Facebook set to reveal ‘new home on Android’

Facebook will reveal its “new home on Android” today at an event where the American company is widely expected to unveil a homescreen for smartphones.

The social media giant refused to divulge any further details about the launch yesterday beyond promising a “product announcement”.

An invitation asked guests to “come see our new home on Android” at a function in California.

The event generated widespread interest online, where much speculation surrounded the rumoured Facebook homescreen which analysts suggested would run on Google’s mobile operating system Android.

Leaked images of what is claimed to be a “Facebook phone” also appeared, feeding theories that the social network would showcase a HTC mobile made with integrated Facebook features.

Stuart Miles, founder of technology and gadget site Pocket-lint, said: “My initial thought was that they couldn’t possibly be launching a phone because that would be silly, because every phone is already a Facebook phone.

“I think ultimately this will be an enhanced app that you can run from your homescreen on Android which will give you the feeling that your phone is a Facebook phone.”

The launch of an “enhanced app”, would reinforce the company’s “mobile first” attitude, he said, as users increasingly monitor the site from smartphones and tablets.

According to the site, more than 680m of its 1bn users now check Facebook from mobile devices.

Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at comparison site uSwitch.com, said that a Facebook phone would mark a new departure for mobile devices.

“The device is a concerted bid for Facebook to make a play for the eyeballs of millions of consumers, and become the hub from which they interact with all aspects of their smartphone.

“The important word on Facebook’s invitation is ‘home’. We should expect Facebook to greet mobile users when they turn their smartphones on in the morning, and to be the core of the user’s experience — integral to searching, surfing, and interacting.”

He added: “This forthcoming device will be the tip of the spear — a focused showcase of what is possible with deeper Facebook integration — and is certain to mark the start of future devices which embed the social network into the fabric of functionality, from a number of manufacturers.”

Facebook and HTC refused to comment on the speculation.

Facebook — launched in Feb 2004 from psychology student Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard dorm room — has become one of the internet’s greatest-ever success stories. Last year, Zuckerberg pocketed over $1bn (€742m) following its stock market flotation.

Facebook is now worth about $60bn (€46.6bn), according to Nasdaq.

Today’s launch event will be broadcast live online at around 6pm.