5 Best Facebook Home Alternatives for Android
Facebook Home, the social network's new user interface for
Android, won't be available for download until April 12th. Even when it hits
the Google Play Store, Home will only run on 7 phones, one of which is the
newly-released HTC First that has it preloaded. Fortunately, you can get a more
immersive Facebook experience on your Android phone today with these apps.
Were you one of those bright-eyed Android users
eagerly awaiting the Facebook Phone only to find out that your handset was NOT
one of the lucky 7 chosen? Don't fret. Laptop Mag's Avram Piltch has plenty of
ways to get a highly integrated, highly convenient Facebook experience on your
Android, no matter which Android it may be. Quick Launch Social Lock Screen
(Free)
If you can't wait to unlock your phone to see your
Facebook feeds, Quick Launch Social Lock Screen is For You. The lock screen
contains its own Facebook widget, which shows the latest photos and headlines
from the latest posts in your feed and lets you share, like or view the full
post. You can also add feeds from Twitter and Instragram or place any third
party widget you want on another of the lock screen's three desktops. SO.HO
Social Launcher (Free)
While it doesn't take over your app menus and lock
screen,SO.HO launcher replaces your primary desktop with a social widget that
shows the latest updates from your Facebook news feed. Unlike a typical Android
widget, SO.HO takes over the whole screen, appearing underneath your shortcuts
bar and, as you scroll down the list, both the status and shortcuts bars
disappear to make room for more Facebook content. A menu at the top of the
screen also lets you switch back and forth from Facebook to Twitter. Android
Pro Widgets (Free)
One of the best things about Android is that it
lets you place dynamic widgets on your home screens so you can get important
information without switching into a separate app. Android Pro Widgets provides
a set of powerful widgets for showing your calendar, displaying your favorite
bookmarks, listing your most recent SMS messages or, most importantly, showing
your Facebook feed. The APW Facebook widget comes in several different sizes so
you can decide how much screen real estate you want it to take up. A series of
buttons at the top of the widget allow you to switch between viewing your news
feed, viewing your own posts or composing a new update. LilyPad HD ($2.99)
While not as robust as Facebook Home's Chat Heads
feature, LilyPad HD allows you to conduct Facebook messaging chats from
anywhere in the OS, without switching out of your current app. Like a chat
client in Windows, LilyPad HD sits in a draggable window on top of your apps,
If the window is blocking your view, you can either minimize it, drag it to
another part of the screen or just show its title bar and the app will alert
you when you get a new message.
Best of all, LilyPad HD supports Google Talk, AIM
and Yahoo Messenger in addition to Facebook. The free version of the app only
support Google Talk, so you'll need to pay $2.99 if you want to chat on
Facebook. PhotoWall Live Wallpaper (Free)
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