Tag Archives: Facebook Home

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Facebook Shakes Up the Smartphone Wars

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By Doug Ehrman, The Motley Fool

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Earlier this week, Facebook unveiled an entirely new way to interact with your phone that the company has dubbed “Home.” As CEO Mark Zuckerberg pointed out after taking the stage to release the new platform, Facebook Home is neither a new OS, nor is it simply an app. It’s what he referred to as a new way to experience your smartphone. While Zuckerberg openly admitted that Facebook loves Apple  in a separate interview, he extolled the openness of Google‘s Android as the reason that Facebook was able to bring the new product to market so seamlessly. The specific financial ramifications are difficult to predict thus far, but this is a big win for Facebook, and should serve as a catalyst for the stock.

What is Facebook Home?
For lack of a better term, let’s call Home a meta app that exists within the Android OS, but above the rest of the apps native to the device. Facebook Home takes over a smartphone’s home screen and lock screen to stream Facebook updates to you without the need to actually enter an app. Zuckerberg pointed out that most of us look at our lock screen as many as 100 times per day. By filling that real estate with Facebook updates, you’ll be able to follow the people in your life in a much more meaningful way, creating what he called a significantly more personal experience.

Thus far, Facebook Home only streams updates to the two screens, but viewing the demonstration makes it immediately apparent that the company has left enough free real estate to allow ads to quickly become a part of the equation. Facebook has struggled with the need to monetize mobile, and Facebook Home looks to be one of the most successful plans to do so that has been brought to market. I believe it is reminiscent of Zuckerberg’s genius in how he rolled out Facebook originally; it leaves the ads out for now. Let users get comfortable and reliant on the technology and then slip in the ads later.

Impact on the competition
Facebook may love Apple — the Facebook app is one of the most popular on iDevices  — but Facebook Home is hard to imagine as ever being an option on the iPhone. Android’s open source structure, and Google’s willingness to let Android be altered, are critical reasons why Facebook Home can work. Cupertino surrendering control of the home and lock screens on iDevices is a development that should be viewed as improbable to impossible. An app version may be available, but it will not have the same power as the full experience.

Another consideration for Apple is the fact that preliminary reports suggest that Facebook Home may simplify the Android experience sufficiently to make it more comparable to the iOS ease of use. One of Apple’s biggest strengths has been the intuitive nature of iOS, and the ease with which it can be learned. If …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Facebook's Latest Move

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By Chris Hill, The Motley Fool

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The following video is from Friday’s Motley Fool Money roundtable discussion, with host Chris Hill and analysts Ron Gross, James Early, and Charly Travers.

On Thursday, Facebook unveiled Facebook Home, software for Android phones. Will the move help Facebook make more money off mobile? In this installment of Motley Fool Money, our analysts talk about Facebook’s latest move.

After the world’s most-hyped IPO turned out to be a dunce, most investors probably don’t even want to think about shares of Facebook. But there are things every investor needs to know about this company. We’ve outlined them in our newest premium research report. There’s a lot more to Facebook than meets the eye, so read up on whether there is anything to “like” about it today, and we’ll tell you whether we think Facebook deserves a place in your portfolio. Access your report by clicking here.

var FoolAnalyticsData = FoolAnalyticsData || []; FoolAnalyticsData.push({ eventType: “TickerReportPitch”, contentByline: “Chris Hill“, contentId: “cms.30241”, contentTickers: “NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:FB”, contentTitle: “Facebook’s Latest Move”, hasVideo: “True”, pitchId: “16”, pitchTickers: “NASDAQ:FB”, …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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How Does Google Really Feel About Facebook Home?

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By Evan Niu, CFA, The Motley Fool

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Yesterday, social networking giant Facebook unveiled its new Facebook Home suite of apps and tweaks. The package features heavy integration of numerous Facebook services directly into various Google Android devices, and will soon be available for broader download from Google Play.

Facebook Home isn’t quite a full-fledged fork of the operating system, like the route that Amazon.com has successfully pursued. Instead, it’s just a heavy modification that sits directly on top of the operating system, but hijacks numerous key features. You might even consider it a “half-fork.”

The standard Google search box is removed from the home screen. Actually, both the home screen and lock screen are replaced by Cover Feed, which will eventually include Facebook’s ads — and not Google’s. Mark Zuckerberg even argued that Facebook Home will end up being “really good for Android.”

That may be true since his point is that Home may boost developer interest in Android, since most developers “put most of their efforts” toward Apple‘s iPhone. However, as Google continues to lose more and more control over Android, what’s good for Android as a platform may not be good for Google as a business.

