The HTC First phone, the first to feature the Facebook Home launcher, has gotten mixed reviews just days after the device was launched by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday.

Michelle Fitzsimmons of TechRadar finds the phone's hardware fine enough but pointed out that it is definitely not a sleek, plasticized high-end handset. With its rubberised material, she noted the body has an almost rugged feel and with its measurement of 125.6mm x 64.93mm x 8.96mm, it edges out the iPhone 5 in size.

The reviewer also found the screen really attractive, making it difficult to ignore the flow of pretty photos from the 4.3-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720.

However, Ms Fitzsimmons found three oddities with the HTC First.

1. Profile pic button - While it floats above the screen's bottom, it doesn't actually take the user to his profile when clicked. The owners must go through the normal route of opening the Facebook app, although FB said it would be something they could deal with in future models of the phone.

2. Access of actual phone function only though the app launcher - The reviewer attributes this semi turn-off element to the focus of the gadget on Facebook and communication with the user's social network through its features such as the Chat Heads which follow the owner wherever they are on the phone. These are bubble-headed icons of friends who wobble into the screen when they message the phone user. To open all conversations, tap on the topmost part of the Chat Heads, and to close them, hold the bubble and swipe it down.

3. Non-stop flow of photos - The only way to stop the continuous flow of pictures is to comment by hitting the comment icon or like them with a double click on the photo. The reviewer conceded that after getting used to this feature it would be less bothersome, but she found it initially a weird feeling that something users expected to remain static move.

Despite the non-compelling hardware of the HTC First, Ms Fitzsimmons agreed that it is hard to argue with a smartphone powered with the Jelly Bean OS that has a price tag of $99.99.

Another TechCrunch article pointed, however, that the Android launcher market is relatively small with the Go Launcher Ex, the top free Android launcher, with only 50 to 100 million installs worldwide, according to data from Google Play.

Besides the mixed reviews, Facebook Home already has a parody which has gone viral with more than 63 hits.

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