Ready for a 'Facebook phone'? AT&T unveils the HTC Status
HTC Status promises to be the first phone with deep social network integration. This 'Facebook phone' will drop in mid-July on AT&T.
You can get Facebook updates on just about any smart phone 鈥� so why is the blogosphere making such a big deal about the HTC Status? It鈥檚 the only US phone (so far) with Facebook integration so deep, it actually includes a physical, dedicated Facebook 鈥渟hare鈥� button. HTC announced on Wednesday the device鈥檚 impending arrival on the AT&T network 鈥� appropriately enough, unveiling the phone on Facebook.
For social-networking mavens, the level of connectivity here could be awfully tempting. Pressing that little blue button will let you instantly post to your Facebook wall, and HTC says the phone will also include other social features to take advantage of having a dedicated Facebook button right there in the phone鈥檚 bezel.
For example, a long press of the Facebook button will let you check-in at your current location through Facebook Places. The button glows when you鈥檙e listening to music, presumably to entice you to share information about the song with your social circle. The phone will also give users the ability to post pictures automatically as they鈥檙e being taken. (In what social situations is it wise to use this feature? That鈥檚 a question HTC is evidently leaving up to the users.)
It鈥檚 also worth pointing out that Facebook chat, a feature missing from the Facebook app on many phones, is included on the Status, as is a home-screen widget that activates when you receive a call, displaying the caller鈥檚 Facebook status and 鈥� if his or her birthday lands that week 鈥� a reminder that the date is coming up.
The phone will be available sometime in mid-July, although HTC didn鈥檛 mention pricing or a specific launch date. The Status will run on Android 2.3 鈥淕ingerbread鈥� with HTC鈥檚 Sense UI overlaid, and will sport a 2.6-inch touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, 5-megapixel camera, and VGA front-facing camera for video chat.
For some corners of the Internet, the Sense鈥檚 arrival is already old news. The phone is available in the UK as the HTC ChaCha, sporting the same specs and Facebook integration. Tech rumors site Boy Genius Report that the phone鈥檚 stateside launch almost a week ago, although they noted at the time that the ChaCha鈥檚 other British alter-ego, the Salsa, 鈥渨on鈥檛 be hitting AT&T in the near future, if at all.鈥�
What do you think about the Status? Will Facebook鈥檚 pervasive grip on your social life tempt you to pick one up once they become available? Let us know in the comments section.