Google’s open stance on platforms facilitated Home, and Facebook didn’t even have to collaborate with its ad rival, even though Big G knew what Facebook was up to. “Google’s Android is open so we don’t have to work with them,” Zuckerberg noted.

That’s in contrast to Facebook’s relationship with Apple. Since Apple is set on maintaining control at all times, Facebook would need a lot more cooperation from Cupertino to make Home for iOS a reality. Zuckerberg acknowledged that Apple would have to be willing to partner. For now, the existing levels of Facebook and iOS integration will have to suffice.

Facebook integration in iOS 6. Source: Apple.

In a statement to VentureBeat, a Google spokesperson said:

The Android platform has spurred the development of hundreds of different types of devices. This latest collaboration demonstrates the openness and flexibility that has made Android so popular. And it’s a win for users who want a customized Facebook experience from Google Play — the heart of the Android ecosystem — along with their favorite Google services like Gmail, Search, and Google Maps.

These services are still present on Home-equipped Androids, but far less prominent. I wouldn’t expect Google to shamelessly bash Home, but I also wouldn’t expect the search giant to tell investors how it really feels about the potential threat.

Home is the latest in a string of hijackings and the most recent evidence of how Google has lost control of Android.

It’s more important than ever to understand each piece of Google’s sprawling empire. In The Motley Fool’s new premium research report on Google, we break down the risks and potential rewards for Google investors. Simply click here now to unlock your copy of this invaluable resource.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Why Facebook Home Is Good for Apple

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By Travis Hoium, The Motley Fool

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Facebook finally released a new mobile phone app called Home, which isn’t a full Facebook smartphone like some people wanted, but a step in that direction for the social media company. What it does is turn your Google Android phone into a giant Facebook app with constant updates.

At first, this may look like a positive step for Facebook or even another compelling reason to buy an Android phone. But I think it highlights the problems for both and will push consumers toward Apple .

Exacerbating Android’s problems
When Google created Android, the model was that it would give away the code (open source) in the hope that more people would use its other services like search, Gmail, Google Play, etc. As more versions of Android have been released and device manufacturers modify, or fork, the software, it dilutes the experience and becomes less of a benefit for Google. Facebook shows the weakness in Android because it essentially bypasses Google to make Android a Facebook device.

Amazon made a similar move when it launched the Kindle on a heavily forked version of Android. The company bypassed Google’s built-in ecosystem for its own ecosystem, which suited its own goals, which is the danger of creating open-source software.

The problem with so many different versions of Android and varying levels of modification is that it dilutes the experience for the user. An iPhone user knows how to use any other iPhone but every Android phone is different. The worst thing for Google is that a heavily forked Android device may not even use the programs Google was trying to promote in the first place.

All Facebook, all the time
I have a Facebook account, but I’ve said before that I’m about ready to drop it. I just don’t need useless updates from people I don’t talk to on a regular basis. And I definitely don’t need those updates on my home screen. 

I think Facebook Home runs the risk of overloading people with too much social media. Facebook is beyond the point where it’s a fun new app and it will eventually go too far. Maybe this is part of that breaking point for users.

It’s all about the experience
Where Apple has the lead over Android and now Facebook is in its consistent and elegant user experience. I think this highlights that difference and will comfort consumers who will become increasingly overwhelmed by the number of choices from Android.

Android offers a greater selection of devices, but it isn’t the same experience every time. For those who value consistency and ease of operation, Apple is still the way to go. I think Facebook Home only adds to the confusion about Android and will push users toward Apple.

Got Apple? Get smart.
There’s no doubt that Apple is at the center of technology’s largest revolution ever, and that longtime shareholders have been handsomely rewarded with over 1,000% …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Why It's OK That You're Not Rushing Out to Get Facebook 'Home'

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By TechCrunch

Steve Stockman official portrait Congressman moves to automatically kill Senate gun ban

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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, as seen on an HTC First smartphone using the new Facebook ‘Home’ interface.

Making you feel comfortable didn’t get Facebook to a billion users. It had to push your limits of “open and connectedness.” That’s why so many of its product launches are initially met with outrage, or apprehension. But Zuck is convinced the amount we share will double each year. So if you don’t want “Home” yet, fine. It’s designed to handle how we share in 2016 so no one steals Facebook’s future.

“If you asked people what they want, they would have said faster horses,” Henry Ford supposedly said about building the car. That’s because our minds think incrementally. Mark Zuckerberg is thinking exponentially. That’s made him a pariah in the short-term, but one of the world’s most influential people nine years after he started Facebook Inc. (FB).

