Zuckerberg's big mobile idea turns out to be free app that turns Android handsets into 'Facebook phone' (videos)

Facebook has unveiled a new app to turn any phone running Google's Android software into a 'Facebook phone', the Daily Mail reported.

The free software can be downloaded to handsets and take over its homescreen and menu system to show updates without having to launch a Facebook app.

It will also be preloaded on new handsets, including a HTC handset called First which will be the first 'Facebook phone', and goes on sale on April 12th, when the free app will also launch.

“Today we're finally here to talk about the Facebook phone,' said Mark Zuckerberg at the announcement at the firm's Silicon Valley HQ.

“Or more accurately, we are going to talk about how you can turn your Android phone into a great social phone.”

“We are not building a phone and we are not building an operating system but we are are building something that is a whole lot deeper than an ordinary app.

“We wanted to flip things around so our phones were designed around people and not apps.

“How many times have you pulled out a phone and looked into different apps to see what's going on.

“We want to bring all this content to the front.”


Zuckerberg has said that users can have an experience on Android phones that they can't have on other platforms.

“We're really proud of Home, we think this is the best version of Facebook there is.”

“Home' comes amid rapid growth in the number of people who access Facebook from phones and tablet computers.

Of its 1.06billion monthly users, 680million log in to Facebook using a mobile gadget.

The new product is a family of apps designed around people's Facebook connections.

Pictures from your Facebook news feed would take up the entire display screen.

Zuckerberg said users will be seeing the world through people rather than apps.

He gave an example of standing in line at a shop and looking down at the phone to see photos of friends and family.