kristinachung: Do you want Facebook Home on iOS? [Poll]

শনিবার, ১৩ এপ্রিল, ২০১৩

Do you want Facebook Home on iOS? [Poll]

Facebook Home has just launched on Google Pay, the Android app store, today. Kinda. Turns out Android may be openy, but it ain't easy. Right now the full Facebook Home experience is only available on the HTC First. An almost-full experience, minus the deeper system hooks HTC made for the First, can be downloaded and installed on other Android devices, but only if they're flagship Samsung or HTC phones. And only in certain countries. That means the shiny Nexus 4 I have sitting next to me right now isn't (yet) invited to this particular Facebook event, nor is any device in my home and native land of Canada.

Of course, Facebook Home isn't available for iOS at all, in any country. iOS does enjoy basic Facebook integration, but Apple doesn't allow for the level of system intermediation Facebook needs to make their alternative Home screen and messaging system work the way it does on Android (or at least some Android devices ins some regions). That's neither a good nor a bad thing, it just depends on what you prefer, and you're welcome to change platforms to the one that does things the way you like best.

However, the question remains -- if it was available today, would you want Facebook Home on your iPhone or iPad? You'd get that slick new interface, the ChatHeads, and all the rest, but you'd also be letting Facebook collect even more of your data, you'd be exposing your friends potentially private pictures and messages to anyone within eyeshot, and you'd be giving over the look of your device to whatever pictures were last uploaded to your newsfeed, be they Pulitzer prize material, or awkward drunken swimsuit shots. With cat memes thrown in.

It's clear we need new ideas in interface. The icon launcher has been around since the early days of Xerox and on mobile since the Newton. But are these the right ideas? Is Facebook Home something you'd want to have on iOS?

I've already written a bunch about Facebook Home, but now it's your turn. Vote in the poll up top and tell me how you really feel in the comments below, and if you have any questions, check out Android Central's ongoing coverage for the answers.