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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Facebook Home: A New, Deep Integration With Android

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By John Divine, The Motley Fool

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Facebook (NAS: FB) founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg yesterday introduced the company’s newest iteration, Facebook Home, to the world. Designed for users to “see the world through people, not apps,” Facebook Home isn’t an operating system, nor is it a conventional application. Available for download on certain Android-powered devices through the Google (NAS: GOOG) Play store beginning April 12, the new product aims to make the mobile experience more fundamentally social.

Facebook Home turns the home screen into a continuous stream of your friends’ photos, updates, and shared stories. Dubbed the cover feed, Zuckerberg demonstrated how easy it is to interact with these scrolling stories by simply double tapping to “like” a story or swiping to move to the next one.

But Facebook Home also attempts to revolutionize mobile messaging, blurring the lines between SMS and Facebook messages. One feature, called Chat Heads, allows users to easily message friends (whose tiny, circular facial profiles appear on the screen) while other applications are running.

The unabashedly ambitious Zuckerberg isn’t just content with introducing a drastically new way to access social media. Five to 10 years from now, not only does he envision about 5 billion people having smartphones, but he believes the majority of those people “will have never seen in their lives what you and I call a computer.” He went on: “The very definition of what a computer is and what our relationship with it should be hasn’t been defined for the majority of the world.” The 28-year-old billionaire closed by saying that when that relationship is finally defined, it will center around the “people first” philosophy championed by Facebook Home.

Not only will Facebook Home be available on a number of HTC and Samsung devices on April 12, but HTC will be releasing the HTC First the same day, the first phone that comes with Facebook Home built in. Retailing for $99.99, it will only be available through AT&T (NYS: T) .

In less than an hour, Facebook’s stock went from gains of around 1% at the beginning of the event to roughly 3% gains as investors applauded the upcoming launch. 

The article Facebook Home: A New, Deep Integration With Android originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor John Divine has no position in any stocks mentioned. 
You can follow him on Twitter

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and on Motley Fool CAPS

@TMFDivine

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The Motley Fool recommends and owns shares of Facebook and Google. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes …read more

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With 'Home,' Facebook Barges in on Google's Turf

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By The Associated Press

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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP HTC CEO Peter Chou, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph De La Vega embrace as they show joint products at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on Thursday.

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK — Facebook Home, the new application that takes over the front screen of a smartphone, is a bit of a corporate home invasion. Facebook is essentially moving into Google’s turf, taking advantage of software the search giant and competitor created.

Facebook Home will operate on phones running Google Inc.’s (GOOG) Android software and present Facebook status updates, messages and other content on the home screen, rather than making the user fire up Facebook’s app. The software will be available for users to download on April 12 and will come preloaded on a new phone from HTC Corp., sold by AT&T Inc. in the U.S.

Google gives away Android, the most popular smartphone software in the world, in the hope that it will steer phone users toward Google services, such as Maps and Gmail, and the ads it sells. Compared to ads targeting PC surfers, mobile ads are a small market, but it’s growing quickly. Research firm eMarketer expects U.S. mobile ad spending to grow 77 percent this year to $7.29 billion.

With Home, Facebook is inserting itself between users and Google, diverting them to the social network’s own ads and services. It’s taking advantage of the fact that Google places few restrictions on how phone manufacturers and software developers modify Android. By contrast, Facebook Home would not work on the iPhone without approval from Apple Inc., and close collaboration with the company.

“Facebook Home can only reside on Android because only Google was daft enough to allow it,” said independent phone analyst Horace Dediu, via Twitter.

At the launch event Thursday, Facebook Inc. (FB) CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Google was aware of the project, but Facebook didn’t work them to create Home. Asked if he believed Google could change tactics and restrict apps like Home, he said it was theoretically possible, but highly unlikely for Google to do a “180-degree change” in its stance on Android’s openness.

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It’s not the first time a big Internet company has co-opted Android: Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) has gone much farther with its Kindle Fire tablets. They run a version of Android that strips out all Google services, replacing them with Amazon’s equivalents. Barnes & Noble Inc. does the same thing with its Nook tablets. These devices lie outside the Google system, whereas phones running Facebook Home still come with Google apps like Maps and the Play Store for music, movies and applications.

