Facebook is most used app, Google leads slightly in browsing, according to comScore

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When it comes to apps and websites, we all have our preferences. Some prefer gaming, while others like to read news. Music is always popular, and so is sports. Which are most visited? A new study notes we don’t stray far from home when we browse the web on our mobile devices. Our choice of apps is also fairly predictable, but has a few surprises.

When it comes to web browsing, we love Google. Google sites were visited by 88% of those sampled for a comSource study. Facebook proved its merit, coming in second with 84.4%, leading Yahoo properties by 7.5%. After Yahoo, Amazon makes a slightly surprising appearance in the #4 slot with 65.3%. Rounding out the top 5 is Apple with 49.6%, barely edging out AOL at 49.5%.

Apps tell a similar story, but break those websites out a bit. We still love Facebook, with 75.7% of devices having that app loaded. Google Play clocks in second with 54% of devices, followed by Google Search with 52.2%. Pandora surprises us at the #4 spot, with 48.2%. That’s ahead of YouTube at 48% saturation, and Gmail with 45.6%.

These numbers hold true with stats we reported yesterday regarding OS and OEM popularity. Apple’s website being visited by about 50% of devices, and Google Play ending up on 54% of devices show that the numbers match up pretty well. Facebook Messenger has a 19% saturation, which is only behind Twitter at 21.8% when we consider social media and messaging. Apps like Google+ or Hangouts don’t even register yet, but as they come pre-loaded on Android devices, we’re sure that will change.

Samsung could introduce the next Facebook phone.

By Jean-Louis Petrod on June 18, 2013

Currently, Mark Zuckerberg would be recently JK Shin met with, who is on a trip to South Korea, discussions on various themes of the creative economy and a potential Facebook phone Samsung signed. According to several reports of the local analysts, the social network about the influence would be the largest manufacturer of smartphones in the world to establish its position in the mobile market and a second Google Base.

The failure of the first HTC with application Facebook home page, Mark Zuckerberg supposedly decided take the lead. Facing the upcoming commercialization of the first HTC crash, the creator of the famous social network needs a new partner to push through his company in the mobile market. And who else, that Samsung, which kinda looks like the ideal partner would be best placed, can achieve its ambitious goals.

Signed a Facebook Mobile Samsung?

Remains to be seen if the idea of designing a Facebook Mobile Samsung really interested, because despite the fact that strictly nothing would bring such a device as a result of market forces financially speaking, the Korean company why Samsung run the risk of confusing an encore of Google, his relations with the giant mountain view is already over heated?

In each case according to analysts, there is little chance that Samsung will accept the idea of the Facebook phone, some even say if JK Shin has agreed to to Mark Zuckerberg, it received just out of politeness.

In all cases, the Group of smartphone users already is the possibility of accessing the network seems to be almost non-existent social on your mobile device, the added value of a labeled Smartphone Facebook and have a strategy of relentless, to achieve his goal Mark Zuckerberg. Remains to be seen whether Samsung really the partners is needed.

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Facebook Messenger VOIP calling expands outside of Canada

Unlike when it enabled the new Chat Heads feature with an update via the Play Store, Facebook has silently pushed out a feature to its Messenger app today to enable free VOIP calling. If you'll recall back to the beginning of March, the same happened to iOS users and Android users in Canada, but now we're looking at expanded availability in the U.S. and several more countries as well. The calls are of course completely free, and work between two Facebook users over data rather than the carrier's voice networks.

To check and see if you have the option available, tap into an ongoing chat and hit the "i" button in the top right corner. You should then see a simple "Free Call" button. It isn't the most elegant solution, but as a first release we're not going to complain much. Are you seeing the feature enabled in your own Messenger app? Let us know in the comments below.

"Forever tinkering with gadgets."

Facebook Home and the HTC First - what you need to know

Friday's the big day, folks. The day the new Facebook Home application and the new HTC First smartphone arrive. Or, maybe it's just Friday. That all depends on your point of view toward Facebook, your phone and this whole social sharing thing in general.

There are more than 650 million active Facebook users. One in seven people on the planet has an account with Facebook. It's no small thing. But at the same time, how close is too close? Do you really want Facebook that much more in your life? Do Facebook Home and the new HTC First make that big a difference in the way you use Facebook? Will you use it more? Will it make you want to use it less? Does it makes the experience that much better?

The answer to many of those questions are a matter of personal taste. But we've been bombarded by questions from our friends and family -- folks who don't necessarily live day in night inside the tech bubble -- and with Friday being launch day, we've put together a few answers, in layman's terms.

Unveiled on April 4 at Facebook HQ in California (we were there!), Facebook Home is separate from the Facebook application. It's actually part "launcher," which is the sort of umbrella name for your Android smartphone's home screens and app drawer, part home feed, and part messaging service.

Facebook Home works by taking the posts you'd normally see in the Facebook application and bringing them to you much sooner, and with a much more attractive design. This part is called "cover feed," and it presents your friends' posts much like a slideshow, with full-screen pictures. You can "like" and comment on those posts directly from the cover feed view, as well as zoom in on the pictures.

