I originally wrote this post nearly two years ago, but as Mobile World Congress starts, I expect app developers to revisit the Home app strategy. Even though Facebook Home failed, it’s an attractive option for certain apps.
Count me among those who felt that Facebook could have gone the way of MySpace. Looks like that was as solid as most of my NCAA “March Madness” predictions.
One of the company’s few mobile missteps was the introduction of Facebook Home. It’s an app that came preloaded on the HTC First handset. It delivers a Facebook experience to the user’s home and lock screen so that it’s the first and primary thing a user sees whenever she handles her phone.
Facebook Home screenshot from Google Play.
With the release of Home, Facebook, in one fell swoop:
Enabled what is essentially a Facebook phone without getting into the hardware business.
Solved one big challenge mobile app developers face: how to rise above the competition and re-engage and nurture active users who face millions of alternative apps that can make it hard for a developer to make money.
Exploited a vulnerability in…
View original post 344 more words
Matt Collins' Blog 