The Play Store has many examples of downloadable applications that modify the Android home screen — so-called “launchers.” Home, however, represents the first time a major …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Dow Jones May Drop on Jobs Data

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By Roland Head, The Motley Fool

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LONDON — Stock index futures as of 7 a.m. EDT indicate that both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 may open 0.6% lower. Despite gains for both indexes yesterday, the CNN Fear & Greed Index fell further and closed at 55 last night, signifying “neutral” sentiment.

Stock markets across Europe fell this morning to reach a one-month low ahead of this afternoon’s U.S. nonfarm payroll data. European airline shares fell amid fears that a bird flu outbreak in China that has already killed six people could harm long-haul business, leaving British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group down by 6.8% at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Concerns also grew that North Korea might threaten U.S. bases in the Asia-Pacific region after it moved missile launchers and intermediate-range missiles to its eastern coastline. At 7:30 a.m. EDT, the FTSE 100 was down 1.4%, while Germany’s DAX was 1.8% lower.

Today’s key economic reports are the nonfarm payrolls and unemployment rate for March, both of which are due at 8:30 a.m. EDT, before markets open. U.S. jobs data has disappointed twice already this week, and consensus forecasts are suggesting that 190,000 new jobs were created in March, down from 236,000 in February. Investors will be concerned that these figures may surprise to the downside once more, although the unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 7.7%. Other data due to be published today includes the trade deficit and consumer credit figures for February.

There are no major corporate earnings announcements due today, but companies with strong domestic exposure such as Bank of America could fall if job figures come in below expectations. Stocks that may be actively traded today include F5 Networks, which fell 17% in German trading this morning after cutting its second-quarter sales and earnings forecasts below its previous guidance. Facebook shares rose 3.1% yesterday as the company launched its new Facebook Home app and its customised Android phone, but the social-networking website’s shares are just 0.5% higher in premarket trading, suggesting that investors may wait to see what impact the new app has on Facebook’s mobile revenue before committing themselves to large new positions.

Finally, let’s not forget that the Dow’s daily movements can add up to serious long-term gains. Indeed, Warren Buffett recently wrote, “The Dow advanced from 66 to 11,497 in the 20th Century, a staggering 17,320% increase that materialized despite four costly wars, a Great Depression and many recessions.” If you, like Buffett, are convinced of the long-term power of the Dow, you should read “5 Stocks To Retire On.” Your long-term wealth could be transformed, even in this uncertain economy. Simply click here now to download this free, no-obligation report.

The article Dow Jones May Drop on Jobs Data originally appeared on Fool.com.


Roland Head has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends F5 Networks and Facebook. The Motley Fool …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

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Don't Laugh at the New Facebook Phone

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By Rick Munarriz, The Motley Fool

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We can finally bury the relentless Facebook Phone chatter.

There really is a Facebook-centric  phone coming, but thankfully it’s not as ridiculous as it may sound.

Facebook announced today that HTC and AT&T would be teaming up to introduce the first Facebook-optimized phone next week. HTC First will be available through AT&T Wireless on April 12 at a compelling price point of $99 with a two-year contract.

If this was the end, it would be a disaster for Facebook. Who wants a Facebook phone, especially one tethered to a two-year contract? Can anyone safely say that they will even care about social networking come 2015?

However, Facebook is actually doing this in a smart way. You don’t need to buy the HTC First to get the shiny new interface which powers up with visual updates and other nifty navigational features.

Facebook Home is a new home screen that will be available on several of the leading smartphones running Google‘s Android next Friday through the Google Play app store. HTC First naturally will have it pre-installed and the device itself is optimized for the interface, but anyone that doesn’t want to make that kind of investment can just stick with a Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One, or any of the other eligible devices.

If someone tires of Facebook Home and wants to revert back to a home screen that revolves around apps instead of people, it’s an easy process to undo.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg began the presentation alluding to third-party data showing that more than 20% of someone’s time on a smartphone is spent engaging on Facebook — and that pops up to better than 25% when you tack on Facebook’s Instagram. Social apps make up the largest category of smartphone engagement.

Facebook is taking a logical and evolutionary step with Facebook Home, and that will hold true even if next week’s rollout of HTC First flops. Facebook knows what it’s doing.

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After the world’s most hyped IPO turned out to be a dunce, most investors probably don’t even want to think about shares of Facebook. But there are things every investor needs to know about this company. We’ve outlined them in our newest premium research report. There’s a lot more to Facebook than meets the eye, so read up on whether there is anything to “like” about it today, and we’ll tell you whether we think Facebook deserves a place in your portfolio. Access your report by clicking here.

var FoolAnalyticsData = FoolAnalyticsData || []; …read more

Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance