Earlier Monday, we told you that AT&T might have sold only 10,000 units of the HTC First. This is the handset that comes pre-installed with the Facebook Home launcher. Now, there are rumors that AT&T has decided to stop offering the phone with the remaining inventory being sent back to HTC. This comes despite a huge drop in price from $99.99 to 99 cents for the phone. Both prices required a signed two-year contract.
AT&T will apparently stop selling the HTC First
According to sources, the HTC First sold even worse than 2011's HTC ChaCha, which was an Android phone sold as the HTC Status by AT&T, and featured a Facebook button that allowed pictures to be uploaded to the social networking site. AT&T reps are said to be largely ignoring the HTC First when recommending handsets to customers. Instead, AT&T reps are said to be pushing the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Apple iPhone 5.
Don't expect the HTC First to disappear so quickly. HTC has paid the carrier to reserve sales space at AT&T stores for the device, and until that contract has expired you can expect to see the phone remain at 99 cents or given away free with a signed pact. And while the HTC First has not sold well at all, the Facebook Home app available for certain Android handsets has continued to receive 1 star ratings from users.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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