HTC Status delivers instant Facebook access
July 23, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Facebook isn’t exactly hurting for more access.
HTC
The HTC Status.
HTC The HTC Status.
The social network has ballooned to more than 750 million users and the amount of data shared each day on the social network is growing exponentially, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said.
But phone maker HTC is looking to make all this even easier with the Status, the first phone built around Facebook and the first to feature a dedicated Facebook button.
The Android-based Status, first released in Europe under the name ChaCha, was released Sunday in the U.S. and is available for $50 from ATT with a two-year contract.
HTC calls the Facebook button on the front “context-aware,” which means it will pulse with light when the phone thinks you’re doing something that could be shared on Facebook, such as reading a news article online or taking a photo.
Pressing it brings up the Facebook app so you can share what you’re doing with friends.
When the phone is in camera mode, the Facebook button also works as a shutter that automatically drops the image into the Facebook app, where it can be captioned and people can be tagged.
When you’re browsing online, the Facebook button will share the link to your Facebook wall and give you the chance to add a comment above it.
Holding down the button will let you check in to report where you are.
As a safeguard, the Facebook button won’t ever send any content directly onto your friends’ news feeds on Facebook. With each press, you have a chance to confirm that the content you had up on your screen is ready for all the eyes on the social network.
Some things, such as text messages and emails, won’t be shared on the social network if the Facebook button is pressed while reading them.
The Facebook experience here isn’t as good as it could be. When you’re sharing a link or updating your status, friends can’t be tagged so that their names are clickable, as they can on the desktop version of the site.
And if chat messages are sent to a friend on a computer, they’re not there when you pick up the conversation on your phone — just your friend’s incoming messages are.
The physical keyboard on the Status is great, with its spaced-out oval keys that make texting a breeze.
The device is super light, super thin and well-built. The phone’s slight bend in the middle makes it comfortable to hold in your hand and up to your ear. The 2.6-inch screen is a bit small, though, if you’re used to the 4.3-inch touchscreen now standard on most smartphones.
It runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), the latest version of Google’s operating system, so you’ve got all the latest features and apps. The Status has a low-quality front-facing camera for video chat.
The Status does not run on ATT’s next-generation HSPA+ network, which the carrier is billing as 4G. Still, the Status’ download speed on ATamp;T’s 3G network easily outmatched phones on the other carriers’ 3G networks.
Bottom line: We still haven’t seen a true Facebook phone. We would need better integration to call it that.
More powerful phones like the Apple iPhone and top-tier Android-based smartphones do everything this phone does on the social network but with a couple more clicks.
The Status is a neat little phone that should be appealing for younger users keen on quick texting and basic social networking features.
The tween in your life will love it.
Price: $49.99 with two-year contract
Software: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
Size: 4.5-2.5-.42 inches
Weight: 4.37 ounces
Cameras: Back-facing 5 megapixels with LED flash, front-facing VGA camera
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