Despite the fact it's the 21st Century, keeping control of your social life can at times prove a demanding task. Think for instance of trying to get hold of somebody who's number you have lost. Without a phone number, you've got two options, get your journalist hat on and set out on an investigation to find the lost number, or pop on your bike and go to their house, the later would be quite a pain if you live in John'O'Groats and they live in Lands End
Another issue is event invitations. The paper invitations like those you used to get from your school friends in primary school are a pain to write out and seem a bit tacky especially if the event is something low-key like a reunion or BBQ, and mass-texting is expensive and sometimes problematic. You don't want to accidently invite your Gran to an Anne Summer's party!
The point here is that in the digital age at the height of the social-network revolution, the traditional mobile communications; texting and calling can seem outdated. So how do you keep connected to your friends and family?
What we need is a centralised communications hub for all our friends and acquaintances, sounds like Facebook doesn't it?
Well, Facebook may very well be the answer to quick, efficient and free (bar the cost of internet connection) communication. It's a phrase that is perhaps overused these days but with Facebook, you can always stay connected. Or, more accurately you can always stay connected if you have a smartphone designed to complement Facebook. Most phones have some sort of Facebook app, but a simple newsfeed program isn't going to offer the future of social organisation. HTC however are bringing us the next level of Facebook on the go. Their two latest handsets the Cha Cha and the Salsa (an 02 exclusive) have been built with one thing in mind. You can guess what that one thing is.
It's a simple idea but it could be an attractive one to some smartphone users. HTC’s one touch to Facebook feature allows you to post whatever you want (a photo or video for example) on your wall with the hit of just one button; simple.
That's not all, the new HTC Facebook widget lets you select the friends and family whose updates you're interested in, so you can always see them on your home screen. Plus Facebook chat gives you the ability to talk to anyone at anytime, and unlike a text you know if they've got your message or not. As well as these standard Facebook mobile features, there are some more subtle, clever little features, like Facebook calendar for example which lists event dates and friends birthdays in a convenient calendar, so you don't miss out.
It sounds good doesn't it, but the question is, which handset is for you? Are you a touchscreen fan or a physical QWERTY fan? Both handsets come with Android and HTC sense, a 5 megapixel camera with auto focus and flash and a VGA front camera as well as a CPU Processing Speed of 800 MHz. But Cha Cha offers a stylish physical keyboard whilst the Salsa comes loaded with a 3.4-inch touch screen with 480 x 320 resolution.
To find out more about HTC and Facebook watch the video here or head over to the O2 web page or the Facebook page (where there is a Facebook quiz to prove your social-networking knowledge.)