The Engadget Interview: HTC President of Global Sales Jason MacKenzie

Posted on 04/04/2013 by Brad Molen

Shortly after Facebook's big reveal this morning, we caught up with HTC President of Global Sales Jason McKenzie and spent a few minutes with him discussing the First. As expected, he was pretty excited about this collaboration between his company, Facebook and AT&T. Jason revealed to us that HTC's strategy involves ultimately catering the First to hardcore (or at least frequent) users of the social network, whereas a device like the One will be more appealing to those who aren't interested in staying constantly connected. Interestingly, HTC seems to have put Facebook in the driver's seat here, as the First will not only come pre-loaded with Facebook Home (and its firmware optimizations), but no sign of Sense anywhere. It's certainly a departure from HTC's usual branding efforts, so it'll be intriguing to see exactly how well the device sells on AT&T. We have our full interview with Jason below, so take a few minutes to get the First scoop.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC, AT&T, Facebook

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HTC First hands-on (update: video)

Posted on 04/04/2013 by Brad Molen

After endless months of speculation, the collaboration between HTC and Facebook has finally been revealed to the world. It's not a Facebook Phone per se, it's simply a skinned Android smartphone that just so happens to bestow deep social media integration upon the OS, a move which makes the First -- as well as future devices that feature the newly announced Facebook Home interface -- an appropriate candidate for the term. The First will be available April 12th for $100 on AT&T, but it can be pre-ordered starting today.

While Facebook Home is taking the spotlight, let's examine the first piece of hardware it will be featured on. On the spec sheet, the First isn't going to take anybody's breath away: it's a midrange phone with 1.4GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear camera and 1.6MP front-facing cam, Android 4.1 and a 4.3-inch 720p display. We're just getting our hands on the device right now and will continue to offer up our First impressions, along with a full gallery of images.

Gallery: HTC First hands-on

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC, Facebook

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HTC First announced, coming exclusively to AT&T on April 12th for $99.99

Posted on 04/04/2013 by Tim Stevens

Continuing its obsession with the number one, HTC has officially announced the First, an Android device with a bit more Facebook influence than most other smartphones we've used in the past -- including other handsets given preferential treatment from the social media network during the last four years. HTC's Peter Chou and AT&T's Ralph de la Vega took the stage at the event to announce the phone, which is the world's first Home-optimized device. What exactly that means remains to be seen, but HTC's Chou indicated it will be a "unique experience."

There were no specs announced for the device, other than it having LTE, of course. But, earlier leaks have indicated it will be 4.3-inch, 720p mid-range phone, not threatening the HTC One by any stretch of the imagination. It will be available on April 12th exclusively in the US on AT&T for just $99.99. And, it will be available in four colors: red, turquoise, white and, of course, black. You can pre-order yours today at the More Coverage link below, and there's a brief video after the break to explain how the new notifications work.

Gallery: HTC First