None of this really "takes over" your phone, as you might have read elsewhere. It just does things differently, same as any other third-party launcher, like NOVA or Action Launcher. Hold down on your profile picture at the bottom of the screen and you'll see shortcuts to take you to other applications, including the app drawer. From there, you'll be in more familiar territory, and you'll see all of your existing apps.

Another major part of Facebook Home is called "chat heads." They work with Facebook messaging and regular text messages. Get one, and your friend's head appears on screen in a little bubble. Tap it to open the conversation. The chat heads persist on top of applications, making it easier to keep the conversation going. They're cute, but can get annoying if you've got too many going on at once. They're also pretty easy to get rid of by flinging the head toward the bottom of the phone.

OK, the short version: You get a quicker and prettier (and bigger!) way to see your friends' posts. And it's a little quicker and easier to share your stuff, too. There's also some cool messaging.

First things first: This is Android only. It'll be available for free in the Google Play Store, just like any other application. Expect to see mention of it in the regular Facebook app, too. 

If you don't want to use Home, you don't have to use Home. Facebook (the app) will still work. 

And at launch, it's only (officially) available in the U.S.

Not yet. But Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg was crystal clear that we will at some point in the future.

Officially, Facebook has only said that Home is supported on the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and Note 2, and the HTC One X, One X+ and new HTC One. More devices will be announced "in the coming months," but it wouldn't surprise us in the least to see it either work out of the box on other recent devices, or to be hacked on with minimal effort.

Again, officially, Facebook Home runs on Android 4.x and up.

The so-called "Facebook phone" actually is the "HTC First." It's an Android smartphone on AT&T that's got all of Facebook Home on it. But because it's built into the phone's operating system itself, it's got deeper integration and better design. You won't find yourself leaping from Facebook Home to, say, Samsung's TouchWiz or HTC Sense. Instead, you'll have a more seamless experience. Notifications from other applications will come through, and won't have a separate design. 

The size of the HTC First actually is one of its selling points. At 4.3 inches, it's almost a throwback to a time when we used our phones with one hand. (Those were the days.) It's also got a 5-megapixel camera and 4G LTE data. At 2,000 mAh, the battery is on the smaller side of what you'd expect in a new phone these days.

And it comes in red, light blue, white and black.

It does! In fact, Android fans are downright salivating over the fact that the HTC First basically is a "stock" Android phone -- that is, with Google's default user interface and apps -- with the Facebook Home launcher, and that's it. It's got full access to Google Play and all the apps you're used to. 

When Facebook Home is running, you don't have traditional home screens -- just the main app drawer and a couple other pages on which to "bookmark" apps you use more often. No widgets, no folders. But you can turn off Facebook Home at any time and have a "stock" Android 4.1.2 experience, complete with widgets and folders. (And you can install another launcher if you prefer.)

It's not quite as powerful a phone as what's currently at the top of the mountain, but neither is the HTC First considered low-end. So some casual gaming should be fine. 

Unless you really, really love Facebook and really, really are willing to hand over a two-year contract for deeper Facebook Home integration, probably not. Think long and hard about that. For another $100, you can get a lot more phone. 

That said, it's real hard to get a decent 4.3-inch phone these days. This could be your best shot, if size is that much of a thing for you.

When it comes to the HTC First and Facebook Home, you might well have the opportunity to try -- at length -- before you buy. Assuming it works on your current phone (we'll just have to wait and see on Friday, once it's released), you can install Facebook Home and give it a shot. 

If it's the greatest thing since sliced bread and you've just got to have a little deeper access, go for it. If you've just got to have a 4.3-inch phone with LTE, well, here you go. Off-contract, it runs $449.99, which isn't too bad.

Facebook Home now available for download

OK, boys and girls. Now's the time to see what all the fuss is about over this Facebook Home thing. As promised, it's now available in the United States, for free, from the Google Play Store. (It's actually still propagating in Google Play as we write this. If you don't see it immediately, hang tight. It's coming.)

If you've somehow missed all the hullabaloo over the past week, Facebook Home is part custom launcher, part messaging client -- and all Facebook. You install it and get your friends Facebook posts front and center, in a nicely designed sort of lock screen called "cover feed." Then there's the "chat heads" messaging system -- it went live this morning in the Facebook Messenger app which pops up your friends profile pictures in little persistent bubbles. The traditional Facebook application is still there, of course.

Officially, Facebook Home only is available for the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 2, and the HTC One, One X and One X+. But we'll see what else we get it up and running on.

For more, see our Facebook Home and HTC First FAQ.

Android Central 131: E-mail, voicemail and Facebook - oh, my!

Android Central 131: E-mail, voicemail and Facebook - oh, my! | Android Central Android BlackBerry iPhone / iPad Windows Phone webOS SIGN UP|LOG IN Android Central Forums News Reviews Help & how to Apps Devices Search Downloads: Free Android Wallpapers Weekly podcast From the Forums: Get the app Today's Posts Getting Started All Forums Cases Docks Batteries Chargers Screen Protectors Lloyd Gear Select your phone Home Android Central 131: E-mail, voicemail and Facebook - oh, my! Podcast Podcast By Phil Nickinson  | Apr 12 2013 | 9:04 am  | 8 Comments

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