feedback Facebook’s Android overlay got after its US launch, the company plans to overhaul Home before trying to get other countries interested in it.
Facebook launched Facebook Home back in April alongside the HTC First, which comes with stock Android and the Facebook Home interface (complete with its Cover Feed and “chat heads”) pre-installed. Reviews of Facebook Home have ranged from lukewarm to negative, in part because of the way it disrupts, rather than augments, the typical flow of using an Android phone.
Facebook Home carries a 2/5 star rating in the Google Play Store, while the HTC First sold only 15,000 handsets at $99 with a two-year contract in its first month. The First was discounted to 99¢, and reports surfaced that it would be discontinued. Several HTC employees quit, but Facebook swore to users that it would issue improvements to the Home experience to alienate fewer users.
European HTC First launch partner EE reported to Engadget that the decision to hold off releasing the phone abroad was based on Facebook’s recommendation. EE stated that the launch has been postponed and that Facebook “has decided to focus on adding new customization features… over the coming months.” So it may be a while until the Home device has a true home in the UK.
